MEET OUR DOCTORS
Dr. Sarah K. Ebeling
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Founder and Owner of Wink
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Sees patients of all ages at our Chanhassen location
Dr. Sarah grew up in a small town in Northeast Iowa and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa. She graduated from the prestigious Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago in 2009. During her time there, she received clinical honors in every rotation, including pediatrics, contact lenses, and ocular disease, and was inducted into several academic honors societies. If you ask her, she’ll tell you that her most educational experience during her time at ICO was a trip to El Salvador. Together with a team of optometrists and student doctors, she provided eye care and glasses to thousands of people who desperately needed it.
After graduation, she moved to the Twin Cities with her Bloomington-native husband, James. They are active members and supporters of both the Chanhassen community and the Minnetonka school district, where their two children are enrolled.
Dr. Sarah has a strong interest and expertise in children’s vision, ocular disease, dry eye, and challenging contact lens fits. Her need for glasses early in life not only sparked her interest in optometry but also a passion for myopia control and management.
When she’s not at Wink, Dr. Sarah enjoys traveling with her family, reading, testing out new recipes, or hopelessly trying to improve her pickleball game.
Dr. Roman Gerber
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Selected as Young Optometrist of the Year in 2017 by the Minnesota Optometric Association
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Believes almost all patients can be successful in modern contacts
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Former marathon runner
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Sees patients of all ages at our SLP location
Dr. Roman and his family immigrated to St. Louis Park when he was 4 years old. After growing up in the Twin Cities, Dr. Roman attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and obtained degrees in Biology and Economics with a Mathematical Emphasis. He became interested in optometry after seeing his grandfather struggle with blindness due to macular degeneration and war trauma.
While attending school at the Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Roman earned multiple leadership and academic scholarships. He also participated in the Clinical Honors program and was selected to tutor multiple courses. After graduating in 2011, he ran two optometry clinics in Chicago. He then moved back to MN in 2014 and began working with Dr. Sarah at Apple Valley Eye Care.
After going on a service trip to Honduras in 2010, Dr. Roman became passionate about international optometry. Since then, he has led charity clinics in rural India, Mexico, Thailand and Peru. Dr. Roman also worked on a team that setup sustainable clinics throughout The Gambia, a small country in Western Africa.
Dr. Roman prides himself in his ability to provide a high level of care to patients with myriad conditions including dry eye disease, specialty contacts, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and emergency eye care. He enjoys working with patients of all ages and has experience treating people ages 6 months to 100.
Dr. Roman is excited to to join the team at Wink Family Eye Care and open up a new office in St. Louis Park. He believes in community engagement and takes opportunities to work on behalf of the field of optometry: Dr. Roman was a Trustee to the American Optometric Association and currently serves as the MN Optometric Association Legislative Chair.
When not reading journal articles about ocular disease, Dr. Roman plays tennis and enjoys spending time with his family.
Dr. Katie Hansen (Schneider)
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Former collegiate soccer player (Go, Bulldogs!)
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Handles complex contact lens fittings with ease
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Sees patients of all ages at our Chanhassen and SLP locations
Dr. Katie, originally from Brookings, South Dakota, completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Minnesota Duluth. During her time in Duluth, Dr. Katie also played on the Bulldogs women’s soccer team. She then moved across the country to Houston, Texas to attend optometry school and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Houston College of Optometry.
While in optometry school, Dr. Katie went on a mission trip to Guerrero City, Mexico, where she worked with optometrists, ophthalmologists and other student clinicians in performing comprehensive eye exams and determining cataract surgery candidacy for hundreds of rural patients.
During her clinical rotations, she trained extensively in the art of specialty contact lens evaluations, including scleral lenses. She also pursued training in the management of pre/post-operative cataract surgery patients and those with ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, and age related macular degeneration.
In her free time, Dr. Katie loves traveling with her husband, exploring local restaurants, and going on walks with her puppy, Filson!
Dr. Suzette Skavlem
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Enjoys reading romance novels
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Awarded the prestigious F. Edward Hébert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship
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Sees patients of all ages at our Chanhassen and SLP locations
Dr. Suzette was raised in Brainerd, MN, and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of North Dakota. She graduated cum laude with her Doctorate of Optometry from the Southern California College of Optometry.
After earning her degree in 2018, Dr. Suzette served as an active-duty optometrist in the U.S. Army, stationed in Tacoma, WA. There, she provided comprehensive eye care to active-duty soldiers, their families, veterans, and retirees. She also managed an off-site clinic focusing on deployment readiness for her fellow soldiers. Following her three-year service commitment, Dr. Suzette returned to her home state of Minnesota to establish her roots.
Dr. Suzette is passionate about practicing full-scope optometry, including ocular disease management, contact lens care (with a focus on specialty lenses), and surgical co-management for cataract and LASIK procedures. She has a particular interest in the management and treatment of dry eye disease.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Suzette enjoys spending quality time with her family, which includes her husband, their two-year-old son, a dog, and two cats. She is an avid fan of Reformer Pilates, enjoys cooking, and loves spending time outdoors at the lake.