Dr. Shaun MacInnis was born in Sydney and grew up in Prime Brook. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree at the University College of Cape Breton before finishing a Doctor of Optometry (Honours) at the University of Waterloo in 2007. He took over Island Eyecare in 2015.
In 2006, Dr. MacInnis completed a four-month externship at an eye clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he treated multiple ocular diseases, concentrating on glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
He was also chosen to attend a continuing education course on therapeutic pharmaceuticals at Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, Texas. He has also participated in a specialty contact lens course at the Johnson & Johnson facilities in Jacksonville, Florida.
In his current practice, he continues to pursue an interest in contact lenses, dry eye disease, children’s vision, and macular degeneration.
He is certified in fitting Paragon Vision Sciences lenses for Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT) and MiSight contact lenses. Both of these lenses can be used for myopia control in children.
In 2018, he attended the Alcon Experience Center to receive advanced training in multifocal contact lenses. In 2013, he was involved in the Macular Assessment Program, a national study that identified patients at risk of macular degeneration.
Dr. MacInnis is one of the first optometrists east of Ottawa to join MyDryEye, a network that connects patients suffering from dry eye disease with practitioners who can help.
Dr. MacInnis participated as one of Atlantic Canada’s representatives at Allergan’s Optimize round table group, a national collection of optometrists discussing new treatment options and dry eye disease protocols.
In 2019, he was part of the Alcon national advisory board for the iLux dry eye system. He was one of only 9 optometrists chosen nationally to become an Alcon Professional Dry Eye Consultant.
In 2020, he became one of only two optometrists in the country to be named a consultant for E-Eye IRPL technology with I-MED Pharma. Dr. MacInnis was president of the Nova Scotia Association of Optometrists (NSAO) from 2012-2014. He has previously been a chair or committee member for the NSAO’s Children’s Vision, Practice Innovation, Occupational Vision, and Canadian Optometric Education Trust Fund committees. Currently, Dr. MacInnis is the chairman of the NSCO tele-optometry committee.
He was a part of the Clinical Advisory Group for the province’s Drug Information System. Dr. MacInnis is a faculty member of the Academy of Ophthalmic Education, where he continues to train future optometrists by hosting 4th-year optometry students in their clinical rotations.
He has participated in Sydney and Halifax Connects multiple times, providing free eye exams and glasses to those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Optometry Giving Sight is also a charity Dr. MacInnis has supported on numerous occasions during World Sight Day. He continues to give locally to many charities.
When he is away from the office, Dr. MacInnis is most likely found outside. Whether he is hiking, running, mountain biking, golfing, or kayaking, he usually has his dog or family in tow.
