Our Practice in Calgary

Growing up in northern Saskatchewan the son of a small town school teacher, I have always had an affinity for playing sports and telling stories. I love science which drew my towards optometry and eventually the University of Waterloo where I balanced my studies with playing varsity volleyball. After graduating with honours in 1997, I moved back west and immediately settled in with Calgary Optometry Centre, initially as an associate but within two years transitioning to ownership. I have been very fortunate to find and help build the family practice I have the opportunity to lead each day.  I love this city and my community and have no plans of practicing anywhere else. I love what I do and will continue to do it as long as I can. Plus, I have a lot of kids which gives you very deep roots.

I have built my practice on provision of what I call, higher order patient communication. It is my way of improving the quality of life of my patients by sharing the information and recommendations required in the most impactful manner possible for each individual. The instruments, procedures and analysis we do may be the same for each examination, but the patients are all unique. So each conversation is unique. I love to educate. For the past 15 years I have been presenting to my peers around the world on a variety of topics from contact lenses and practice management to dry eye and athletic visual enhancement. And for the last decade I have held the position of lead Professional Affairs Consultant with Johnson and Johnson Vision Care Canada, the makers of Acuvue contact lenses. I compiled my knowledge and experiences into a book I authored and published titled, “From Good Doctor to Great Doctor: The Optometrist’s Guide to Higher Order Patient Communication” which has subsequently become required reading for the communications course at NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry.

If you are seeking excellence in vision and eye health, love coaching kids, golfing, skiing, traveling, reading or exploring then we will have lots to talk about. Thank you for considering us for your eye care needs.

I have practiced Optometry at Calgary Optometry Centre for my entire 30+year career. I want to thank all patients who have trusted me with their vision and eye health care needs and look forward to doing the same for future patients. Every patient has unique circumstances and I enjoy the process of listening to patient concerns, finding practical solutions and making timely referrals when necessary. I am a big proponent of using the best technologies available to accomplish the above and feel great satisfaction when I have been able to keep my patients’ eyes functioning at their best in the short and long term.  I recommend a couple of practical eye tips that patients should do to help themselves:

1. Periodically compare the vision between the two eyes by covering one eye at a time for 5-10 seconds, both at distance and near objects. Often vision can decrease in one eye but not the other and it’s not noticeable with both eyes open. Also, most cases of vision blur are painless so you won’t feel anything (including serious conditions such as retinal detachment).
2. Give your eyes a break! During the pandemic, screen time increased dramatically for all ages. Follow the 20/20/20 rule…for every 20 minutes of viewing, take a 20 second break and look 20 feet away. Your eyes will thank you.

Optometry and eye care have been a fundamental part of my life for over 40 years. I graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1982 with honours and immediately became part of a new concept that would provide state of the art eye care for the people of Calgary. That was the birth of Calgary Optometry Centre and yes, I was there right from the beginning. I have witnessed the evolution of eye care over the decades. To this day, I am excited about the advanced, cutting-edge technology we use to improve the lives of our patients. Vision, in my opinion, is precious and one of the things I cherish most is the opportunity to interact with my patients and protect their most valuable sense – the gift of sight.

As Calgary Optometry Centre was growing, so was my family. My wonderful wife and I are the parents of three awesome children and we are blessed to have them all living in Calgary. Between family and work, most of my time is filled doing things I love to do.

Other passions include travel and photography which, in my opinion go hand in hand. Our world is a magnificent collection of wonders from the spectacular rock formations of Thailand to the grandeur of the African plains to the majestic splendor of the Rocky Mountains. Since I was a little boy, I have been obsessed with capturing the memory of that perfect place at the perfect moment. For me, photography is still a work in progress. As with most of life, there is always a different angle and always something new to learn. Our world is breathtaking in its diversity and beauty … plenty of opportunity to take more photographs.

And finally, this piece would not be complete without acknowledging the inventor in me. Through the years I have designed, tinkered and created many things – many of which are purely academic and have little practical value. Occasionally however, there are exceptions that demonstrate good, pragmatic application, some of which we use in our clinics on a day-to-day basis.  

All of this is to say that I’ve learned to integrate different technologies to create solutions that are outside-the-box. I like to invent and I love the experience of a new idea turning into reality – something I still experience when creating innovative and sometimes unconventional solutions for my patients and their unique vision demands. 

Life has presented me many opportunities; some to invent, others to explore. I’ve found serving my patients to be the most rewarding of them all. I feel privileged to be in a field that I still thoroughly enjoy even after many years of commitment.

Welcome! I’m Dr. Jean Shen and I graduated as a Doctor of Optometry with Honours, from the University of Waterloo in 1999.

