Meet the Team

Dr. Brian Burke, O.D.

Dr. Burke, a native of Pennsylvania, earned his Doctorate of Optometry degree from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has worked in the Dawson/Forsyth area beginning in 1995. Before establishing Dawson Vision in Dawsonville, Dr. Burke served the Cumming community through Pearl Vision.

Dr. Burke is a member of the Dawsonville Rotary Club. Dr. Burke is a volunteer for the Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson County. Dr. Burke won the prestigious Don Gordon Business Leader of the Year in 2016 by the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce. He was also voted Outstanding Citizen of Dawson County in 2015.

Dr. Burke is a long-time road cyclist and participates in many ultra-distance rides. He is also an avid Ohio State Buckeye fan.

Dr. Burke received the Rotary Club of Dawson County's Robert Stubbs Award for the year of 2019-2020.

Dr. James Hays, M.D.

Dr. Hays is a board certified opthalmologist currently practicing cataract, corneal transplant and refractive surgery at Woolfson Eye Institute. Dr. Hays has extensive experience in refractive and corneal surgery, performing over 12,000 refractive surgeries and 25,000 cataracts during his industrious career. Dr. Hays earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is a Tennessee native.

Dr. Karla R. Thomason, O.D.

Dr. Karla Reece Thomason was raised in Dawson County and loves being able to serve in her hometown community. Dr. Thomason started her career as a technician for Dawson Vision when the practice first opened in 2003. In 2006, She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology with the distinction of Magna Cum Laude at North Georgia College & State University. She then earned her Doctor of Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2013.

Dr. Thomason is the current District Secretary/Treasurer for the Georgia Optometric Association, and she was the past president of Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honor Society. She was an active member of the Leadership Dawson Class of 2018 and received the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce's Spirit of Leadership Award in 2018.

Dr. Thomason loves spending time with her husband Mark and her two sons Tate and Tucker. She loves exercising with her husband, playing outside and crafting with her boys, and spending time with her friends and family. She loves teaching her young Sunday school class, and she is an active member of Liberty Baptist Church.

Dr. Sylvia Choy

Dr. Sylvia Choy, a New York native, had received her optometric degree from State University of New York College of Optometry in 2009. Prior to that, she had studied classical music in her undergraduate years at Binghamton University where she enjoyed performing as the pianist for the university orchestra. Her passion for the arts and ocular sciences together had led her to pursue optometry and is delighted that she is able to make a personal connection and a positive impact in others’ vision every day. Her training included ocular disease externships at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in New Haven, CT and low vision rehabilitation at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Northport, NY.

Dr. Choy practices adult and pediatric primary eye care, provides comprehensive eye exams for glasses and contact lenses; and ocular disease management including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, dry eyes, injuries and infections. She is a member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association. She feels blessed living in the wonderful state of Georgia and enjoys classical music, listening to audible, painting and hiking in the great outdoors and spending time with her family and friends.