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In the News

Congratulations to Drs. Thomas SamuelsonDavid HardtenElizabeth Davis and Omar Awad for being named ‘Top Doctors’ in the July 2022 issue of Mpls. St. Paul Magazine! You can see the full list of winners click here.

Dr. Christine Larsen was featured in the January 2022 issue of Ophthalmic Professional for her educational article highlighting the multitude of treatment options for Glaucoma. To read the full article, click here.

On page 110 of the October issue of the Mpls St Paul Magazine, you’ll spot a familiar name: Dr. Christine Larsen. Offering insight on women’s eye health, Dr. Larsen was featured as the ophthalmology expert in a larger article covering Women’s Health (from heart health to autoimmune diseases, to sleep apnea and more).

Dr. Jill Melicher was named a “Top Doctor” in the September/October issue of the Minnesota Monthly Magazine, and we couldn’t be more proud. To view a full list of the Top Doctors recognized, click here.

Congratulations to Drs. Thomas SamuelsonDavid HardtenElizabeth Davis and Omar Awad for being named “Top Doctors” in the July issue of the Mpls St Paul Magazine. To see a full list, click here.

We are honored to have been awarded “Best LASIK” in Blaine by the Sun Newspaper’s Readers’ Choice voters! Announced January 2021, folks from Columbia Heights, Fridley, Mounds View and New Brighton voted this summer for top businesses in the area. We are thrilled for the opportunity to offer improved vision to our community members and are so grateful for the recognition!

Dr. Mark Hansen was recently awarded the Phillips Eye Institute HOPE Award (Hospital Outstanding Patient Experience). This award recognizes excellence in service to patients as measured by the Press Ganey HCAHPS patient experience survey.

Dr. Mark Hansen  recently  co-authored a study that was featured in the August 2020 issue of the Journal of Cornea and External Disease titled ‘Ex Vivo Safety and Efficacy of Using Paired Peripheral Incisions in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Grafts to Facilitate Unscrolling, Cornea.’  The study was used to develop a new technique for cornea transplants, and we look forward to seeing how it advances the field in years to come. Read Dr. Hansen’s publication here.

We are excited to share that Dr. David Hardten has been named as a Top Doctor in the September/October 2020 issue of the Minnesota Monthly magazine. This statewide survey compiles thousands of votes from medical professionals and seeks to honor excellence in medicine. We are incredibly grateful to have Dr. Hardten on our team of experts and are not at all surprised by this honor as it is well deserved. Congratulations, Dr. Hardten!

We would like to congratulate Drs. Thomas SamuelsonDavid HardtenElizabeth Davis and Omar Awad for once again being named Top Doctors in the July 2020 issue of the Mpls.St.Paul Magazine! This annual list highlights providers who have attained the highest degree of both peer recognition and professional achievement. Congratulations to this outstanding group of surgeons.

Minnesota Eye Consultants’ Bloomington location was recently named 2020 Readers’ Choice – Ophthalmologist/Eye Care Doctor & Facility in Sun Media’s annual Best of Bloomington edition. Congratulations to our Bloomington team!

Dr. Richard Lindstrom, founder of Minnesota Eye Consultants and fourth-generation Swede, was recently inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame at the Norsk Hostfest Awards Banquet in Minot, North Dakota! The SAHF recognizes notable persons of Nordic descent who have achieved greatness in their respective field, and whose efforts have contributed significantly to the betterment of humanity.

Dr. Lindstrom’s distinguished legacy in the field of medical and surgical eye care is inimitable, and we are so proud of him for this well-deserved recognition. For more info on the SAHF, click here.

We would like to congratulate Drs. Thomas Samuelson, David Hardten, Elizabeth Davis and Omar Awad for once again being named Top Doctors in the July 2019 issue of the Mpls.St.Paul Magazine!

This annual list highlights providers who have attained the highest degree of both peer recognition and professional achievement. The doctors selected are nominated by their colleagues who consider the following question: “If you needed medical care in one of the following specialties, which doctor would you choose?” We are so fortunate to have such outstanding surgeons on our ophthalmic team here at MN Eye Consultants. To learn more about our doctors, visit our website.

Minnesota Eye Consultants is excited to share that we were named the winner of the 2019 Best of Lake Minnetonka award for Best Eye Practice! Thank you so much to the readers of Lake Minnetonka Magazine for voting. We could not be happier to be a part of the community! To see the full list of winners in all categories, visit Lake Minnetonka Magazine’s website.

