ovo vision
build the world’s premiere
lasik + lens clinic

Lasik / lasik procedure

The ovo experience

At OVO we have a tremendous team of some of the most experienced doctors and technicians in the entire country. All with the same dedication and passion — At OVO we want every patient to believe they had a personalized experience and that they achieved the very best vision possible.

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procedures performed

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Doctors trained/mentored

acknowledged by our community of doctors

DR. lobanoff is awarded
top doctor, again.

The new OVO lasik+lens based in Minneapolis, mn. OVO was founded by dr. Lobanoff, the award winning lasik doctor.

HOME / Minnesota Top Doctors

A message from dr. lobanoff

Minnesota Monthly polls physicians and nurses each year in the metro area, asking for a list of those doctors who are going above and beyond in the care of their patients. For the second year in a row I have been honored to be chosen by my peers as a Top Doctor in ophthalmology. Receiving this designation was a matter of great pride, but I also took it up as a challenge.

What more could I do? What more could be accomplished? How could I continue to improve and deliver even more to my patients?

Out of these questions grew a desire to build something completely new; the most advanced LASIK and cataract center in the entire country. I assembled a team of the top individuals in the eye care industry and set out to build OVO LASIK + LENS. We built a new building from the ground up with every detail centered around the patient experience. OVO will be center of excellence that works closely with leading global eyecare companies such as Alcon, Bausch and Lomb, and Ziemer. OVO will feature the industry’s newest cutting edge technology. It will also be the site of multiple FDA studies researching new treatments and equipment with the sole desire to deliver the best vision for every patient. The OVO center will be a hub to train surgeons from across the country and across the world in the newest surgical techniques and technology. Above all, OVO will be dedicated to the great people of Minnesota who trust us with their precious eyesight.

Meet

ovo leadership team

mark lobanoff, md

co-founder
medical director

0Years

LASIK / CATARACT / IMPLANTABLE CONTACT LENS (ICL) / CORNEAL CROSSLINKING (CXL) / EYE CARE

experience

PARTNER-PRESIDENT

– NORTH SUBURBAN EYE SPECIALISTS

FOUNDER-INVENTOR

– PHORCIDES / LASIK SURGERY PLANNING SOFTWARE

FOUNDER-INVENTOR

– LOCHAN / CATARACT SURGERY PLANNING SOFTWARE

WHY OVO?

While in medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Dr. Lobanoff was deciding what field of medicine he should pursue. He rotated through the ophthalmology department and scrubbed into a cataract surgery case. The microscopic surgery was precise and beautiful. It merged patient care with advanced technology. Minutes later the patient, who had been legally blind, was able to see again. This was nothing short of miraculous and Dr. Lobanoff knew instantly that this was his calling. And thus began years of arduous training.

In 1995 he was awarded a Howard Hughes Research Fellowship and spent a year performing eye research at the National Eye Institute of the NIH (National Institutes of Health) in Washington, D.C., one of the most advanced eye research facilities in the world. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Lobanoff trained at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where he learned the latest in ophthalmic surgical techniques and post-operative care. At Emory University Dr. Lobanoff studied under two legendary pioneers in the LASIK field, Dr. George Waring and Dr. Doyle Stulting. After his ophthalmology residency at Emory, Dr. Lobanoff completed a year-long fellowship in LASIK and refractive surgery at the University of Minnesota. This is the highest level of training a LASIK surgeon can achieve.More recently, Dr. Lobanoff has become a world-renowned expert in the newest form of LASIK; Alcon’s Contoura topographic-guided LASIK. He has lectured on this new technology across the United States and Europe. Surgeons from across the U.S. travel to Minnesota to learn Dr. Lobanoff’s techniques first hand. He is currently involved in FDA research trials to make the surgery even more effective.

Dr. Lobanoff wanted to continue to push the boundaries of refractive surgery in the most advanced eye surgery center in the country, one that delivered a premium experience to patients. But it simply didn’t exist in Minnesota. His solution? He would build it himself! And thus OVO LASIK + LENS was born!

