Our Practice in Johnston

Born and raised in Urbandale, IA, Dr. Wilkens graduated with honors from the Southern California College of Optometry (now Marshall B. Ketchum University) in Fullerton, CA. Before optometry school, she attended Northwestern College in Orange City, IA, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology-health professions. She practiced in West Des Moines for many years until purchasing Lifetime Vision in March 2014.

Dr. Wilkens practices comprehensive eye care, including primary care and the treatment and management of ocular diseases, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration. Her schedule is always open to emergency situations, including such things as corneal abrasions and red eyes or patients with concerns about flashes of light or floaters. She also loves fitting contact lenses for her patients, including standard soft and RGP lenses and more specialty fits for hybrid or scleral contact lenses.

Dr. Wilkens and her husband, Rob, stay active as they juggle the schedules of their 4 active children. With church activities, sports, extra-curricular involvement, and appointments, it’s another full-time job just getting everybody where they need to be and at the right time, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Admittedly, they get a lot of help from their extended family. In the spare time that is found, Dr. Wilkens and her husband love to travel either as a getaway on their own or with their kids.

Linda was born and raised in Colorado but has made Iowa home for well over a decade. After graduating from Colorado Christian University, she worked in a director role for an Alzheimer’s Care home, and the patience, care, and kindness she employed there are certainly evident as she cares for patients now at Lifetime Vision.

She started working in the eyecare industry 18 years ago upon moving to Iowa and, at one time, served a 4-year term as the IOAA president. In the clinic, she has served mostly as a technician but wears many hats here at Lifetime. Whether it is working with a patient before seeing Dr. Wilkens or helping patients purchase eyewear, she enjoys the personal attention she can offer.

Linda has a wide variety of interests, including church activities, painting, reading, AquaFit, and attending opera and Broadway shows. But when it comes down to it, she loves just being with her husband, Mark, their 2 adult children, and their 4 grandchildren.

Jessica has lived in the Des Moines area since moving from SE Iowa in 2000 and has been an asset to Lifetime Vision since she started in the summer of 2018. She brings an organizational and priority-focused mindset to the practice that puts us all to shame. These skills and the blending of her associated nursing and business administration degrees have served her well as she deals with the intricacies of billing and office management.

If you ask Jessica what she enjoys about her job at Lifetime, she would say that there is something new to be learned every day, which keeps things interesting and challenging.

Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband, Russ, and their daughter, Lily. She also enjoys camping, snowboarding (especially in Colorado), traveling to new places, baking (and we can testify she does a great job in that area!), crocheting and gardening.