Meet Our Doctors

Dr. Jim Else

Dr. Jim Else joined EyeCare Partners in 1992 after graduating from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago. He lived in several small Iowa towns as a youth before graduating from Atlantic High School. He then attended Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. He currently sees patients in the Pella, West Des Moines, and Merle Hay offices. Dr. Else enjoys meeting new patients as well as serving his existing patients from communities all around south east Iowa.

Jim and his wife Linda, whom he met at Northwestern, have been married since 1990 and have three wonderful children and two grandchildren. 

He is grateful for the years he has been able to be a part of the Pella, Oskaloosa, and surrounding communities. He looks forward to many opportunities to assist friends and patients in the future.

Dr. Ralph De Haan

Dr. Ralph De Haan is the self-proclaimed tallest and grayest of the doctors at EyeCare Partners. Dr. De Haan is thankful to God for the many years of blessings, both in his career and personal life.

Dr. De Haan married his high school sweetheart LuAnn after three years of college in 1978. They both graduated from Calvin College in 1979, and Dr. De Haan began optometry school in 1981. Their first son, Matthew, was born in 1981, and Derek, son #2, was born in the last year of optometry school in 1984. His O.D. degree was awarded to Dr. De Haan in May of 1985. Later that year he joined Dr. Vander Leest in Pella.

In 1989 Ralph and LuAnn welcomed their daughter, Annaleyza, into the family. They now have 11 grandchildren, ranging in ages 1–18. Dr. De Haan feels fortunate and blessed to work with great partners and talented staff.

Dr. De Haan first went to Mexico on volunteer eye care trips in the early 1990s. In 1998 Dr. De Haan went to Kenya for the first time with his son Matthew. New relationships developed there and those prompted Dr. De Haan to return to Kenya many times, taking groups of volunteers including Matthew and Annaleyza. Thousands of pairs of glasses have been donated over the years for the trips to Kenya.

Currently, Dr. De Haan goes to Kenya every year during the last two weeks of January. Dr. De Haan is grateful to God, his many Pella-area patients, his supportive family, and some awesome Nebraska optometrists for helping make these mission trips successful.

Dr. Sandy Hundt

Dr. Sandy Hundt has been an employee of EyeCare Partners P.C. since graduating from the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) in May of 1994. Before ICO she attended Iowa State University with a degree in Health Care Marketing as well as her pre-med courses. (Go Cyclones!). Dr. Hundt works primarily in the Pella office. She likes the relaxed atmosphere at EyeCare Partners and working with the fun and ambitious staff. She feels very blessed to work with such kind and caring partners. In addition to that, she says that her wonderful patients make her job a pleasure!

Dr. Hundt, her husband Doug, and their three children reside in Pella. Dr. Hundt grew up in Pella; her maiden name was Gosselink. When she isn’t working you can find her attending her children's school and sporting events. She loves spending time with her family and friends, going to exercise classes, attending church events, and shopping. She is an avid pet lover and currently has two cats, two dogs, and a guinea pig! Her new passion is mission trips to help those less fortunate with their visual needs. Ask her about her trips to Honduras and her new venture in Haiti… Two fun facts about Dr. Hundt…she loves shoes, and she has mastered 2000 levels in Candy Crush (which is higher than her teenagers!).

Dr. Wayne Vander Leest

Dr. Wayne Vander Leest grew up in Pella. He attended Central College and graduated from Illinois College of Optometry in 1979. He then returned to Pella and began EyeCare Partners.

He and his wife Kris (a lifelong Pella resident) have 3 adult children: a son who is married with a baby girl, a daughter who is married, and a daughter who is in grad school.

Dr. Vander Leest has been a lifelong sports participant and fan. He enjoys the outdoors and working outside on their acreage.

Dr. Vander Leest Leest most appreciates the very many long-term patient relationships he has established over the years and providing care to multiple generations.

