Doctors & Staff

Founders and Owners Drs. Robert & Vicky Vandervort
Associates
Our Staff

Founders and Owners Drs. Robert & Vicky Vandervort

Doctors of Heartland Eye, specializing in eye and vision care

Dr. Robert Vandervort is the Director of Ocular Disease and Low Vision services for Heartland Eye Consultants. He specializes in the diagnosis and management of ocular disease and low vision. Dr. Vandervort is a graduate of Indiana University School of Optometry. He completed his residency in hospital-based optometry and ocular disease at the Lexington, Kentucky VA Medical Center. Following his residency he was a full-time faculty member at Southern California College of Optometry from 1980 - 1985 where he was an assistant professor in the ocular disease and low vision services as well as Chief of Primary Care Optometry.

Dr. Vandervort moved to Omaha with his wife, Dr. Vicky Vandervort, in 1985 and established the region's first and only optometric consultation co-management center. He continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member of several schools and colleges of optometry teaching optometric interns at Heartland Eye Consultants. Dr. Vandervort also has an adjunct faculty appointment at Creighton University Medical Center. He provides continuing education lectures across the country to his colleagues on a variety of ocular disease and practice management topics. Dr. Vandervort is active member of Zion Lutheran Church in Omaha. He enjoys teaching Bible studies and family activities.

Dr. Vicky Vandervort is a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, an Associate member of the College of Optometrist in Vision Development and is a graduate of Southern California College of Optometry. Dr. Vandervort limits her practice to treatment of eye strain problems due to poor focusing skills, learning related vision disorders, pediatric vision problems, amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (eye turns).

Originally from Iowa, Dr. Vandervort earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Iowa majoring in elementary education with a minor in early childhood development. She taught in the Lincoln, Nebraska school system for four years. After earning her Doctor of Optometry degree, Dr. Vicky combined her two degrees and has dedicated her career to helping people of all ages maximize their potential in the classroom, workplace and their leisure activities.

Dr. Vicky has directed English handbells in her church for over twenty years. She has been a board member for the Nebraska State Handbell Committee for over 15 years and served as chair for 4 of those years. She sings in the vocal choir and volunteers in many other aspects of Zion Lutheran Church, including organizing the lay readers for each of the three services for the past several years. An avid student of the Bible, Dr. Vicky has completed all seven years of Bible Study Fellowship and participates in two small group Bible studies each week.

Associates

Kyle M. Cheatham, OD, FAAO

Dr. Kyle Cheatham is a graduate of Indiana University School of Optometry. In 2005 he completed one of the top residencies in the country at the VA Medical Center in Kansas City, where he received specialized training for ocular disease disorders and low vision rehabilitation. He cared for patients with a variety of severe eye problems, including many Veterans who were legally blind from glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetes.

Dr. Cheatham’s passion is education. He has co-authored a textbook used in the majority of optometry schools in the country. He also enjoys lecturing about Low Vision and eye disease. Dr. Cheatham is the student coordinator for Fellowship of Christian Optometrists and has lead groups to the Dominican Republic and Honduras to provide vision care to the underserved.

Dr. Cheatham moved to Omaha with his wife Melissa, who was raised in the small town of Hebron. They have an infant son, Cole. They both enjoy spending time with close friends and family, playing tennis and being involved in their Bible study at church.

Will J. Ferguson, OD

Dr. Will Ferguson, the newest doctor to join our team, received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. He states “There is a growing population of children suffering from learning-related visual disorders. It becomes difficult for these individuals to obtain information through their visual system and it puts them at a significant disadvantage when compared to their peers. Children in these situations lose one of the most powerful tools needed to be successful in life….opportunity. Developmental vision care interests me because it offers people the ability to overcome their visual inadequacies and open the door to a future full of possibility.”

In his free time Dr. Will enjoys outdoor activities, attending sporting events, working on his family’s farm near Hastings, spending time at the Harlan County Dam, and reading books.

Karen B. Wilson, OD

Dr. Karen Wilson joined Heartland Eye Consultants in June of 2008. As a low vision specialist, Dr. Wilson works with patients with visual impairment due to disease, congenital defects, or injury. She utilizes Heartland’s current and up-to-date inventory of low vision aids to help each patient meet their goals. Even those that are legally blind can often achieve vision allowing reading newsprint with the proper device or spectacle correction. Dr. Wilson is a graduate of Southern California College of Optometry. She is a native of Omaha, attending Central High School.

After living in Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, she is very happy to be back in Nebraska with her family. Dr. Wilson enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys. They all enjoy camping, fishing and outdoor activities.