SHANA ESS

co-founder
medical director

0Years

LASIK CLINIC MANAGEMENT / LENS CLINIC MANAGEMENT / EYE CARE MANAGEMENT

experience

LAUNCHED-MANAGING DIRECTOR

– WHITING CLINIC

LAUNCHED-MANAGING DIRECTOR

– JOFFE MEDICENTER

VP OPERATIONS

– LASIKPLUS

CLINIC DIRECTOR

– SUMMIT VISION CENTERS

WHY OVO?

Born and raised in Minnesota, Shana’s fascination with eyes began early on. Originally starting as a technician in private practice eye care, Shana had the opportunity to launch one of the first Laser Vision Correction facilities in the United States shortly after the FDA approval of the Excimer Laser technology in 1996.

Shana went on to run multiple LASIK clinics nation wide as Vice President of Operations for LasikPlus Vision Centers. in 2007, she was recruited away from LasikPlus to launch Joffe MediCenter in the Twin Cities. In her constant pursuit of delivering a more personalized experience to patients, and having worked with Dr. David Whiting for 12 years, she decided to open Whiting Clinic alongside him in 2010. Due to COVID related circumstances, Whiting Clinic was acquired by Kismet, LLC (AKA: LasikPlus) in August 2020. Not wanting to succumb to corporate LASIK directives and potentially sacrificing patient care for financial initiatives, Shana decided to leave Whiting Clinic to pursue opening her own clinic. “Partnering with Dr. Lobanoff to launch OVO LASIK + LENS is a tremendous opportunity to present to patients a world-class independently owned and operated clinic that is dedicated to truly listening to the needs of our patients, and deliver an exception experience and unsurpassed outcomes.”

DAVID WHITING, md

SURGEON

0Years

LASIK / CATARACT

experience

FOUNDER-MEDICAL DIRECTOR

– WHITING CLINIC

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

– JOFFE MEDICENTER

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

– LASIKPLUS

FOUNDER-MEDICAL DIRECTOR

– CONSULTATIVE EYE CARE

WHY OVO?

A NATIVE CALIFORNIAN, DR. WHITING ATTENDED STANFORD UNIVERSITY WHICH PROVIDED HIS FIRST GLIMPSE INTO EYE HEALTH. THERE HE WORKED FOR 4 YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY RESEARCH ON THERAPEUTIC TREATMENTS FOR CHEMICAL BURNS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYNTHETIC CORNEAS FOR TRANSPLANTATION. DISCOVERING A KEEN INTEREST IN THE SCIENCE, HE STAYED ON FOR A MASTER’S DEGREE THROUGH THE STANFORD DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY OPHTHALMOLOGY.

HIS ACADEMIC CAREER CONTINUED AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN ST. LOUIS FOLLOWED BY AN INTERNSHIP AT HENNEPIN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER IN MINNEAPOLIS. AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, SOUTHWESTERN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (,) WORKING UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF DR. JAMES P. MCCULLEY, AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED EXPERT IN CORNEAL DISEASE AND CORNEAL SURGERY, DR. WHITING COMPLETED HIS SURGICAL RESIDENCY TRAINING.

SPENDING THE INITIAL YEARS OF HIS CAREER GROWING A BUSY CATARACT AND CORNEAL SURGICAL PRACTICE, LASIK EYE SURGERY EVENTUALLY WAS FDA APPROVED, OPENING THE NEXT SUCCESSFUL CHAPTER OF DR. WHITING’S ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER. HE WAS IN THE FIRST WAVE OF SURGEONS IN MINNESOTA TO PERFORM LASIK SURGERY TO ELIMINATE THE DEPENDANCE ON GLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES. AFTER SUCCESSFULLY TREATING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF REFRACTIVE PATIENTS FOR A CORPORATE LASIK COMPANY, DR. WHITING DECIDED IN 2010 TO START HIS OWN REFRACTIVE SURGERY CENTER, WHITING CLINIC, TO PROVIDE PATIENTS WITH A MORE PERSONAL, EXCEPTIONAL SURGICAL EXPERIENCE. UNFORTUNATELY, AFTER YEARS OF GROWING SUCCESS, THE PRACTICE UNDERWENT AN UNFORESEEN CORPORATE ACQUISITION RESULTING IN THE ABRUPT DISMANTLING OF THE WHITING CLINIC TEAM (OR WHAT THEY WOULD CALL “WORK FAMILY”) THAT HELPED MAKE THE CLINIC SO SPECIAL.

