Dr. Duane Tolsma was raised in Baroda, Michigan, graduating with honors from Lakeshore High School in 1982. He attended Ferris State University where he graduated with honors from the College of Optometry in 1988.
He joined Great Lakes Eye Care in May of 1988 after completing internships at Duane Waters Hospital in Jackson, MI, and The Eye Center of Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. Tolsma is currently an active member of the American Optometric Association and the Michigan Optometric Association and past president of the Southwestern Michigan Optometric Association.
He also has been active in the mission field organizing and participating in eye brigades supplying ocular health care and glasses to those in need in Honduras and Ecuador.
Dr. Tolsma and his wife Suzanne have been married for about 30 years. They have two children and attend church at St. Paul's Evangelical Church in Stevensville.
We are a practice consisting of six ophthalmologists, a retina specialist, and three optometrists who are augmented by a large, select, and highly trained staff. We deliver personalized care in kind, compassionate ways, always with the patient's best interests in mind. Our up-to-date training and state-of-the-art equipment is matched by modern, comfortable facilities in St. Joseph, Niles, South Haven, Michigan and recently opened a Mishawaka location!
Office visits are by appointment only. We make every effort to schedule your appointment as soon as practical. During the business day and after hours, emergencies will receive priority status.
Great Lakes Eye Care provides a large service department for your individual eye-care needs. We are open during our normal hours and are well prepared for most eyewear repairs or adjustments you might need.
We also provide direct shipping of contacts to your home with a valid prescription for existing patients. We make every effort to be a full-service eye care practice.
Our staff participates in many community-building activities outside of the office. Some of these activities include:
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Providing primary eye care in poor or underdeveloped areas of the world. We do this because it is our nature to care about people. Some information on these activities may be accessed through this website. |
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Through Vision Outreach International, we have had the opportunity to travel to many countries including: Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, China, Indonesia, Honduras and Guatemala. |
Dr. Van Elk is originally from Portage, Michigan. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Western Michigan University. He went on to receive clinical training at the Michigan College of Optometry where he achieved high distinction honors. Dr. Van Elk has completed several externships, including at Rosenbaum Eye and Laser Center, where he provided pre- and post-operative refractive and cataract surgical care. In addition, he served as an extern at Michigan State University – Department of Neurology/Ophthalmology where he received exposure to complex neuro-ophthalmic disorders. Most recently he completed a one year optometric residency in ocular disease at Specialty Eye Institute in Jackson/Lansing, Michigan.
He is a member of the American Optometric Association. He and his wife, Lindsay, have been happily married for 10 years. They have two children, James and Lillian.
Dr. Andrew Wang (pronounced "Wong") grew up in Chicago, IL. He attended the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He graduated in 1996 with a B.S. Degree in Biology with a minor in English and Chemistry. In 2000 he received his M.D. degree from Rush University Medical School. Dr. Wang interned at Arrowhead Medical Center in Colton, CA, in 2000-2001. He then completed his residency in ophthalmology at State University of New York (SUNY downstate), Brooklyn, New York, in 2004, as well as a cornea and refractive surgery subspecialty fellowship at Cornell University, Manhattan, New York. Dr. Wang is board certified in ophthalmology.
Dr. Ben Nicholson is fellowship-trained in both retina and uveitis. He has a particular interest in uveitis and retinal diseases including macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, and central serous chorioretinopathy. He treats a variety of surgical conditions including macular hole, macular pucker, and retinal detachment.
Dr. David Brown is a comprehensive ophthalmologist with experience and interest in cataract and intraocular lens surgery, having performed over 20,000 cataract surgeries. He has particular interests in refractive cataract surgery and specialty intraocular lens implants, complex cataract surgery, developing-world ophthalmology, global blindness prevention, community eye health, and healthcare public policy. In the past, while living in East Africa, Dr. Brown served as the consultant ophthalmologist at Tenwek Hospital, situated in western Kenya’s Rift Valley Province. He has been actively serving on overseas teams for the last twenty years, providing and teaching cataract surgery in over 25 countries, across 5 continents.
Dr. Ron McKey grew up in Grand Rapids and graduated valedictorian of his class in 1978. He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. degree in chemistry and biology in 1982. He was also made a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society. Four years later he received his M.D. degree with honors from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1986. He then completed his residency in ophthalmology at Philadelphia's Wills Eye Hospital in 1990.
Dr. McKey is board certified in ophthalmology. He and his wife, Brenda, have three sons: Kyle, Colin, and Bennett. They are members of the First Church of God in St. Joseph.
Dr. Kyle Lindberg grew up in Holland, Michigan, where he attended Holland Christian High School. He graduated with honors from the University of Kentucky with a health sciences degree in Clinical Leadership and Management. He then returned to Michigan to attend the Michigan College of Optometry.
Dr. Lindberg has over 10 years of experience in various eye care clinical settings. His training at MCO included externships at Veterans’ Affairs Hospital and a large, federally qualified health center in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Dr. Lindberg is passionate about managing ocular disease and educating patients on how disease can manifest in the eye. He works hard to ensure patients are well educated on their condition as well as recommending the best treatment options.
Outside of work, Kyle enjoys learning about physics, science, and technology — especially computers and electric vehicles. Kyle’s wife, Kassadee, graduated from the University of Notre Dame and works as a licensed financial representative. Kyle and Kassadee have one daughter named Eden.
Dr. John Marohn was born in St. Joseph. He graduated from Findlay Senior High School in Findlay, OH, in 1984. He was a Magna Cum Laude graduate in 1988 from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI, with a B.S. degree in biology. In 1991, Dr. Marohn graduated with highest distinction from the Michigan College of Optometry, Ferris State University, in Big Rapids, MI where he was inducted into the Beta Sigma Kappa optometric honor fraternity. Dr. Marohn completed a one-year contact lens residency in 1992 at the University of Missouri, College of Optometry, in St. Louis, MO.
He is a member of the American Optometric Association, Michigan Optometric Association, Fellowship of Christian Optometrists and a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry.
Dr. David L. Cooke grew up in Berrien Springs and graduated as valedictorian of the Class of 1976 from Berrien Springs High School. Dr. Cooke then entered the accelerated Pre-Med Interflex Program at the University of Michigan and received his undergraduate degree with honors in 1981 and one year later received his M.D. degree.
Dr. Cooke interned in Ann Arbor from 1982 to 1983, and practiced one year before going to Mayo Clinic for an ophthalmology residency. In 1987, Dr. Cooke and his wife, Jeannette, moved back to Michigan to take over the practice of retiring physician Dr. O'Toole.