Our Staff

Angie, Vision Therapy Administrator, studied Elementary Education at Westmar College in LeMars, IA. Angie enjoys building relationships with families and supporting them in their life changing journey through Vision Therapy. She has extensive training and experience working with children and families. That is why she is a perfect fit for her job.

Angie has been married to her husband Jeff for almost 20 years and is looking forward to 20 more. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and their family of 12 (mostly adopted children), leading and being involved in Bible Studies, and training adoptive/foster parents.

Renee, Ophthalmic Technician, earned an Associates of Applied Sciences Degree for Medical Assisting from Hamilton College in Lincoln. She is an Ophthalmic Technician and has been a part of the Heartland Eye Consultants team since October of 2007.

Renee says, “My job is very rewarding to me. I like knowing that the doctors at Heartland Eye Consultants are helping our patients make the most of the vision they have to improve their lives.”

In her spare time Renee loves to spend time with her children, family and friends. She enjoys reading and outdoor activities. She and her two children also love to go to the movies and have picnics.

Jackie, Accounts Receivable Manager, has been working with insurance claims for 6 years. She is full time and has been with Heartland Eye Consultants since March 2008. Jackie enjoys helping patients with any questions or concerns they might have regarding the processing of their claims.

In Jackie’s spare time she loves to go for walks outside and enjoys visiting with her family.

Karen, Accountant, earned a Bachelor in Science in Accounting at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D. Karen is a member of the Nebraska Society of CPA’s and has practiced in accounting since 1980. She enjoys golf, Nebraska and Denver Bronco football games and traveling.

Hi! My name is Bonny. I have worked with Dr. Vicky and Dr. Bob, off and on over the past 25 years, in many different capacities. I have been in medical management for more than 40 years and have enjoyed the challenges of all aspects of providing exceptional patient financial and insurance related care. My current position involves credentialing the providers in our group for participation with various insurance companies as well as working with those insurance companies in electronic payment of claims.

I am the proud parent and grandparent of three grown children and six grandchildren, all of whom are my shining stars. Each of my grandchildren has an individual, unique personality with interests ranging from basketball and soccer to art and drama. If there is such a thing as “spare time” in my life, they manage to fill it with the rapid movement from one sporting event, recital or activity, to another without missing a best.

Working with the dedicated doctors and staff at Heartland Eye Consultants is a rewarding experience for me. Each doctor has a special rapport with his or her patients and provides patients with the highest level of care in vision therapy, low vision care and management, and overall vision health. The technical staff is well equipped to provide ancillary care in the testing and diagnosis of conditions of the eye and is always caring and respectful of the needs of our patients. The office staff strives to provide excellence in patient comfort and convenience, from the initial office appointment to the sometimes lengthy process of insurance submission and payment arrangements.

It is the goal of all of us at Heartland Eye Consultants to provide our patients with the most rewarding experience in vision care they will ever encounter.

Kari, Chief Vision Therapist, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Early Childhood from University of Nebraska-Kearney. Kari enjoys pairing her love of teaching with this unique aspect of health care. Kari says, “I love to see my patients develop new skills which help them improve their quality of life.” Kari works full time with therapy patients and has been a part of the Developmental Eye Associates team since November 2006.

In Kari’s spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys reading and any outdoor activities

Annie, Vision Therapist will graduate with her Bachelors of Science degree in Behavioral Science from Bellevue University in May, 2010. Annie says, "I enjoy working with children and have worked with children of all different ages and needs over the last ten years. I was a special needs infant teacher, and also worked at Boys Town in the treatment group home. What I love most about working with children is seeing the potential that each child has and then helping them acquire the tools they need to be successful. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and doing photography. I am also involved in my church, leading Bible Study and serving on the media team."

Susan, Perceptual Assessment Associate recently joined our office to assist Dr. Vicky Vandervort in the evaluation of children’s visual perceptual abilities. Susan earned a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from Kansas State University. She has also taken graduate classes in Special Education and Reading & Literacy. Susan has a great deal experience working with children of many ages and enjoys being able to help them fulfill their full potential. She feels that each child she tests is so much fun to get to know.

Susan loves to spend time with her family. Her husband, Jason, and their three children keep her busy with many community and church activities. She also enjoys being outdoors and golfing whenever she gets a chance.

©2010 Heartland Eye Consultants | 9900 Nicholas St., Suite 250 | Omaha, NE 68114
(402) 493-6500 | 888-837-EYES (3937)