OVER THE COURSE OF 30 YEARS OF FREEING THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA FROM THE DEPENDENCY ON GLASSES, DR. WHITING HAS PERFORMED WELL NORTH OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND IMPLANT, REFRACTIVE AND LASIK PROCEDURES. AS ONE OF THE PRE-EMINENT LASIK SURGEONS IN THE COUNTRY, DR. WHITING HAS ASPIRED TO WORK WITH DR. LOBANOFF FOR SOME TIME AS THEY BOTH SHARE AN UNRIVALED PASSION AND DEDICATION TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL PATIENT CARE RESULTING IN REMARKABLE VISUAL OUTCOMES. EVEN WITH THE VAST SURGICAL EXPERIENCE THUS FAR IN HIS CAREER, THE EXHILARATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE CONTINUED ADVANCEMENT IN QUALITY OF OUTCOMES HAS ONLY MADE DR. WHITING MORE EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE OVO TEAM TO DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL PATIENT CARE AND OUTSTANDING VISION CORRECTION OUTCOMES TO ONCE AGAIN.

Meet

ovo eye doctors

TROY LOOMIS, Od

OPTOMETRIC DIRECTOR

0Years

LASIK PRE/POST OPERATIVE CARE / CATARACT PRE + POST OPERATIVE CARE / EYE CARE

experience

OPTIMETRIC DIRECTOR

– WHITING CLINIC

OPTOMETRIST

– VA MEDICAL CENTER

OPTOMETRIST

– FOUR SEASONS EYE CARE

WHY OVO?

“ONE OF US”, DR. LOOMIS HAILS FROM MAPLE GROVE. HAVING NEARSIGHTED EYES AS A CHILD WITH YEARLY VISITS TO THE EYE DOCTOR, HE DEVELOPED A UNIQUE AFFINITY FOR THE VISUAL SCIENCES. HE EVEN DID AN EXTENSIVE REPORT ON OPTICAL ILLUSIONS THAT WON AN AWARD AT THE 6TH GRADE STATE SCIENCE FAIR. THROUGHOUT HIS SCHOOLING, HIS CURIOSITY IN VISION PERSISTED. AFTER RECEIVING HIS UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-DULUTH, DR. LOOMIS PURSUED OPTOMETRY AT THE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. WITH SMALL CHILDREN, HE RETURNED TO THE CITIES TO RAISE HIS FAMILY AND START HIS CAREER IN A PRIVATE OPTOMETRIC PRACTICE SPECIALIZING IN PRIMARY CARE, PEDIATRIC BINOCULAR VISION, AS WELL AS REFRACTIVE SURGICAL CARE. AFTER 13 YEARS OF PRIVATE PRACTICE, HE LEFT TO SEEK OTHER OPPORTUNITIES SPECIALIZING IN REFRACTIVE SURGICAL CARE, WHICH LED HIM TO DR. DAVID WHITING, SHANA ESS, AND THE START OF WHITING CLINIC. OVER THE NEXT DECADE, AS THE WHITING CLINIC FAMILY GREW, DR. LOOMIS BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF OPTOMETRY OVERSEEING THE DAILY SURGICAL MANAGEMENT. AFTER THE UNFORTUNATE CORPORATE ACQUISITION OF WHITING CLINIC, HE LEAPT AT THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH DR. LOBANOFF AT NORTH SUBURBAN EYE SPECIALISTS. NOW HE IS PROUD TO WORK ALONGSIDE DR. LOBANOFF AND SHANA ESS AS PART OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AT THE WORLD CLASS OVO LASIK + LENS.

