In 1978, Richard L. Lindstrom, MD completed five years of ophthalmology training which included a Residency and three Fellowships: Cornea and External Disease, Advanced Microsurgery and Glaucoma. Dr. Lindstrom began practice in Dallas, TX with William S. Harris, MD and together they trained two fellows in 1979 and 1980. In 1980, Dr. Lindstrom returned to Minnesota and was appointed Director of the Cornea and Anterior Segment Surgery Service at the University of Minnesota Department of Ophthalmology and Chief of the Ophthalmology Section at the Minneapolis VA Hospital. With the support of his Chairman Donald J. Doughman, MD, a Harvard-trained Corneal Specialist, they established a new Fellowship Training Program under Dr. Lindstrom’s direction and accepted two Fellows. Unlike many Cornea Fellowships of that time, Dr. Lindstrom broadened the surgical training to include advanced microsurgery including complex cataract surgery, anterior segment reconstruction, refractive corneal surgery, refractive cataract surgery, and glaucoma. This broad-based model of Anterior Segment Surgical and Medical Training has remained the core hallmark of the Lindstrom Fellowship. During Dr. Lindstrom’s ten-year tenure at the University of Minnesota, Edward J. Holland, MD, J. Daniel Nelson, MD, and Thomas D. Lindquist, MD participated as Lindstrom Fellowship mentors.
In 1989, Dr. Lindstrom left the University of Minnesota and founded Minnesota Eye Consultants, continuing the Lindstrom Fellowship Training Program while expanding the fellowship program into areas of care. At Minnesota Eye Consultants, Thomas W. Samuelson, MD, David R. Hardten, MD, Elizabeth A. Davis, MD, Patrick J. Riedel, MD, Sherman Reeves MD, Omar E. Awad MD, Mark S. Hansen MD, Christine L. Larsen MD, and Clara M. Choo MD, have joined him in training Lindstrom-MEC Fellows.
Since 1978, sixty-five individuals have completed their training as Lindstrom-MEC Fellows, building busy surgical and medical practices while sharing their knowledge with colleagues and industry in both private practice and academic environments. After five decades of commitment to patient care, teaching, research and innovation in ophthalmology, Dr. Lindstrom and the Minnesota Eye Consultants team are incredibly proud of the fellows they have trained and their continuing contributions to ophthalmology.
This one-year fellowship offers cornea-focused clinical and surgical experience under the direction of five fellowship-trained cornea specialists. Fellows will have access to some of the newest technology in a very busy clinical environment and gain experience in the management of complex corneal disease.
Graduates of our cornea fellowship program will receive extensive training in the treatment of routine and complex cataracts, anterior segment reconstruction, IOL exchanges, sutured and scleral fixated IOLs, and corneal transplants including DMEK, DSEK, DALK, and PK.
In addition to anterior segment surgery, our fellows receive extensive training with refractive surgery (LASIK, PRK, Phakic IOLs) and develop strategies for refractive cataract surgery and astigmatism management.
Fellows will gain experience in the treatment of dry eye diseases and will be exposed to various technologies such as LipiFlow and IPL procedures. The number of refractive procedures is among the highest of any program in the country. This program is AUPO FCC compliant.
Interviews:
Fellowship interview dates are to be determined and posted on the SF Match website. For questions about our fellowship programs, please contact Alyse Page, Fellowship Coordinator, at [email protected].
This one year fellowship provides an intensely surgical experience under the direction of five fellowship trained glaucoma specialists. Fellows will have access to some of the newest technology in a very busy clinical environment. Fellows are exposed to all forms of canal-based MIGS, bleb-forming MIGS, and traditional glaucoma surgeries including trabeculectomy and tube surgery. Fellows also have ample opportunity to perform phacoemulsification, treat complicated cataract and IOL problems and corneal refractive procedures, all essential skills for the contemporary glaucoma-anterior segment surgeon. They will gain experience with standard and specialty IOLs, as well as strategies for refractive excimer enhancement. Fellows will also gain experience with routine and complex cataract surgery, which may be combined with a wide variety of coincident glaucoma surgeries. Graduates of the glaucoma fellowship program will receive extensive training in traditional glaucoma surgery as well as a wide variety of MIGS procedures. With a dedicated research department, we are also engaged in a variety of clinical trials in the medical and surgical management of glaucoma. This program is AUPO FCC compliant.
The Glaucoma Specialists of Minnesota Eye Consultants:
Fellowship interview dates are to be determined and posted on the SF Match website. For questions about our fellowship programs, please contact Alyse Page, Fellowship Coordinator, at [email protected].
Qualifications: To be eligible for a Minnesota Eye Consultants (MEC) Fellowship, you must have successfully completed an accredited residency in ophthalmology. U.S. and Canadian applicants must be eligible for certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or both.
International fellowship applicants must have equivalent training and have passed the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) examination.
Fellowship interview dates are to be determined and posted on the SF Match website.
If you have any questions, please contact Alyse Page, Fellowship Coordinator, at [email protected].
