Book Your Eye Exam – Keep Your Vision Clear This Year

Dr. Michael Kennedy did his undergraduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology. He then received his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University College of Optometry, where he graduated with Beta Sigma Kappa honors. During his optometric training, he served as a class representative and Executive President of Student Council, and had the honor of being named to the Gold Key Optometric honor society. At Ohio State, he was named Student Leader of the Year, Junior of the Year, and Senior of the Year. At his graduation commencement, he had the honor of receiving the Lyle A. Gassmann Memorial Award. ​

Prior to joining Elgin Family Eye Care in 2008, Dr. Kennedy gained invaluable experience working for years as an optometric technician in Naperville, IL as well as during optometry school in Columbus, OH. Dr. Kennedy is an active member of both the American Optometric Association and Illinois Optometric Association. He is an alumnus of the Epsilon Psi Epsilon optometric fraternity. Dr Kennedy practices full-scope optometry, but has a particular interest in contact lenses and eye disease, especially dry eye and corneal disease. He also manages glaucoma, keratoconus, and retinal disease. He takes pride in spending time with his patients, so that together they can find successful treatment options that may not have been considered in the past. Dr Kennedy enjoys making personal connections with his patients and watching families grow year after year.

John O’Neill, O.D., received his Doctor of Optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry in May 2008, after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Biology at Augustana College in 2003.

Dr. O'Neill is particularly passionate about addressing the unique vision needs of each patient and educating individuals about their eye health, empowering them to make informed decisions. His journey into optometry was driven by a desire to help people in healthcare, coupled with a fascination for the complexities and functionality of the eye. What he appreciates most about being an optometrist is the dynamic nature of the profession—every day presents new challenges and opportunities for learning.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Dr. John O'Neill enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as participating in outdoor activities.

Ellen Petroczky, O.D., received her Doctor of Optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry in 2007, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Augustana College.

Dr. Petroczky grew up in Freeport, Illinois, and after positive experiences shadowing other healthcare professionals, decided optometry was a field that piqued her interest. With many years of experience in both optometry and ophthalmology offices, Dr. Ellen Petroczky has a depth of knowledge surrounding a variety of eye diseases. She thrives at building personal relationships with each patient to understand and find solutions for their individual visual needs.

When Dr. Petroczky is not caring for patients, she enjoys spending time with her family and homeschooling her two children. She is always excited to dive into a new book or unwind by tending to her garden.

Dr. Brauer focuses on contact lenses and myopia control. He was among the first doctors in the country to obtain advanced fitting certifications for several specialty contact lenses. He has also been fitting scleral lenses for keratoconus and other conditions for years, including designs with aberration control and decentered optics for the most precise vision possible, even for challenging patients with corneal disease.

One of Dr. Brauer’s core practice beliefs is that way too many people put up with lackluster vision or comfort in their contact lenses (or worse, drop out altogether) because they have come to think these problems are normal and unavoidable. With the right tools and the right expertise, virtually anyone can experience clear, comfortable vision in contact lenses. ​

Another of Dr. Brauer’s fundamental values is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Nowhere is this more applicable than myopia control. Myopia control is one of the most powerful preventative treatments in eye care, in which specialized lenses or eye drop medications are prescribed to slow or stop the eyes from getting worse. In contrast to the “old way” of simply getting thicker and thicker glasses each year as the eyes get worse and worse, myopia control is a childhood preventative treatment that provides dramatically better vision (with and without glasses), reduces the risk of many blinding eye diseases, and improves the quality of life relating to vision- all benefits that last a lifetime, even after their myopia control treatment is over!