MICHAEL JOHNSON, Od

OPTOMETRIST

0Years

LASIK PRE/POST OPERATIVE CARE / CATARACT PRE + POST OPERATIVE CARE / EYE CARE

experience

OPTOMETRIST

– WHITING CLINIC

OPTOMETRIST

– FOUR SEASONS EYE CARE

WHY OVO?

GROWING UP IN A SMALL TOWN IN WESTERN MINNESOTA, DR. JOHNSON HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERSONALLY KNOW BOTH OF THE LOCAL OPTOMETRISTS. THROUGH THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, DR. JOHNSON HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW DR. STEVE BEALS AT HIS OPTOMETRY PRACTICE. WITH THAT EXPERIENCE, DR. JOHNSON STARTED TO FEEL THIS MAY BE THE PATH FOR HIM.

AFTER GRADUATING WITH A DEGREE IN BIOLOGY FROM HAMLINE UNIVERSITY, DR. JOHNSON GRADUATED CUM LAUDE FROM THE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY IN CHICAGO.

WHILE EARNING A DEGREE AT THE ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, DR. JOHNSON MET HIS WIFE, EUNICE, WHO GRADUATED IN THE SAME CLASS. AFTER GRADUATION, DR. JOHNSON PRACTICED IN A VARIETY OF CLINICS IN MINNESOTA, PROVIDING HIM DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING COOPERATE, PRIVATE, AS WELL AS WORKING IN THE PRISON SYSTEM.

IN 2017, DR. JOHNSON WAS OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ALONGSIDE DR. WHITING AND FOUND HE ENJOYED THE REWARDS AND CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN REFRACTIVE SURGERY. AFTER THE UNFORTUNATE CORPORATE ACQUISITION OF WHITING CLINIC, DR. JOHNSON LEFT THE PRACTICE TO WORK ELSEWHERE ONLY TO FIND HIMSELF RETURNING TO THE WORLD OF LASIK AND CATARACTS WITH THE EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ALONGSIDE DR. LOBANOFF AND THE FABULOUS CREW AT OVO LASIK + LENS.

DR. JOHNSON LIVES WITH HIS WIFE, EUNICE, AND THEIR THREE BOYS (YES IT IS CONSTANT CHAOS WITH 3 BOYS) IN PLYMOUTH. HE ENJOYS FISHING, PICKLEBALL, TRAVELING AND HE SUFFERS — LIKE MANY MINNESOTANS — AS A VIKINGS FAN.

ovo patient reviews

DIFFERENTIATE – COST / AFFORDABLE / FINANCE / ACCEPTS – HSA + FSA / OVO has the best LASIK price, guarantee and experience in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

MELLISA P. / Google Reviews

“I was referred to Dr. Lobanoff by another LASIK specialist who said he would be the best to handle my high correction. I’m so glad I was connected to him - Dr. Lobanoff was very informative, friendly, and made the whole process comfortable.“

JENNIFER P. / Google Reviews

“Extremely happy with my LASIK! Dr. Lobanoff made me feel very comfortable and made sure I understood what to expect. Very professional, very friendly.”

NICK B. / Google Reviews

“Dr. Lobanoff was very professional and explained everything that was going to happen during my procedure very accurately. I will be recommending him to all of my friends.”

NICK B. / Google Reviews

“Dr. Lobanoff was very professional and explained everything that was going to happen during my procedure very accurately. I will be recommending him to all of my friends.”

MELLISA P. / Google Reviews

“I was referred to Dr. Lobanoff by another LASIK specialist who said he would be the best to handle my high correction. I’m so glad I was connected to him - Dr. Lobanoff was very informative, friendly, and made the whole process comfortable.“

JENNIFER P. / Google Reviews

“Extremely happy with my LASIK! Dr. Lobanoff made me feel very comfortable and made sure I understood what to expect. Very professional, very friendly.”

NICK B. / Google Reviews

“Dr. Lobanoff was very professional and explained everything that was going to happen during my procedure very accurately. I will be recommending him to all of my friends.”

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