Doctors & Staff
Meet the experienced and friendly doctors and staff who make Heartland Eye Care, P.C. the leading provider of vision care products and services.
Mark K. Helgeson, OD, FAAO
Dr. Mark Helgeson studied economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Moorhead State University where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1984. In 1988, he graduated from Pacific University College of Optometry and was accepted into residency at the Seattle and American Lake VA Medical Centers in Washington.
As a native of Jamestown, he returned to North Dakota in 1990 with his wife Dr. Dori Carlson and opened Heartland Eye Care in Park River. He continues to be an active member of the ND Optometric Association, American Optometric Association, is a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry and an American Board of Optometry Diplomate.
A lifetime of curiosity and learning is one tenet of Dr. Helgeson’s. When not involved in continuing his optometric education you can find him cycling, nordic skiing, mountain biking, waterskiing, flying or timber framing and milling. He has received the Haakon Haakonsson Award for racing the American, Canadian and Norwegian Birkebeiners and has ridden the entire Arctic Circle trail in Greenland on fatbike during wintertime.
He is married to Dr. Dori Carlson and has two adult children: Seth and Ian. And a corgi named Rosie!
Dori M. Carlson, OD, FAAO
Dr. Carlson was the first woman to serve as President of the American Optometric Association. During her tenure as President in 2011 she visited every school/college of Optometry and lobbied extensively for children’s eye exams to be an essential benefit in health care reform. Optometric Management named her as one of the “Most Influential in Optometry” as well Primary Care News identified her as a “Pioneer in Optometry”. She was also the 2019 recipient of Women of Optometry’s Theia Award for Leadership.
Dr. Carlson was the first female president of the North Dakota Optometric Association and was honored as the North Dakota Young Optometrist of the Year as well as Optometrist of the Year. Dr. Carlson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and a 1989 graduate of Pacific University College of Optometry. She, along with her husband, Dr. Mark Helgeson, founded Heartland Eye Care, a multi-location practice in North Dakota, 30+ years ago. Despite her busy schedule speaking and advocating for her profession she continues to see patients and strives to advance the care she provides.
In addition to her optometric leadership, Dr. Carlson is a 2020 graduate from the University of Jamestown with a Masters of Arts in Leadership. She is also a John Maxwell certified speaker and trainer. Recently, in 2021, she was trained on the use of Avion Consulting’s Five Coaching Conversations coaching model, a research-based model for maximizing people’s performance and potential.
Jaime Hoenke, OD
Dr. Jaime Hoenke is a native of Minto, ND and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of North Dakota.
In 2012, she graduated with honors from Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. She completed internships at the Air Force Base in Minot, ND; Lebanon VA in Pennsylvania; Eye Care Associates in Fargo, ND; and Spivack Vision Center in Denver, CO.
She was an active member of Amigos Eye Care at PUCO and led two mission trips to Honduras and the Philippines. She is a member of the American Optometric Association and the North Dakota Optometric Association.
Dr. Hoenke and her husband, Dave, live in Grafton with their 3 children, Brayden, Harlow and Brynn.
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Michelle K. Carter, OD
Dr. Carter is a native of Pisek, North Dakota. She earned her undergraduate degree at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
She graduated with honors in 1998 from Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. She completed internships in Columbia Heights, Minnesota; Minot Air Force Base, Minot, North Dakota; and Pacific University Optometric Clinics in Forest Grove and Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Carter is a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and a member of the American Optometric Association, and the North Dakota Optometric Association. She is an Emergency Medical Responder and the Secretary/Treasurer for the Inkster Fire Department and Quick Response Unit.
She and her husband, Andrew, live in Inkster, North Dakota. They have 2 grown children, Alexa and Ashton, and now have 3 busy grandsons; Xaiden, and “The Littles” – twins – Franklin and Clarence.
Office Staff
The Doctors and Staff of Heartland Eye Care are fully committed to you and your family’s total eye health and vision wellness. We strive to educate our staff and challenge our knowledge and skills through literature research, continuing education and dialogue with other professionals. Our goal is to create a comfortable environment for our patients the minute they enter our office.
Park River Staff
(L to R)- Laurie Jensen, CPOA; Kari Larson, CPO; Veronica Byron, CPO and Taylor Nelson.
Grafton Staff
Back (L to R)- Serena Egstad; Sherrie Hart; Melanie Haagenson; Dolores Zejdlik
Front L to R)- Marcia Seeba, CPO; Stacy Boura, CPO