Our staff is experienced, specially trained and certified in their field.   They are extremely knowledgeable about eye care and the selection of the proper frames and lenses to fit your lifestyle.

 

Reception: Our friendly and efficient front desk staff is always ready to assist you in making your appointments and to answer any questions about your visit to our office.




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Melanie K.


Melanie is one of our receptionists and has been with Uptown Eye Care since 2005. Melanie has over 18 years of experience that she will use to make our patients’ visits as pleasant and problem free as she possibly can, whether it is with scheduling, checking-in for appointments, or understanding insurance benefits. Melanie comes to us from Texas and she brings a special, southern charm to our office.

Any spare time Melanie has is spent with her family which is divided between Texas and Minnesota.








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Paige M.

 

 Paige M. is a receptionist and insurance specialist who has been with Uptown Eye Care since 2008. She greatly enjoys helping patients and making everyone’s experience at Uptown Eye Care the best it can be. When she is not at the front desk here she enjoys spending time with her family and caring for her garden.

 






 


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Suzann R.


Suzann has been with our office since 2003. She loves interacting with patients and can be found at the front desk or in the business office. Her first job was making snow cones at the great Minnesota State Fair and has loved working with people ever since that time.

When not at work, Suzann loves spending time with her husband, Rick, and her four grandchildren. Her favorite treats are licorice, all sorts, and banana popsicles!

 

 



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Vicki R.

 

 Vicki is one of the newest additions to our staff. She is excited to be working in an office that highly values each and every person that walks through the door. Vicki spent 13 years with the Big Lake Schools assisting in the health offices prior to her employment at Uptown Eye Care.

Outside of work she enjoys traveling, boating and motorcycling.

 

 



 Technicians: All of our technicians receive on-going training in order to provide you with the best possible eye care. They are contact lens specialists and will gladly answer any questions you have on contact lens fitting and care.

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Molly H.

 

Molly is the optometric assistant team leader. She joined the Uptown Eye Care staff in 2008 with four years of experience as both an optometric assistant and an optician. She considers being able to work side by side with our doctors and receiving training on the most advanced technology available to be a great experience. She enjoys providing training to new contact lens wearers and is always able to answer any questions they may have. She also works with the doctors and contact lens representatives to help supply the most updated contact lenses and care solutions for our patients.

In her spare time she and her husband spend time backpacking, camping and traveling to warmer climates during the great Minnesota winters.  


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Laurel T., CPO

 

 Laurel has worked at Uptown Eye Care both as an optician and  currently, as an optometric technician since 2007. She is an American Optometric Association certified paraoptometric. She enjoys pretesting patients before they see the doctor, especially when she knows there is a solution to an ocular problem. Laurel is convinced that annual eye health evaluations are an important part of maintaining a person’s overall health.

She and her husband have lived in Monticello for five years and love it here. She works part-time so that she can also devote time to teaching Bible lessons. She also loves having dinner parties, golfing, camping and traveling.




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Erin L., CPOA

 

 Erin has been working in the eye care industry since 2001. Her first position was here at Uptown Eye Care with Dr. Happ. Since then she has worked at several different clinics, but returned to us in 2006. She has experience in several aspects of the field, including fitting frames and lenses and counseling patients for Lasik, but her favorite tasks are those of the optometric assistant. Erin is certified by the American Optometric Association as a paraoptometric assistant.






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Karen K.

 

 Karen K. has been with Uptown Eye Care since 2007. One of her favorite parts of her job is helping patients with vision therapy. Karen has received training on several vision therapy techniques and in assisting patients in implementing the prescribed therapies at home.

Karen can personally attest to the life changing benefits of having the perfect pair of glasses. She says she is finally enjoying a crisp, clear, migraine-free life for which she is very grateful.




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Vicki P.

 

Vicki P. has been in the eye care industry since 1997. She first joined our office in 2002. You will find Vicki working in various departments here at Uptown Eye Care. She is experienced in selecting and fitting frames and lenses that are customized for each person’s lifestyle. You will also meet Vicki prior to your appointment as she does some of the preliminary testing for the doctor. She is also experienced at contact lens training and is very happy to address any of your questions or concerns in these areas.

Outside of work she keeps very busy with family and friends and an annual trip to Arizona.




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Jenessa B.