Drs. Mark Hansen and David Hardten were recently featured in Ocular Surgery News. In this column, Drs. Hansen and Hardten describe their surgical technique of placing small relaxing incisions on the donor Descemet’s membrane to facilitate unfolding of the donor tissue in DMEK surgery.

Dr. Clara Choo was recently included in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s 2019 Top Doctors: Rising Stars list. This list recognizes medical excellence in our community, highlighting physicians who have been fully licensed to practice for approximately 10 years or less. Candidates were nominated by fellow physicians and then eventually chosen based on several factors, including (but not limited to) peer recognition, professional achievement and disciplinary history. Congrats, Dr. Choo!

Dr. Richard Lindstrom is this year’s recipient of the Budd Appleton Award for Service to Ophthalmology. The award is given to a member of the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology who has performed the greatest service to the field of ophthalmology through patient care, public education, and political advocacy. Dr. Lindstrom will be honored on May 17, 2019.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently interviewed Dr. Thomas Samuelson regarding Alcon’s decision to withdraw the CyPass MicroStent from the market. Watch as he talks about his perspective on this device and the impact this withdraw has had.

As you page through the 2019 February issue of the Mpls St Paul magazine, keep an eye out for the article entitled, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”. Dr. Christine Larsen is interviewed as an expert ophthalmologist, explaining some common eye issues such as Presbyopia, Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration.

Dr. Mark Hansen was recently named a recipient of the Allina HOPE (Hospital Outstanding Patient Experience) Award! This honor recognizes excellence in service to patients measured by the Press Ganey HCAHPS patient experience survey. Congratulations to Dr. Hansen for receiving this award!

You’ll spot Dr. Omar AwadDr. Elizabeth DavisDr. David Hardten and Dr. Thomas W. Samuelson in the July 2018 issue of the Mpls St Paul Magazine. Congratulations to all four physicians for being recognized as Top Doctors in Ophthalmology! Check out the full list of Top Doctors for 2018 here.

Congrats to Dr. Jill MelicherDr. Christine Larsen, and Dr. Mark Hansen for being named Rising Stars in Mpls St Paul Magazine’s recent Top Doctors issue. Here is Mpls St Paul Magazine’s full list of Top Doctors for 2018.

We’re proud to have Dr. Richard L. Lindstrom and Dr. Thomas W. Samuelson listed in The Ophthalmologist’s recent edition of The Power List 2018. This list encompasses the top 100 influential people within ophthalmology, and we’re not at all surprised that Drs. Lindstrom and Samuelson were named. Here is the full power list.

Our development team has been nominated in the Medical Development category for the MN Real Estate Journal’s annual awards for our new Woodbury office! Read more about the awards here.

A wonderful article about The Vision Project was recently published in the Star Tribune’s INSPIRED section. Their team visited with Minnesota Eye Consultants volunteers and patients at our recent Vision Project surgical date.

Dr. Richard Lindstrom has joined the LENSAR, Inc. board of directors, an emerging leader in next generation femtosecond laser technology for refractive cataract surgery. Read the full article here.

Congratulations to Dr. Richard Lindstrom for receiving the Philip M. Corboy, MD, Memorial Award for Distinguished Service in Ophthalmology. Sponsored by Bausch+Lomb, Dr. Lindstrom received this award at the 2018 Hawaiian Eye meeting. You can read more about this accomplishment here.

In the recently published research article “Retrospective Review of the Duke University Men’s Basketball Team Eye Screening”, researchers seek to assess the effectiveness of performing eye screenings on young, healthy athletes. Read the article from the Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences here.

Dr. Elizabeth Davis was interviewed by Mpls St Paul magazine as an expert for their “40 is the new 20!” feature. This piece highlights what women age 40+ should be doing to maintain their health and wellness, and is published in the October 2017 issue. To read Dr. Davis’ piece of the article, click here, otherwise visit mspmag.com for the complete article.

Dr. Richard L. Lindstrom was featured in the September 2017 issue of The Ophthalmologist, in an article called, “Ophthalmology Chose Me”. This article offers some great insight on how Dr. Lindstrom ended up in medicine and what he looks forward to in the future.

Drs. Thomas W. Samuelson, David R. Hardten, Elizabeth A. Davis and Omar E. Awad were named ‘Top Doctors’ in the July issue of the Mpls St. Paul Magazine. Congratulations to all, as this award highlights approximately 5% of local physicians.