After graduation, I ventured to the West Coast to enjoy hiking and snowboarding while working in Vancouver. Eventually my Alberta roots brought me home. Since 2002, I have been dedicated to my practice at Calgary Optometry Centre. I consider myself to be an avid world traveler, experienced yogi, novice watercolorist and terrible ukulele player. The best part of my day is learning about my patient’s individual history, interests and lifestyle, which allows me to take a customized approach to vision care and ocular health.

I have volunteered extensively in developing countries and led a team to bring eye care to orphanages in remote areas of Thailand and Myanmar. This rewarding work combines my passion for travel and working with children. My travel adventures now include my husband and young son. And my volunteer work is locally based, serving as President of the Parent Association and Chair of School Council in my community.

Vision is the sense that we value most. Optimizing and preserving my patient’s vision is what I value most as an optometrist. I have special interests in refractive surgery, dry eye therapy, nutrition, and pediatric optometry but I welcome patients of all ages and visual needs.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others.” – Audrey Hepburn

My patients can book a visit at our Downtown or South locations.

Dr. Smith grew up in Calgary and has lived here most of her life. She left briefly to pursue her education in science and optometry in Waterloo, where she graduated in 2013. Since returning to Calgary, she has worked in clinics around the city and is excited to start a new chapter at Calgary Optometry Centre. When not providing exceptional eye care to her patients, she can be found playing soccer, supporting the arts, or just staying in with her cats.

Visit Dr. Smith at our Downtown and Huntington Hills offices.

Dr. Columbia Herzlinger is originally from Saratoga Springs, New York. She completed her Undergraduate degree in 2013 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and remained on SMU’s Division I Rowing Team throughout all four years of University. Dr. Herzlinger went on to graduate with Honors from The New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts in 2017. It was during Optometry School where she met her husband, Dr. Gaganjeet Tamber. Throughout her years of study, Dr. Herzlinger completed several internships in Specialty Contact lenses, Primary Care, and Ocular Disease. She gained experience in Scleral contacts lenses with Dr. Edward Boshnick in Miami, Florida and additional Specialty contact lens experience at New England Eye Commonwealth. Dr. Herzlinger provided care at several Health Centers including North End Waterfront Health Center, Boston Medical Center, and the Providence Veteran’s Affairs Medical Clinic.  

Dr. Herzlinger joined Calgary Optometry Centre in 2022. She enjoys providing exceptional Optometric care to patients of all ages and has a special interest in Contact lenses. Dr. Herzlinger is excited to provide eye care to our Calgary community.

Away from the clinic, Dr. Herzlinger can be found traveling, horseback riding, and cooking.

Dr. Gaganjeet Tamber was born and raised in Calgary. He completed his Undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary. Dr. Tamber graduated with his Doctor of Optometry degree in 2016 from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts. It was at Optometry school where he met his wife, Dr. Columbia Herzlinger. Dr. Tamber completed externships throughout Boston and Miami in Primary Care, Low Vision, Geriatric care, and Ocular Disease.

Dr. Tamber joined the Calgary Optometry Centre team in 2022. He is excited to provide exceptional eyecare to our community. Dr. Tamber is bilingual and able to provide eye examinations in both English and Punjabi.

In his free time, Dr. Tamber enjoys playing hockey, traveling, and going to the gym.

A Calgary native, you may recognize Dr. Lowe as a former member of our front desk staff. She first joined Calgary Optometry Centre while working towards her Bachelor of Science at the University of Calgary. Inspired by the doctors at COC, she went on to graduate with honours from the Southern California College of Optometry in 2022. Throughout her education she gained extensive clinical experience through internships at Hu Hu Kam Memorial Hospital in Arizona, South Central Family Health Center and University Eye Center and at the Veterans Affairs hospital, all in Los Angeles. Additionally, she rotated through specialty contact lens, pediatrics and low vision clinics at Ketchum Health, in Anaheim, California.

Eager to continue her education she completed a Residency in Ocular Disease and Primary Eye Care at the Dimock Community Health Center, in Boston. During her residency she was able to gain extensive experience in the management of ocular and systemic disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, glaucoma, uveitis and keratoconus. Residency also pushed her to become comfortable managing pediatric vision disorders, and fitting specialty contact lenses, including RGP’s and scleral lenses. Additionally, she was able to precept second, third and fourth year New England College of Optometry students interns during their clinical education. The opportunity to provide care for a diverse patient base and co-manage difficult cases with ophthalmology has only heightened Dr. Lowe’s passion for patient care and life-long learning. She is committed to maintaining and optimizing her patients’ vision, so that they can pursue their passions.

Dr. Lowe is eager to return home to her family and friends, and is excited for the opportunity to build a practice with Calgary Optometry Center. Outside of the clinic, you can find her at a fitness class, spending time outdoors or hanging out with family and friends.