Family Eye Care Experts in the Twin Cities Area
Be Eye Wise
When quality matters—choose the family eye care experts at No. When it comes to getting you the right eyeglasses, lens quality can vary greatly—and so does the skill of the person working to fit you with eyeglasses. Our team of opticians have been leaders in fitting eyeglasses for years, offering outstanding service and care. Vision is too essential to take for granted, but most people know very little about proper eyeglasses and eye health. Our motto, “Be Eye Wise,” is a call to learn more about eye health and proper eye care for empowered living. By tailoring our services to the individual and providing only the very best quality products, we strive to do our part to help you protect your vision throughout your lifetime.
Quality Matters
Northwest Eyewear cares about quality because your eyes are vital for living an active and full lifestyle. We collaborate with trusted brands such as HOYA to deliver superior prescription lenses at an affordable price. Their lenses for both adult and kids’ glasses are extremely lightweight and scratch resistant, and address a myriad of vision problems. You will not find these lenses at the shopping mall, discount retailers, mass merchants, or online. When you truly want a quality experience, Northwest Eyewear can provide you with everything you need.
About the team
Our team
Northwest Eyewear has assembled an expert team of professional, Board Certified Opticians with many years of experience.
Outside the office, Northwest Eyewear opticians are engaged in the greater industry and community in pursuit of furthering their eyeglasses-fitting skills.
Board Certified Opticians
We take our responsibility to provide you with the proper eyeglasses very seriously. Northwest Eyewear has five locations in the Twin Cities area to serve you.
Ben Ternus
Becoming an optician happened by chance 20 years ago. I was walking through the mall and saw that Lenscrafters was hiring. In the beginning, I learned finishing work in the Rx lab and completed the final inspection to insure the prescription lenses matched what the doctor prescribed. I passed the American Board Certified Optician exam in 2001 and became a Licensed Certified Optician.
I enjoy being an optician because I like meeting people and learning about their hobbies and interests.
When I am not working in our Golden Valley office you will find me on one of the Minnesota lakes, riding roller coasters or at the movies.
Bridget Eggleston
I have been working as an optician for 34 years and I became a Licensed Certified Optician in 1999. I came to Northwest Eye because I had been working nights and I wanted to get back to day hours. After a short while of being in the optical field, I realized that I really loved it; especially meeting all the patients and helping them look and see their best.
My first experiences in optical were learning how to generate the eyeglass prescription lenses, edging the lenses to fit the frame and then preforming the final inspection process to verify that the lenses accurately met the doctor’s prescription.
You will find me most often in our Wayzata office but I do float to all five optical locations at Northwest Eye.
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my six grandchildren, reading, traveling and watching movies.
Gay Armstrong
I began my optical career 45 years ago when my neighbor recommended I should become an optician. I started by learning how to generate prescription lenses, edging the lenses to fit the frame and completing the final inspection process to verify that the lenses have met the doctor’s prescription accurately.
I attained my American Board Certification for optician in 2003. I take pride in completing eyeglasses repairs and delivering custom fitting solutions.
You will find me in our Golden Valley office when I am not at the cabin, golfing, crafting or sewing.
Jill Kielas
I have worked in optical for the past 28 years; I became a Licensed Certified Optician in 1991. Before working in optical, I worked in a hair salon and I was a make up artist for 7 years. Eyeglasses fascinate me; understanding how light is bent as it passes thru lenses to give us clear sharp vision is truly amazing. I started wearing eyeglasses myself when I was 3 years old, my mom still has my first pair, green cat eyes with rhinestones.
I currently manage our five optical locations and you can often find me working in one of our clinics helping patients with their eyeglass selection. I have been with Northwest Eye since 2008 and my first experiences being an optician was working at Pearle Vision. I later worked at Marshall Field’s and a couple boutique stores in the Twin Cities. I learned a lot when I worked in a finishing Rx lab to know what different prescription would like in various frames.
When I am not working, I enjoy traveling, going out to eat, taking my dog to the park and spending time with family and friends.
Kathy Marquette
I have been an optician for 15 years, and I became a Licensed Certified Optician in 2015. I previously worked as a patient coordinator and appointment surgery scheduler for Northwest Eye. After having my second child, I tried being a stay at home mom and realized I needed to go back to work part time. A friend told me that I should work at Target optical with her. I applied and my journey as an optician began. The wonderful patients I encounter each day and the skilled opticians that I work with make my day’s fun and rewarding. Northwest Eye has been a great place to work.
When I am not in our Maple Grove location, I am spending time with my family, golfing, biking, and going to the beach.
Marie Rhodes
I have been an optician for 31 years. For the first 15 years I worked mostly with adults and the last 16 years I have been working as a pediatrics eyewear specialist. I took the American Board Certified Optician exam in 2002 and became a Licensed Certified Optician.
When I am not working in our Children’s West/Minnetonka office I am enjoy reading or sewing.
When I was younger, I knew I wanted to work in the health care field to help people. I take great satisfaction working with children and their parents. It is so much fun helping them pick out eyewear and making the adjustments to make the fit just right. So often, my patients cannot believe how well they can see out of their new eyeglasses.
Mary Ann Justin
I have been working in optical for 33 years. I started my career at Benson Optical where I learned how to generate prescription lenses, edging the lenses to fit the frame and completing the final inspection to verify that the lenses matched doctor’s prescription. I took the American Board Certified Optician exam in 2003 and became a Licensed Certified Optician.
You will find me in our Maple Grove office when I am not spending time with my family, traveling, gardening, knitting or volunteering at our local senior center in the memory care unit.
I never feel that I am working because I love what I do; helping my patients and my fellow co-workers.
Sandi Haen Smith
I started in optical 40 years ago and became a Licensed Certified Optician in 1973, after graduating from Anoka Tech. I also attended UND and did undergraduate classes for elementary teaching and fashion merchandising. At Anoka Tech, I studied Rx lab work and I have managed optical stores over the years.
I first got into eye care from a family friend, who was an ophthalmologist that owned his own practice. He would talk to me about how he helped improve vision. I decided I wanted to be part of helping people with eyeglasses and making this experience special. I feel great when I can help patients to see as clearly as possible and find a comfortable frame.
When I am not working in our Wayzata office I love going to the movies, attending the opera, hiking, attending concerts and plays. I often spend weekends on a lake in Minnesota boating while relaxing with family and friends.
Start the journey to better vision
At Northwest Eyewear, our Certified Opticians can help you with vision solutions for eyeglasses that are not offered at all optical dispensaries. We work hard to get the right solution that fits your specific needs. Whatever your vision needs—computer use, sunglasses, digital appliance use (such as a tablet or smartphone), playing a musical instrument, avid reading, and other lifestyle challenges—we are here to give you the best eyeglasses possible. That is why we collaborate with HOYA for our prescription lenses, because they combine specialized processes in optical engineering with high-tech knowledge of advanced materials to bend and manipulate light more precisely than ever before possible. HOYA cannot be purchased at the shopping mall, discount store, online, or from a mass merchant. Reach out to us to learn more!
Our warranty: You can count on us
All our patients enjoy unlimited adjustments and cleaning for the life of their glasses. In addition, Northwest Eyewear provides warranties on your new frame and lenses from defects and product failure under normal wearing conditions for one year from the original purchase date.
And now, exclusively for our active kids, we offer an additional hassle-free warranty. Get 18 months of protection for additional $29; The dog chews them, they get run over by the car or even lost, we don’t care! You will get one free replacement of the same pair you purchased at no extra charge. You will also get another replacement at 50% off for the really active kids!
