Meet Our Doctors

His expertise is in primary eye care, providing routine well vision examinations and specializing in contact lens fitting. He also has extensive experience in the management and treatment of medical eye diseases. His greatest joy as a doctor is helping patients maintain their eye health and see their world clearly.

Dr. Frank Aulicino is devoted to staying up-to-date with the latest medical advancements and breakthrough technologies in the treatment of eye disease. His thorough eye health examination will detect diseases that not only can affect your vision, but your overall well-being.

Dr. Chris Cakanac earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He went on to complete a residency in primary eye care from The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, PA. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and has authored numerous articles and papers. He is author of the text Cornea and Conjunctiva, Clinical Procedures. As a nationally recognized lecturer, Dr. Cakanac is also a member of the faculty at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He established and continues to head the Low Vision program at the Westmoreland County Blind Association (WCBA) in Greensburg, PA for patients with permanent visual impairment from chronic disease or trauma. His particular interests include eye disease and vision rehabilitation.

“The word family means a lot to us. our practice is very unique in that all our founding partners are family. As a patient, you can expect to be treated as a member of our family.”

Dr. Ron Campana is a western Pennsylvania native, and proud alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh where he studied Microbiology. He went on to receive his Doctor of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. His training includes ocular disease rotations at The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Veterans Affair hospital outside of Hartford, Connecticut. Prior to joining Your Family Eye Doctors Inc. Dr. Campana served as a principal advisor on the Gulf Coast Optometry panel in Tampa Florida. He has a special interest in ocular disease and contact lens practice.

Dr. Ryan Centar completed his undergraduate schooling at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology; he furthered his education by obtaining a Doctorate of Optometry degree from Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. He has been practicing optometry since 2015.

Dr. Centar became an optometrist because he worked in the field as a tech and it piqued his interests. What he loves most now is that there is an equal balance between patient interaction and medical decision making, which keeps daily life interesting and different.

He practices full scope optometry, ranging from pediatric care, to disease management.  He resides in Cranberry Township with his wife, daughter and sons.

Dr. Maria Shuster graduated from Washington and Jefferson college in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a minor in Psychology. She went on to attend Pennsylvania College of Optometry where she earned a Bachelor of Science and her Doctorate of Optometry degree in 2012.

Dr. Shuster became fascinated by the eye once she started wearing glasses and contact lenses at a young age. She held onto that passion of wanting to be an optometrist all throughout her many years of education until it became a reality. Now, Dr. Shuster manages patients with glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetes, and providing routine eye care for glasses and contact lenses.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters.

Dr. Mihalacki enjoys providing comprehensive care in regards to all aspects of vision and ocular heath. Her specialties included dry eye management and refractive surgery co-management. Dr. Mihalacki lives in Cranberry Township, PA with her husband,  two sons and two daughter.

Dr. Noble is a medical optometrist and enjoys treating patients of all ages. She has a particular interest in keratoconus and specialty contact lenses as well as myopia control for children. When not in the office Dr. Noble can be found on skis at Seven Springs, playing beach volleyball in the summer and looking forward to the first day of trout season each year.

In 1990 he founded Pediatric and Adult Vision Care with the mission of providing full scope vision care in a patient friendly, professional setting. Dr. Prazer saw an increasing need for developmental vision care so he founded the Centers for Vision Development and Rehabilitation, (formerly known as Wexford Developmental Academy), in January 2008. Here, the emphasis is on providing a place for children to develop the visual skills they need for reading and academics, as well as help children and adults with visual difficulties resolve their visual concerns and improve their quality of life.

Through the inspiration and help of Dentistry from the Heart, Dr. Prazer founded Vision Care from the Heart, a non-profit, free event designed to help those in real need with free eye care and glasses. Through his efforts, the first ever Vision Care from the Heart event was held at Pediatric & Adult Vision Care on February 21st, 2014. His hope is that through his example, other Optometrists around the nation will follow suit and offer up one day a year to give back to their communities and provide a much needed service to those in need.

