About Our Practice in Rome

Dr. David Vinci was born and raised in the Rome area. He received a Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude from St. John Fisher and a Doctor of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry.

He completed his optometric externships at W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury, NC, Advanced Eye Care with Dr. Sarit Catchatoorian in Charlotte, NC, and Wrigley Eye Associates in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Vinci obtained honors upon completion of all externships. He also completed an internship at The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, PA, focusing on pediatrics, low vision, ocular emergencies, and glaucoma services, as well as providing primary care.

Dr. Vinci prides himself on giving his absolute best to his patients. You may see Dr. Vinci in 2 of our current locations—he divides his time between the Boonville and Rome offices. His genuine concern and friendliness toward his patients make him a true asset to our team.
Dr. Vinci is a lifelong resident of Rome and where he continues to reside with his family.

Dr. Lauren Pierson is originally from Western Canada, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science with distinction from the University of Alberta.
She completed her Doctorate of Optometry with Beta Sigma Kappa honors from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA.

She completed her externship training at the South Boston Community Health Center, and she performed primary care optometric services at the Bascom Palmer Institute in Miami, Florida, where she focused on ocular disease, pediatrics, and vision therapy.

She prides herself on giving thorough, compassionate care and always listening to her patient’s needs.

Dr. Nichole Pollard grew up in New Hartford, NY. She attended SUNY College at Geneseo as a part of an accelerated program coordinated with SUNY College of Optometry in New York City. She graduated cum laude with her Bachelor’s in Biology and a minor in psychology.
She then attended SUNY College of Optometry, where she was a part of the Beta Sigma Kappa honor society and graduated with a Doctor of Optometry at the top of her class.

Dr. Pollard participated in externships at Eyecare of CNY in Syracuse, SUNY Optometry Pediatrics, and at the Syracuse VA. During her externships, she fit and evaluated many patients for specialty contact lenses and treated mild to advanced ocular disease, including post-operative cases. She also evaluated patients from 2 months old to 18 years old in both hospitals and private practice settings, many of whom experienced cognitive challenges related to Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder.

At the Syracuse VA, Dr. Pollard loved giving back to the veterans as much as possible. She often saw and treated patients with potentially blinding diseases, including advanced diabetes, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. She completed her internship at SUNY College of Optometry, where she rotated through clinics heavy in ocular disease and contact lenses.

Dr. Pollard is passionate about specialty contact lenses and serving the pediatric population but loves caring for patients of all ages. She currently lives in Westmoreland, NY, and is excited to give back to the community where she grew up.

Kayla joined our team in April of 2018. She is an ABO certified, licensed optician who started her optical career in 2011. She has worked the front desk, pretesting patients, verifying insurance benefits, performing detailed tests such as fundus photography, visual field testing, and OCT testing, and also assisting with contact lens training.

Kayla began an optician apprenticeship in 2015, which led to her becoming ABO certified in 2016 and fully licensed in 2017. Kayla is eager to learn about our patient’s needs in order to provide amazing eyewear and a pleasant experience for our patients.

Her first goal is helping patients receive the gift of clear sight. She lives in Marcy with her husband, John, and their little girl, Madelyn, who was born in 2020.

With over 40 years of experience in the optical world, Mr. Riolo came to us in 2019 after running his own business for over 35 years and is well-liked and respected among his peers.
Mr. Riolo is a valuable member of our work family and is always here to answer any questions you may have.

Mr. Riolo, a native Roman, lives with his wife, Rita. He enjoys doing yard work and spending time with his 7 grandchildren.

Erica joined our team in April 2021. She is currently enrolled in a career progression program to become a licensed optician. Her program is through the American Board of Optometry in New York. It takes 2 years and a series of tests that Erica will have to excel in to move on to the next step in the program.

After Erica completes this program, she is going to sit for a test where she can become ABO certified, which is another step closer to becoming a licensed optician. As soon as Erica is ABO certified and has passed her career progression program, she can then sit for the practical examination to become licensed in New York.

Erica loves helping patients find the perfect pair of glasses for their lifestyle. With our team by her side and assisting her, she is positive she will achieve her goals.

Erica has 2 sport-motivated boys, Wyatt and Chase, who live in Taberg. Erica enjoys being outside with her boys, kayaking, camping, or having a fire in the backyard.

Theresa is one of our front-desk/patient coordinators and has been with us since October 2023.

Theresa is one of the first people you will speak to when you call or stop into the office. Her duties include scheduling appointments, billing insurance, and handling any questions you may have regarding your visit to the office.

Theresa’s quick smile and friendly personality is one that will brighten your day and help make your eye care experience a pleasant one.

She lives in Rome with her husband, mother, 2 sons and not forgetting her fur babies.
Theresa loves spending her spare time reading and going out on day trips with her friends and family.

Courtney is one of our front-desk/patient coordinators and has been with us since August 2022.

She is typically one of the first people you will meet and is happy to assist you with appointments, billing, insurance, and maximizing your insurance benefits.

Courtney’s quick smile, calming and friendly personality makes for an incredibly comfortable and pleasant experience with us.

Courtney is a Rome native and enjoys spending time with her friends and family, listening to music and reading. She loves all things beauty and is secret perfume connoisseur.

She looks forward to assisting you at your next visit.

Mila has been with us since July 2023, she assists the Doctors with all pretesting required for your exam including visual fields, auto refractions, fundus imaging, visual acuities and OCTs.
She lives on her family owned dairy farm in West Lyden with her mom, dad, 2 sisters and a whole slew of beef cows, chickens and goats.

In her spare time she likes to spend time with her 2 dogs, listening to music with her friends, family and her friendly barn animals.

Samantha has been with us since February 2024. She assists our Doctors with all pre-testing required for your exam, including visual fields, auto refractions, imaging, visual acuities and OCTs.

She lives in Holland Patent with her parents, siblings and pets. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading and cooking for her family.

Lacey started working for the Eye Care Center of Rome in March of 2024. Lacey started working in healthcare in 2020. In the past she was a Technician for a chain office as well as working in other health-related fields. Seeing how important it was to have compassionate people made her want to get involved.

Lacey is from the Rome area. She now is getting used to the heavy winters in Camden NY. She Enjoys spending time with her kids. She loves to take them on long walks and teaches them to enjoy Nature.

Brian started here at the Eye Care Center of Rome in March 2021. Brian is here to answer all your billing questions and concerns. He was in medical billing for seven years prior to him coming on board with us.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family. Brian and his wife enjoy watching their children play sports.

Ashley has recently moved from South Carolina to join our team. She now lives in Port Leyden with her boyfriend of 10 plus years and their 3 fur pups Sasha, Scarlet, and Bear. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. In her spare time she enjoys crafting, kayaking, traveling and camping.

Amanda has been with us since August 2022 and in the medical field since July of 2012. She has been in various areas of the office from patient coordinator checking patients in and out of the office, to ophthalmic Technician helping patients frame style, and optometric technician pretesting the patients for the doctors. Amanda is now the office manager and is eager to give our patients a pleasant experience.

She lives in Westernville with her husband Nick and their five fur-babies. In Amanda’s spare time she enjoys kayaking, bonfires, and game nights with her friends and family.