Dr. Abby Zike

Dr. Abby Zike was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. She graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University before completing her Doctorate of Optometry at the University of the Incarnate Word – Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas in 2017. She had extensive training in the management of ocular disease including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, dry eye disease, keratoconus, and various “red eye” cases. Optometry has a personal meaning to her, as her grandpa was a dedicated optometrist who cared deeply about his patients and his profession.

She met her husband, Dmitriy, in optometry school and they think it’s pretty cool to share the same profession that they both enjoy. They lived in College Station, Texas for 8 years before moving to Iowa. They are grateful to all of their former patients, mentors, and friends they made during that time. As their family grew and they were blessed with 3 daughters, they had a pull to raise their girls closer to their extended family who live across Iowa and Nebraska. This led them to discover the charming town of Pella, which they are very grateful to now call home.

Dr. Abby enjoys getting to know her patients on a personal level and strives to give every patient she encounters the type of care she would want her family to receive. She has a special interest in dry eye disease and fitting scleral contact lenses for keratoconus and other corneal disease.

In her free time, she loves to be with her family, read, stay active, and spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Dr. Tyler Fulton

Dr. Tyler Fulton grew up in West Des Moines. He attended the University of Northern Iowa where he graduated with a degree in Biology in 2011. From there, he received his Doctor of Optometry degree in 2017 from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, graduating with honors. Dr. Fulton has been practicing family optometry in the Des Moines metro, focusing on contact lens management, macular degeneration, and dry eye disease. Since joining EyeCare Partners in 2021, Dr. Fulton has had the opportunity to serve the community at both the West Des Moines and Merle Hay locations and build relationships with patients of all ages and from many different backgrounds.

Dr. Fulton lives in Grimes with his wife, son, and dog. When he is not seeing patients, he loves golf, staying active, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Dmitriy Zike

Dr. Dmitriy Zike was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States in his early childhood. He grew up near College Station, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University (Gig 'Em!) with a degree in Biology. He then went on to earn his Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of the Incarnate Word - Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas. He worked briefly in San Antonio before moving back to his home area of College Sation, where he practiced in a private practice setting for 8 years before moving to Pella, Iowa. Dr. Dmitriy enjoys managing all aspects of eye care, and has extensive experience in managing cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye exams, contact lens fittings, and myopia management in children.

While in optometry school, Dr. Dmitriy met his amazing wife Dr. Abby Zike, with whom he loves to collaberate on patient care and various challenging cases. They have three beautiful daughters Lily, Milly, and Sophie, who are God's greatest blessing. Their move from Texas to Iowa was spurred by a wanting to be closer to their family located in the midwest across Iowa and Nebraska.

In his free time, Dr. Dmitriy enjoys spending time with his family, watching Texas A&M Aggie sports (whoop!), and staying active outdoors with disc golf and walks around Lake Red Rock.

Specialists We Work With

Iowa Retina Consultants

Iowa Retina Consultants has been bringing retinal care of the highest quality to Iowans for 34 years.  Based in West Des Moines, they have locations in 7 Iowa communities.  Their doctors believe strongly in making subspecialty care available to patients who live in less populated areas.  They have been serving Pella for 3 years and look forward to continuing their presence in Pella for many years to come.

Dr. Christopher Haupert

Wolfe Eye Clinic

A cataract forms when the eye’s natural clear lens becomes cloudy due to the buildup of proteins. The gradual clouding of your eye’s lens obstructs light and may increasingly interfere with your everyday life. When this happens, your doctor at EyeCare Partners will recommend you have an evaluation for cataract surgery. EyeCare Partners has worked closely with Wolfe Eye Clinic for decades to provide a full range of care. They have seen patients at our Pella location for over 20 years.

Wolfe Eye Clinic is proud to partner with EyeCare Partners and Pella Regional Health Center to provide this service in Pella. To learn more, speak with your doctor about your options.

Dr. Ryan Vincent