• Doctorate of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry
• Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development
• Member of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association
• Member of The American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control
• Certified provider of Paragon CRT for Corneal Refractive Therapy

Dr. Skoner is specialized in myopia control options for young children with progressively worsening eyesight. With over 5 years of post graduate work he completed his fellowship in the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control making him the only doctor in the state of Pennsylvania with this accreditation and one of the most qualified doctors in the region to slow a child’s worsening vision. Dr. Skoner has extensive experience in treating children with atropine, orthokeratology and multifocal optics to correct and slow myopia.

He has been published in the Journal of Asthma and Korean Journal of Asthma, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology regarding ocular complications secondary to inhaled corticosteroid use in patients with asthma.

When Dr. Skoner is not seeing patients he enjoys fishing, tennis and scuba diving.

Memberships

• International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control
• Certified Provider of Paragon CRT for Corneal Refractive Therapy

Education

• B.S. Juniata College, 2009
• Doctorate of Optometry, Salus University (formerly Pennsylvania College of Optometry)
• Fellowship in the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control

Dr. Woodring has practiced optometry in Colorado and then moved back to Pennsylvania where she spent the past 10 years in private practice. Dr. Woodring enjoys volunteering with organizations such as Mission Vision locally and VOSH- which provides eye care and education to international locations such as Haiti.  Dr. Woodring lives in Mars, PA with her husband, three sons, and two daughters!

Active in local, state, and national optometric organizations, Dr. Bittel currently serves as a member of the state government relations committee for the American Optometric Association. Dr. Bittel has served on optometric advisory committees for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Highmark Blue Shield. His clinical interests include ocular disease treatment, glaucoma, and specialty contact lenses.

Dr. Bittel has won many awards during his busy career. Most recently, he was awarded the 2022 President’s Medal of Honor from Pennsylvania College of Optometry – Salus University, an award for outstanding service to the visual welfare of the public and the optometry profession. He has also been awarded the 2021 Optometrist of the Year from the Western Optometric Association, an award Dr. Bittel has previously won two other times, and the 2021 Pennsylvania Optometrist of the Year award.

When he is not treating patients, Dr. Bittel enjoys fishing (salt water, fresh water, and ice fishing), boating, and relaxing at Deep Creek Lake.

Realizing a passion for diabetic eye care, Dr. Bittel applied for and was accepted into the prestigious Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill (the number 2 school of public health in the country). As a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Bittel conducted clinical research in diabetic eye care and based his master’s thesis on the results. The title was “Evaluating Patient Knowledge of HbA1c and Disease Duration in Adult Diabetics”. Dr. Bittel graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Master of Public Health degree in 2013.

In addition to diabetic eye exams, Dr. Bittel diagnoses and treats glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, dry eye disease, and eye injuries and infections. Dr. Bittel removes corneal and conjunctival foreign bodies and rust and works with bandage contact lenses and amniotic stem cells to aid corneal healing. Dr. Bittel treats all ocular emergencies the same day, if possible.

Dr. Bittel is an active member of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. He enjoys patient interaction and improving their lives with vision care. Dr. Bittel is constantly studying and reviewing the latest research, procedures, and therapeutics to stay current and at the top of his field. Dr. Bittel welcomes infant, pediatric, adolescent, adult, geriatric, and special needs patients.

When he is not treating patients, Dr. Bittel loves children, dogs, music, traveling, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, fishing, boating, skiing, scuba diving, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. Dr. Bittel is a Christian and an active member of his church and community.

Katherine Mehalik, O.D. received her Doctor of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown as a Presidential Scholar.

Dr. Mehalik has trained in many practice settings, most notably Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the William Feinbloom Low Vision Center, receiving clinical honors at all her student externships. She also completed a primary care and ocular disease residency at the James H. Quillen VAMC in Mountain Home, Tennessee.

Happy to be a part of the Bittel Vision Care team, Dr. Mehalik’s clinical interests include low vision and ocular disease, particularly in glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.

When she is not treating patients, Dr. Mehalik enjoys reading, sewing, and spending time with her family and friends.