1980-1981
Wesley K. Herman, MD
1980-1981
J. Daniel Nelson, MD
1981-1982
Jack L. Weiss, MD
(Deceased – August 29, 2015)
1982-1983
S. Gregory Smith, MD
1982-1983
Richard A. Miller, MD
1983-1984
Cynthia Bullen Kesty, MD
1983-1984
G. William Lavery, MD
1984-1985
Stephen S. Lane, MD
1984-1985
Roy H. Thomas, MD
1985-1986
Jonathan Rubenstein, MD
1985-1986
Thomas D. Lindquist, MD, PhD
(Deceased – March 3, 2016)
1986-1987
Alan V. Spigelman, MD
1986-1987
Bruce D. Nichols, MD
1987-1988
Cathryn L. Welch, MD
1987-1988
Eric Pearlstein, MD
1988-1989
Peter Agapitos, MD
1988-1989
Richard Duffey, MD
1988-1989
Ralph W. Zabel, MD
1989-1990
Frank Bucci, MD
1989-1990
Anthony Lubinewski, MD
1990-1991
Todd Gothard, MD
1990-1991
Richard A. Bowers, MD
1991-1992
Mark Barak, MD
1991-1992
Sheraz Daya, MD
1992-1993
Michael Grimmitt, MD
1992-1993
David R. Hardten, MD *
1992-1993
David G. O’Day, MD
1992-1993
Audrey R. Talley, MD
1993-1994
Paul Dougherty, MD
1994-1995
Timothy L. Schneider, MD
1995-1996
John Berestka, MD
1996-1997
Y. Ralph Chu, MD
1997-1998
Nelson Preschel, MD
1998-1999
Eric Linebarger, MD
1999-2000
Elizabeth A. Davis, MD*
2000-2001
William J. Lahners, MD
(Deceased – December 10, 2021)
April 2001 – July 2001
Michael S. Conners, MD
2001-2002
Anthony Lombardo, MD
2001-2002
Nicole J. Anderson, MD
2002-2003
Patricia Sierra Wilkson, MD
2002-2003
David Hamilton, MD
2003-2004
Dennis Lu, MD
2003-2004
Jacqueline Koo, MD
2004-2005
Daniel C. Chang, MD
2005-2006
Jason Darlington, MD
2006-2007
Sherman W. Reeves, MD *
2007-2008
Parag Parekh, MD
2008-2009
John P. Berdahl, MD
2009-2010
Aarup Kubal, MD
2010-2011
Preeya Gupta, MD
2011-2012
Bryan S. Lee, MD
2012-2013
Sumitra Khandelwal, MD
2013-2014
Zach Zavodni, MD
2014-2015
Mark S. Hansen, MD *
2015-2016
Ryan Barrett, MD
2016-2017
Kevin R. Tozer, MD
2017-2018
Walter T. Parker, MD
2018-2019
Morgan R. Godin, MD
2019-2020 – Cornea
Samuel F. Passi, MD
2019-2020 – Glaucoma
Sarah Maki, MD
2020-2021 – Cornea
Mark F. Goerlitz-Jessen, MD
2020-2021 – Glaucoma
Jefferson D. Berryman, MD
2021-2022 – Cornea
Corey J. Miller, MD
2021-2022 – Glaucoma
Chase A. Liaboe, MD *
2022-2023 – Glaucoma
Marshall Huang, M.D.
2022-2023 – Cornea
Thomas Meirick, M.D.
1984-1985
Gurinder Singh, MD
1986-1987
Liaquat Allarakhia, MD
1987-1988
Caryn F. Sorkin Pearlstein, MD
1988-1989
Hyungwon Tchah, MD, PhD
1989-1990
Kee Yong Choi, MD
1990-1992
Varda Chen, MD
1991-1993
Man Soo Kim, MD
2000-2001
Anuwat Chittcharus, MD
2002-2003
Vrushaloi Gosavi, MD
2003-2004
Raymond Loh, MD
* MEC Fellows currently practicing with Minnesota Eye
2023-2024 Glaucoma Fellow
Mark Larson, M.D.
Specializes In:
Glaucoma and Cataract Surgery
2023-2024 Cornea Fellow
Matthew Field, M.D.
Specializes In:
Cornea, Cataract and Refractive surgery
Beyond everyday clinical experience, we offer one-of-a-kind opportunities to get involved and give back to the community. Fellows will have a chance to get involved with The Vision Project, Mission Trips, and our Annual Symposium, Perspectives in Eye Care. Learn more below.
Through the Minnesota Eye Foundation (the charitable arm of Minnesota Eye Consultants), The Vision Project provides medically necessary eye care services and surgeries at no cost for uninsured, low-income patients. This charity outreach program (formerly Mission Cataract and more recently, Operation Eyesight) began in 2001 after partners from Minnesota Eye Consultants noticed an increase in the number of patients in need of treatment, but without adequate insurance coverage or the financial resources to afford it.
The program is a volunteer effort supported by Minnesota Eye Consultants surgeons and employees, along with the assistance of anesthetists and vendors willing to donate their time, expertise, equipment, and supplies. The MD Fellows play a crucial role in this program, as they are often the surgeon for these patients. The Vision Project accepts patients year-round; however, the majority of surgeries take place during the program’s annual two-day event and post-op clinic occurring in February and March.
For several years, we’ve had the opportunity to offer vision care services to underserved communities in Honduras.
Dr. Mark Hansen has accompanied our MD Fellow(s) and as a team, they’ve treated patients with disease, restored and preserved vision, and trained local surgeons and trainees. Each year, approximately 60 surgeries have been performed in the Honduras community.
Perspectives in Eye Care is an annual Continuing Education event hosted by the Minnesota Eye Foundation for Optometrists in MN and the surrounding states. The program offers 8 hours of courses (and COPE CE credits), with many of the presenters being the providers of Minnesota Eye Consultants, with a few guest speakers. The event generally has 400+ optometrists in attendance, along with 25-30 industry vendors. Through this fellowship, doctors will have the opportunity to engage with a large referral network at programs like Perspectives in Eye Care.
Minnesota Eye Consultants is proud to offer patients convenient access to eye care across the Twin Cities. We have 5 locations, each with an onsite ambulatory surgery center (ASC).
