Meet the Staff

Nicole 2016Dr. Nicole Gurbal – Owner

Dr. Gurbal received her Doctor of Optometry degree from The New England College of Optometry and her Bachelor of Science from Florida State University. She completed a post- graduate residency in Pediatrics and Vision Therapy at Southern College of Optometry. During this residency she gained experience working with children, diagnosing and managing common eye disorders found in the pediatric population, and successfully implementing vision therapy programs for both adults and children. In 2010 Dr. Gurbal received her Fellowship through the College of Optometrists and Vision Development (COVD).

From a very young age, Dr. Gurbal had always had an interest in the field of optometry. As a young child, she suffered from many reading problems, and it wasn’t until she enrolled in a vision therapy program that she began to realize what her passion in life was. The benefits of vision therapy did wonders for her, and now she is fully committed to providing the service to help strengthen children’s vision as it relates to academics and athletics.

Dr. Gurbal is an active member and the Georgia state coordinator of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), American Optometric Academy (AOA), the Georgia Optometric Association (GOA), and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEP). She is the currently the InfantSEE Chairperson for the state of Georgia. As chairperson, she attended the first InfantSEE Summit meeting in Dallas in 2007. She continues to educate the public about the InfantSEE program by incorporating information about the program in health care clinics throughout Fulton County. It is her goal to expand this knowledge throughout the state. Dr. Gurbal is also a member of Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA). Through this membership her knowledge and practice has grown to better treat patients diagnosed with traumatic and acquired brain injuries.

In 2008, Dr. Gurbal was honored with the Georgia Young Optometrist of the Year Award. As a developmental optometrist, she continues to expand her knowledge by attending optometric conventions, participating in research, and attending continuing education courses. She enjoys volunteering her time and knowledge with the Special Olympics to provide eye care on site at events, along with volunteering, she is passionate about expanding the knowledge of Developmental Optometry and Vision Therapy to other clinicians, educators, and the community.

Dr. Gurbal currently resides in Marietta, Ga, and likes to spend her spare time outdoors with her 2 kids Asher and Mable as well as her husband Chris.

Natasha Newman – Vision Therapist

Natasha joined our team in September 2023. She comes to Vision Performance Center with 5 years of experience in the Optometry field- 1 year as an optometric technician and 4 years as a vision therapist.
She is an active member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation.
She values seeing her patients progress and becoming someone who they can turn to if they ever needed anything. For Natasha, it is important that all of her patients feel comfortable with her so they can fully communicate the challenges they experience day to day as well as any progression they start noticing.
Outside of work, Natasha enjoys kayaking, painting, and spending time with her family, friends, and fur babies : Calypso and Sparrow .

Karen Rendon – Vision Therapist

Karen joined our team May 2019. She comes to Vision Performance Center with 7 years experience in the eyecare field. Having worked in all aspects of the optical business from optometric technician, optician, optical manager, to now vision therapist.

Her favorite part of her job is working with children and helping them learn how to use their visual system proficiently. Each individual patient and each session introduce a revelation, a new challenge, and a new accomplishment. She values each patient independently and enjoys the tailored approach that VPC allows her to use during therapy.

Outside of VPC Karen enjoys spending her time with her 2 daughters: Abigail and Sophia.