Congratulations to one of our Clinical Records Assistants, Jody He, for being awarded ‘Best Paper of the Session’ at the 2017 ASCRS Conference! Her presentation was on the Efficacy of Micropulse Cyclophotocoagulation in Lowering Intraocular Pressure in Patients with Glaucoma. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Thomas Samuelson, Dr. Elizabeth Davis, and Dr. Mark Hansen. Congrats, Jody!

Dr. Elizabeth Davis had an article published in the April 2017 MN Physicians publication on Advancements in Cataract Surgery and the Symfony intraocular lens. Read the full article!

Dr. Richard Lindstrom was quoted in this informative article about Cataract Surgery: 10 Things You Need to Know About Cataract Surgery. Read the full article here.

Modern laser in situ Keratomileusis Outcomes is a recent study that dug into LASIK articles published between 2008 and 2015. These articles contained data from clinical outcomes and were reviewed and graded for quality, impression, and potential bias. An important note from this article is that LASIK outcomes have improved over time, as our advancements in technology continue to improve. According to this study, “The percentages of eyes with a UDVA (Uncorrected Distance Visual Acuity) of 20/20 or better and 20/40 or better were higher than the percentages reported in the original FDA summaries of safety and effectiveness data.” Although a recent study reports some patients experiencing dry eye symptoms for the first time post-operatively at 3 months, this article states that “multiple studies have shown that corneal sensation returns to normal in almost all cases at 6 months postoperatively.” To read the full study on LASIK Outcomes, click here.

Drs. Richard L. Lindstrom and Thomas W. Samuelson were listed on Becker’s ASC Review list as one of the “51 Ophthalmologists to Know in 2016”. This list is comprised of leaders within the industry that offer their hospitals, health systems and professional societies expertise both clinically and technologically. Congrats to both Dr. Lindstrom & Dr. Samuelson!

Congratulations to Dr. Scott G. Hauswirth, as he was recognized on the 2016 PCON 250 List! This is a nation-wide list, comprised of 250 Doctors of Optometry who practice progressively, provide innovative patient care, conduct optometric research or excel in academia and share with others to help advance the profession. Read more about this recognition here.

Dr. Richard L. Lindstrom was selected as one of the 2016 Best Doctors by the Minnesota Monthly magazine. You’ll spot this recognition in their October 2016 issue, where more than 10,000 physicians were asked to name top doctors in various specialty categories.

Dr. Richard L. Lindstrom was recently named one of the Top 100 Influential Minnesota Health Care Leaders by the August 2016 Minnesota Physicians publication. To see the full list of physicians named, click here.

Dr. Mark S. Hansen recently received the Allina HOPE Award (Hospital Outstanding Patient Experience). This award recognizes excellence in service to patients as measured by the Press Ganey HCAHPS patient experience survey. Congratulations to Dr. Hansen!

Congrats to Drs. Thomas Samuelson, David Hardten, Elizabeth Davis, and Omar Awad for being selected as Mpls. St. Paul Magazine’s 2016 Top Doctors! This award is given to approximately 5% of local physicians, so we’re incredibly proud of our doctors!

Dr. Richard Lindstrom and Dr. David Hardten had an article published in the April 2016 MN Physicians publication on the KAMRA corneal inlay. Click here to read the article!

Dr. Richard Lindstrom was recently named one of the Top 100 most influential people in the world of ophthalmology by The Ophthalmologist. To see the full 2016 PowerList with all 100 physicians, click here. Congratulations, Dr. Lindstrom!

Congratulations Drs. Lindstrom, Samuelson, Hardten, Davis and Reeves for being named one of Ocular Surgery News’ 300 most innovative refractive cataract surgeons! The Premier Surgeon 300 is a list of premium refractive cataract surgeons that have been identified as leading innovators in the field of refractive cataract surgery. These surgeons work to educate their colleagues, innovate by developing novel technologies and techniques to advance the premium practice or perform a high volume of premium refractive cataract surgery. Click here to see the full list.

Congratulations to Drs. Jill S. Melicher, Christine L. Larsen and Mark S. Hansen for being listed as ‘Rising Stars in Ophthalmology’ in the April 2016 issue of the Mpls. St. Paul Magazine!

Dr. David R. Hardten and Dr. Mark S. Hansen were recently named recipients of the Allina Health HOPE Award. The award, Hospital Outstanding Patient Experience, recognizes excellence in service to patients as measured by the Press Ganey HCAHPS patient experience survey.

