Dr. Zareen Charania completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Victoria and then continued on to earn her Doctor of Optometry, with Dean’s List honors, from the University of Waterloo in 2005. During her training, she was fortunate enough to complete externships in Mesa, Arizona as well as in hospitals in Pune, India. From that experience, Zareen received extensive training in visual examinations, corrective lens fitting, post-surgical co-management such as refractive laser surgery and cataract surgery, and diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
Born and raised on the island, Zareen knew that Victoria was a beautiful place to come back to. Upon graduation, she worked in Campbell River for over 2 years, then joined Royal Oak Optometry in Victoria in 2008, becoming a full partner in 2010. Outside of work, she dedicates much of her time to her two children but also loves to travel and explore, partake in outdoor activities and racquet sports, and spend time with her family and friends. Zareen has participated in voluntary eye care missions to communities in need in Mexico in 2004, India in 2005, and South America in 2009, and she plans to continue these missions in the future. Zareen loves serving this community and strives to provide the highest quality eye care possible to ensure the optimum long-term health of your eyes. She looks forward to seeing you and your family soon!
Dr. Gurpreet Leekha has undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Film Studies from Queens University and received his Doctor of Optometry degree in New York City in 2001. He continued his optometric training through externships in Bronx, New York, and Miami, Florida. During this time, Gurpreet developed special interests in psychology and vision as well as developmental and pediatric vision.
Gurpreet has worked in several private offices, including an ophthalmology office and a LASIK center in New York. He and his wife Zareen work together and share a love for travel and volunteerism.
He traveled to Mexico in 2001 with the volunteer vision organization Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, and again to Chile in 2007 and Mexico in 2008 with the OneSight Foundation, providing free eye exams and eyewear to the underprivileged.
Dr. Leekha, the former President of BC Doctors of Optometry, was honoured with the Optometrist of the Year award in 2023 for his exceptional contributions to the field. Gurpreet can conduct eye examinations in English, Spanish and Punjabi.
Dr. Nadia Malik was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BSc in Biology and received her Optometry Degree from the State University of New York in 2004.
Nadia joined the Royal Oak Optometry team in 2012. She enjoys practicing full-scope family optometry with a special interest in contact lenses and pediatric vision.
Outside of optometry, Nadia’s family takes priority. She enjoys spending time with her husband Samaad and her two little boys, Humza and Aydin. Nadia has always been actively involved in many sports. However, she spends most of her free time chasing her little ones at home these days.
Dr. Vidhi Bhatt completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia with a major in Microbiology and later graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science with a Doctorate in Optometry in June 2018. She completed internships at several practices, including Veterans Affairs hospital in Orlando, Florida, private offices in Seattle, WA, and community health centers in Boston, MA. She participated in a volunteer trip to Nicaragua in 2017 and intends to continue such missions in the future. She practiced in Vancouver, BC , for 2 years before moving to Vancouver Island in 2020. She enjoys practicing full-scope family optometry and is excited to provide patient care to the local community.
In her spare time, Dr. Bhatt likes to travel to new cities, cook, and spend time with family and friends.
Dr. Paquette began his journey into health care spending five summers doing search and rescue for the Canadian Coast Guard and four years as a personal trainer. He then completed a bio/psychology degree at the University of Victoria in 2006, and graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 2013. Afterwards, he completed an ocular health externship in Florida, which focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Through the optometric extension program, he studied visual dysfunctions and childhood visual development. Dr. Paquette subsequently worked at a vision therapy clinic for three years. He has participated in two volunteer eye care missions to Central America and looks forward to more volunteering in the future.
Dr. Paquette grew up in Victoria. One of his childhood homes was only one block away from this very clinic! As the newest doctor to join Royal Oak Optometry, Dr. Paquette looks forward to growing his career here by caring for patients of all ages.
Dr. Trenton Cameron was born and raised on Vancouver Island, before completing his Chemistry for the Medical Sciences BSc at the University of Victoria. He then pursued his Doctor of Optometry degree at Pacific University in Oregon and graduated with distinction at each institution. In his final year of studies, he completed externships at the Spokane Veterans Hospital in Washington and Hill Air Force Base in Utah, and soon thereafter returned home to the island to finish his clinical training. There was no doubt in his mind that after graduation he wanted to return home to the beautiful outdoors and amazing people of Vancouver Island.
Trenton found his interest in optometry on a volunteer health care trip to Honduras in 2019 with Global Brigades, which worked to serve and empower local communities in need. He looks forward to joining many volunteer eye care missions in the future. Outside of Optometry, he enjoys backcountry hiking, volleyball, soccer, and world travel.
Although Dr. Cameron enjoys all aspects of optometry, he is most enthusiastic about ocular disease like glaucoma and macular degeneration, as well as dry eye and myopia management. He is excited to be a part of the Royal Oak team and strives to provide exceptional eye care to the community.