Eyes in the Village

A Winnipeg local, Dr. Luke Small earned his Doctorate of Optometry from the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry in 2000. Dr. Small's diverse clinical internships took him from the Beijing Medical University in China to the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and LaserVue Eye Associates in Orlando, Florida.

After graduating, Dr. Small, alongside his wife, Dr. Gina Mistretta Small, OD, returned to Canada, practicing at Armstrong and Small Eyecare Centre with Dr. Rod Small until 2002. The couple then spent five years in Santa Barbara, California, where Dr. Small served as the president of the Tri-County Optometric Association and gained experience across various optometric practices.

In 2007, the Smalls returned to Winnipeg, taking over Dr. Small's father's practice, continuing almost a century of optometric service at Armstrong and Small Eye Care Center. Dr. Small, a third-generation optometrist, has been actively involved in Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH), bringing eye care to those in need worldwide. In 2011, Dr. Small was instrumental in creating a optometric clinic within the Saul Sair Health Centre and Siloam Mission, a homeless shelter in downtown Winnipeg.   

In 2012, fellow Manitoba optometrists voted Dr. Small 'Optometrist of the Year.' He earned recognition for his volunteer work with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Siloam Mission, and the Manitoba Association of Optometrists (MAO).

Besides his professional contributions, Dr. Small enjoys surfing (a challenge in Winnipeg!), adventure racing, soccer, hockey, and spending quality time with his children, Annika and Sebastian. 

Besides his professional contributions, Dr. Small enjoys being outdoors.  His outdoor adventures find him on all sorts of bikes (gravel, mountain and fat bikes) as well as a racing in endurance adventure races.  He still enjoys a weekly beer-league hockey game and will get in the pool periodically having been a 4-year letterman at Texas Christian University where he medaled at the Southwest Conference Championships and participated in the 1992 Canadian Olympic Trials.  Some of his biggest passions involve being an assistant coach to his son’s Oak Park High School basketball team and visiting his daughter at McGill University in Montreal.

Dr. Gina Small is a transplant to Winnipeg. Born and raised in California, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry in 2000 with a Doctorate of Optometry degree (O.D.). She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Vision Science from U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Small’s training included externships at Denver Optometric Center in Denver, Colorado, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and LaserVue Eye Associates in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Gina Small, like her husband Luke, also comes from a family of Optometrists, including her grandfather Dr. Charles Seger who was President of the American Optometric Association from 1965 to 1966. 

After graduation from Optometry school in 2000, Dr. Small practiced at Armstrong & Small with her husband Dr. Luke Small and her father-in-law Dr. Rod Small for two years. In 2002 Drs. Gina & Luke Small moved to California where they practiced in a variety of clinical settings. Dr. Gina Small particularly enjoyed working in an Ophthalmology Clinic in Santa Barbara and gaining experience with specialized contact lens fittings for keratoconus and post-corneal graft patients.

Dr. Small is happy to be living in Winnipeg again (believe it or not!) and to be a part of this almost 100 year-old family practice. She works at both Armstrong & Small Eyecare Centre as well as Eyes in the Village Optometry.  Away from work, you can find Gina at a pilates or fitness class, working on her Italian or planning her next annual trip to New Orleans for the Jazz and Heritage Festival

Dr. Madeleine Schuchardt is not your average optometrist—she's a vibrant force in the field, bringing enthusiasm and expertise to eye care. Having graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Illinois College of Optometry, Madeleine is more than just academically accomplished; she's a proud member of the Beta Sigma Kappa Fraternity and Tomb & Key Honour Society.

Passionate about demystifying ocular health, Dr. Schuchardt finds joy in helping patients understand their eyes. With just a few years of experience since May 2022, she has already become an expert in dry eye and ocular diseases, alongside a deep appreciation for primary care optometry.

A Winnipeg native from the Riverview/South Osborne area, Dr. Schuchardt has returned home to EITVO, eager to provide top-notch eye care to her community. Beyond her dedication to optometry, she started her journey in the industry at the age of 16 and balances her life with workouts, reading, and quality time with family and friends.