Both Dr. Sherman W. Reeves and Dr. Omar E. Awad are listed in the February issue of Mpls St Paul Magazine, offering educational vision advice in the “Your Healthy Checklist” Article.

The Blaine Minnesota Eye Consultants location won the Blaine/Spring Lake Park Life 2016 Readers’ Choice Award for Best LASIK and Best Eye Doctors! This was announced on Friday, January 22, 2016.

We are pleased to announce that we are a Readers’ Choice Award Winner! On January 21, 2016, we were voted the #1 Best LASIK by the Bloomington Sun Newspaper.

Dr. Richard L. Lindstrom and David R. Hardten co-wrote an article on KAMRA Corneal Inlays, which was published in the December 2015 issue of the Minnesota Health Care News publication. Click here to read the full article on this amazing technology.

Congratulations to Drs. Jill S. Melicher and Sherman W. Reeves for being named “Medical Stars on the Rise” in the October 2015 issue of the Mpls St Paul magazine.

Dr. Ahmad M. Fahmy recently presented at the 2015 ASCRS Combined Ophthalmic Symposium, discussing compliance issues and the dropless approach to Cataract Surgery.

Congratulations to Drs. Lindstrom, Samuelson, Hardten, Davis and Conrad for being named Mpls. St. Paul Top Doctors! They were recognized in the July issue of Mpls. St. Paul magazine.

Dr. Richard Lindstrom was recently awarded the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit’s (OIS) Ophthalmology Lifetime Innovator Award! Some of his colleagues had some incredible things to say about Dr. Lindstrom and his innovation accomplishments. To read the article, click here: Award Article. To watch the warm and inspiring video, click here: Award Video. You can also listen to Dr. Lindstrom speak about this prestigious honor: Dr. Lindstrom Honored.

Community Outreach Program is a charity program under which the surgeons of Minnesota Eye Consultants provide a variety of eye care surgeries, free of charge, to those who may not otherwise be able to afford the care they need. To read more about this incredible program, click here. To see KSTP’s coverage of the event, click here.

The Bloomington Sun Current released its 2015 Readers’ Choice awards, announcing that Dr. Richard Lindstrom was voted “Best LASIK”. Click here to see the full awards publication.

In November of 2014, Dr. Lindstrom was chosen for an unusual assignment, becoming part of an “Ophthalmology Dream Team,” a group of 10 ophthalmologists who’ll be working on solutions to the unique and degenerative ocular problems facing astronauts who spend months in space, without the benefit of gravity. To read the full article on the “Vision for Mars” program, click here.

We are grateful to be part of a Fargo man’s inspiring journey to improved vision. Jesse underwent five ocular surgeries at Minnesota Eye Consultants in October and his recovery is underway! Click here to read the full article.

Dr. Richard Lindstrom has been recognized by The ophthalmologist as the fourth most influential person in the field of ophthalmology. The publication issues its power 100 list each year based on a nomination and judging process.

Our very own Candy Simerson, President & COO, is a finalist for the Ophthalmic Women Leader’s 2014 Visionary Woman Award! This award honors a woman who has paved the way for other women in her field through significant professional achievement. We are proud to have Candy recognized along with the other finalists.

Ocular Surgery News lauds Dr. Richard Lindstrom for steadfast leadership for more than 20 years.

Check out this article about Operation Eyesight, our annual charity outreach program. Written by Minnesota Eye Consultants’ current managing partner, Dr. Elizabeth A. Davis, it was published in the Jan/Feb issue of MetroDocs magazine (pgs 14-15).

Dr. Sherman Reeves and our past MD fellow, Dr. Sumitra Khandelwal, wrote an article on Crosslinking which was published in the November issue of MN Physician magazine (pgs. 18-19).

Corneal transplants performed in the United States this year will result in nearly $6 billion in total net benefits over the lifetime of the recipients, according to a six-month study undertaken by the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA). Minnesota Eye Consultants performs 350+ cornea transplants annually, in turn contributing $41,300,000+ to that total.

MN Eye President/COO Candy Simerson is featured in the August, 2013 issue of MN Healthcare News magazine (pgs. 10-11)!

Dr. David Hardten was awarded a gold medal from Indian Minister for Health K.C. Veeramani at the Indian Intraocular Implant and Refractive Surgery symposium held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India on July 6-7. Surgeons from around the globe were honored for their work in developing two novel surgical techniques that involve the implantation of an intraocular lens in an eye which lacks the lens capsule. Congratulations, Dr. Hardten!

