• The Bedford Eye Care Centre Team
• Careers with Bedford Eye Care Centre

Team Members

Angela Dobson B.Sc.

Profile

Angela's love affair with Nova Scotia began at a young age, when on summer vacations, her family would load up the car with camping gear and supplies and head to the Maritimes from Ontario. Those summers of camping by the sea, frolicking in the waves and breathing that salt air had a profound effect on her.

As she grew, the influence of those summers was integrated into many parts of her life. At the end of her first year of University, she felt an overwhelming pull to the ocean and transferred from Queen's University in Kingston to Dalhousie University. There, she completed an honours degree in Geology. The many field trips to rocky shorelines were a most enjoyable part of that experience.

Following graduation, Angela worked several years as a lab technologist for the Center for Marine Research at Dalhousie. A move to Ontario was followed by a redirection along the career path to Optometry. In 1992, Angela graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Doctor of Optometry degree. She worked during her course at the Center for Contact Lens Research at the University, where studies were carried out on new contact lens materials, solutions, lens designs and other aspects of contact lenses.

The pull of the ocean next drew Angela and her husband Dwight (a true-blue Maritimer from New Brunswick) to British Columbia where she practised and explored for two years.

When the opportunity arose to move to Bedford and practice in 1994 with Dr. Toby Mandelman, Angela jumped at the chance. Dwight and Angela are greatly enjoying Nova Scotia again and live as close to the ocean as they could get!

"I am thrilled to be working with Toby, Avila and our excellent staff and am enjoying our patients so much." Angela practices general optometry and specialises in Contact lenses, CRT, Refractive Laser surgery preparation and followup, Children's vision, and Vision therapy/perception. The latter involves exercises to train the muscles of the eye and improve the eye coordination and integration of vision.

Angela's family has grown to include Jacob, born 1998, and Kyra, born 2000. She greatly enjoys the challenge of optometry and raising a family.

Education

Dr. Dobson attended Dalhousie University from 1980-1985, where she completed an Honours B.Sc. in Geology, with a minor in Chemistry. In 1986 she attended the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario part time, taking Biology courses. In 1988 Dr. Dobson entered the Optometry program at the University of Waterloo, where she graduated with a Doctor of Optometry degree in 1992. In 1999 Angela completed a rigorous therapeutic pharmaceutical course at the New England School of Optometry, and received a specialty license that allows her to prescribe medications for eye infections.

Work Experience

While attending the Optometry program, Dr. Dobson worked part and full time for the Center for Contact Lens Research at the University of Waterloo. She assisted in numerous optometric studies, and published papers regarding many aspects of contact lenses, from materials, overnight wear, solutions and physiological responses.

Dr. Dobson began practicing in Gibsons, B.C., in 1992, then moved to New Westminster, where she practiced in several offices. In 1994 she joined Dr. Toby Mandelman at her practice in the Sunnyside mall in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Dr. Avila Cox later joined the practice in September 1998. Dr. Dobson specializes in vision training for eye coordination, specialty contact lenses, including CRT and refractive laser surgery pre and post-operative care.

Volunteer Experience

In 1991 Angela, while still an optometry student, volunteered on an eye mission to Honduras. During the same year she spent several weeks performing eye exams on mentally challenged adults at institutions in southern Ontario. After graduating in the spring of 1992, Dr. Dobson supervised student optometrists for several months, performing eye exams on mentally challenged individuals.

In 1999 Dr. Dobson volunteered her services for the Kosovo refugees in Halifax, N.S.

Professional Involvement

Dr. Dobson has been an active member of the Nova Scotia Association of Optometrists since arriving in the province in 1994. She has been a member of the NSAO Council from 1995-1998. She also chaired the Continuing Education committee from 1994-1999.

Dr. Dobson has had refractive eye surgery - performed Dec 10, 1999, and now sees 20/20!