Jenessa has been an optometric technician with the Uptown family since 2008. She loves being able to spend time getting to know patients and helping them with their eye care concerns. A highlight of the year for Jenessa is our spring and fall trunk shows. She enjoys assisting her coworkers with theme ideas and costumes for each event.
Jenessa is is also trained to apply eyelash extensions, a new service offered at our office. She is also a certified paraoptometric.
Jenessa’s favorite activity when not at work is spending time with her amazing husband and their incredible daughter.  






Opticians: Every optician in our clinic is skilled at helping you choose the best frame and lenses for your lifestyle. They are knowledgeable on the latest technology and are able to clearly explain all your options. Please come in to browse though our large selection of popular frames and let our frame consultants help you choose the most complementary frame for your face.

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LaRae F.

 
LaRae joined the Uptown Eye Care team in 2003 as an optician. Her experience and attention to detail make her the perfect optical team leader, her current position. LaRae attends regular continuing education classes to keep up on the latest technology in lens design and the hottest trends in frames. LaRae’s experience and dedication is evident in the quality of care she strives to give each patient at Uptown Eye Care.
 
LaRae has a unique sense of humor and enjoys playing practical jokes on family,friends and especially, her coworkers.






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Stephanie L.

 
Stephanie joined us in 2007, coming from a wholesale optical lab where she worked for four years. Both our office and our patients benefit from the knowledge and skills Stephanie brought with her. She loves helping people, especially children, with their vision needs. Stephanie will be able to assist you with every step of selecting your new glasses.
 
During her free time she enjoys the time she spends with her fiancee and their two amazing children. They like to go camping and  have BBQ’s with friends whenever the weather permits.  






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Angie C., ABOC

 
 Angie has been with Uptown Eye Care since April of 2011. She has an extensive background in optical and management with an American Board of Opticianry Certification and is very happy to be a part of the Uptown team.  After working for large retail optical chains for many years, she is thrilled to be able to offer the technology and high quality products that are available at Uptown Eye Care.
 
When not working, Angie enjoys spending time with her family, playing music (you may have seen her locally) and being outdoors.




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Sue L.

 
 Sue became part of the Uptown Eye Care team in 2010, has a medical background and will be available to help you select the best frames and lenses for your particular needs. Whether it be computer lenses, safety glasses, or prescription sunglasses, she has studied the most up-to-date technology available. Sue thinks the patients and coworkers here at Uptown Eye Care are so nice it’s like a home away from home.
 
She enjoys gardening, knitting and boating when not at work.






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John N.

 
 
 John joined the Uptown Eye Care team in March of 2010. He brought with him seven years of optical experience and strives to educate our patients on the best options available for their optical needs. He especially focuses on making sure each individual enjoys their experience choosing their new eyewear.
 
Outside of work he loves to spend time with friends, family and his two furry canines.






  Insurance Specialists: Pat K. and her administrative assistants work diligently with your insurance company and are ready to help you understand your insurance benefits.
 
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Pat K.

 
 
Pat has worked in numerous areas of the professional optical office for over 19 years. These areas include frame fitting; measuring and repairing of eyeglasses; insurance billing and troubleshooting; patient care; office bookkeeping and patient scheduling. She has also worked in maintaining HIPAA compliant patient records and ensuring patient confidentiality. Pat joined our team in 2008 as team leader of the front desk and business office departments. Most of the time you can find her in the business office working with insurance billing, but occasionally you will find her helping out in optical or the front desk reception area as well. She is always available and happy to assist you with any questions or concerns that you may have regarding your account or insurance. Pat feels passionately about doing her part to ensure that our patients receive the highest quality of care.




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Gladyce P.

 
 
Gladyce has been with Uptown Eye Care since 2009 and brings over 22 years of customer service experience to our office. Having been a patient of Uptown Eye Care for 10 years, she was thrilled to become part of our team and to be able to pass on the standard of excellent care that she had become accustomed to receiving. Gladyce assists with the insurance billing and also spends time at the reception desk. She states that her biggest challenge is to not buy a new pair of glasses each week!
 
When not at work, you can find Gladyce providing her same standard of excellent care to her flower gardens, or maybe enjoying a good mystery. She also has five grandchildren that “light up her life and bring new joys every day”.
 
 
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Melonie C., CPOA

 
 
Melonie is our office manager and has been with Uptown Eye Care since 2000. She is a certified paraoptometric assistant and her many years of experience with our office have equipped her to answer any questions you may have about your visit. Melonie is proud to be a part of a clinic that puts providing the best possible eye care as its first priority.
In addition to devoting time to making Uptown Eye Care the best choice for eye care, she enjoys spending time at the family cabin in northern Minnesota.