MN Eye receives Top Doctors designation! Dr. Richard Lindstrom, Dr. Thomas Samuelson and Dr. David Hardten are all recognized as Top Doctors in the Mpls. St. Paul magazine annual issue, released July 2013.

Dr. William Lipham was recenty featured in “Cosmetic Transformations”, an article in the July, 2013 issue of MN Monthly magazine.

The Minnesota Eye Foundation and Minnesota Eye Consultants join resources to host a series of free surgery days for those in the community that have no health insurance and cannot otherwise afford specialized care. Learn more about the Community Outreach Program!

We have some VERY exciting news to share: We are thrilled to announce that our Plymouth office will be relocating/expanding late this year. We are so excited about the opportunity to better serve our medical and surgical patients on the west side. Stay tuned for more updates as the project gets underway.

Kare 11 News @ 4 recently ran a story about Dr. Thomas Samuelson and the iStent procedure. iStent treats glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery by increasing the eye’s ability to drain fluid. This technology is designed to reduce the pressure in the eye.

UpdateNBC Network News picked up the story and ran it nationally, as well!

Dr. David Hardten is featured in the February issue of Mpls St Paul Magazine in the “Your Eyes at Work” section.

Dr. Thomas Samuelson’s presentation on data from year-one clinical trials of the HYDRUS mini-stent for glaucoma treatment, presented in the Scientific Program of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 2012 Annual Meeting, has generated A LOT of media coverage.

Dr. Elizabeth Davis is featured in the January issue of Tonka Times Magazine for a beauty section that includes laser vision correction (pgs 24-25).

‘Micro-Stents’ are getting attention for their potential to treat glaucoma, and our very own Dr. Thomas Samuelson has been heavily involved in the research and development of these devices.

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Davis who has been recognized as one of the top 100 implanters of the Visian Implantable Collamer Lens in the United States for 2012.

Our physicians are the first to perform the Glaukos iStent procedure in this market – treating open angle glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery. Thomas Samuelson, MD, was the primary investigator on the FDA trial, and has done more iStent procedures than any other surgeon in the nation.

In the first quarter of 2012, several of our surgeon partners participated in international medical mission trips or education and teaching endeavors.

Dr. David Hardten was recently named a 2011 Top Refractive Surgeon by Sightpath Medical. Congratulations, Dr. Hardten!

Dr. Richard Lindstrom was listed as a top 100 Influential Health Care Leader in the August Issue of MN Physician.

Minnesota Eye Consultants, Sophrona Gauge Patient Experience: A Marketer’s Dream

Dr. David Hardten and Dr. Richard Lindstrom were voted “2012 Top Doctors” by their peers for the annual ‘Top Doctors’ issue of Mpls St. Paul Magazine.

Dr. Sherman Reeves was featured as an expert in the February issue of Mpls St. Paul Magazine.

Dr. Richard Lindstrom receives the Catalyst Award at Glaucoma 360 in February.

KARE 11 covers the Minnesota Eye Foundation annual outreach program, Operation Eyesight.

President and COO of Minnesota Eye Consultants, Candace Simerson, has been featured in the August issue of MN Physician.

Dr. Elizabeth Davis and Dr. Thomas Samuelson were included in Becker’s ASC Review’s list of “135 Leading Ophthalmologists in America.”

locations

Serving Our Community

Minnesota Eye Consultants is proud to offer patients convenient access to eye care across the Twin Cities. We have 4 locations, each with an onsite ambulatory surgery center (ASC).

11091 Ulysses St NE
Clinic: Suite 300
ASC: Suite 400
Blaine, Minnesota 55434
Additional Blaine Information
9801 Dupont Ave S
ASC: Suite 100
Laser Procedures: Suite 120
Clinic: Suite 200
Bloomington, MN 55431
Additional Bloomington Information
10709 Wayzata Blvd
ASC: Suite 100
Laser Procedures: Suite 120
Clinic: Suite 200
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Additional Minnetonka Information
12501 Whitewater Drive, Suite 310
Minnetonka, MN 55343
Additional Crosstown – Now Open Information
7125 Tamarack Rd
Clinic: Suite 100
ASC: Suite 200
Laser Procedures: Suite 250
Woodbury, MN 55125
Additional Woodbury Information