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Dr. Carlson is a 1989 graduate of Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, OR. She then completed a residency in Hospital-based Rehabilitative Optometry at the American Lake and Seattle VA. In 1990 she opened Heartland Eye Care. Dr. Carlson is active in the North Dakota Optometric Association (having served as the first female President in 1998), the American Optometric Association and the American Public Health Association. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

In 2004 Dr. Carlson was elected to the American Optometric Association Board of Trustees. In June of 2010 she was elected to the position of President-Elect and became the Association’s first female President in June 2011.

In 1995 Dr. Carlson was honored as the North Dakota Young Optometrist of the Year and Optometrist of the Year in 2003.

She and her husband/partner, Dr. Mark Helgeson, were recognized as the 2001 Walsh County Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Dr. Carlson is a native of Hallock, MN. She and Dr. Helgeson have two sons, Seth and Ian.