Heartland Eye Consultants

Dr. Holly Ternus is originally from Torrington, Wyoming, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Biological Sciences. She graduated with Honors from The New England College of Optometry, and completed internships with honors at South Boston Community Health Center with an emphasis in glaucoma and narrow angle glaucoma, Togus Veterans Affairs Medical Center with emphasis in ocular disease, Lifetime Eyecare in Houston fitting specialty contact lenses, and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

Dr. Ternus practiced with ophthalmology in the Dallas/Fort Worth area specializing in ocular disease, dry eye disease, and emergency care before transitioning into primary care fitting specialty contacts for keratoconus, post-RK, corneal ectasia, and irregular corneas. She is an active member of the Nebraska Optometric Association, American Optometry Association, and American Academy of Optometry. She received her fellowship with the American Academy of Optometry in 2018, and is a graduate from the Nebraska Optometric Association’s Leadership Institute. She also received her Fellowship in the Scleral Lens Education Society and is the first in Nebraska to have completed this honor.

She enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, snowboarding, skiing, water sports, watching Husker football, and everything that involves being outdoors.

Dr. Will Ferguson is originally from Hastings, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Biological Sciences in 2005. He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2009. From there he went on to earn a fellowship in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development in 2012. He states, “There is a growing population of children suffering from learning-related visual disorders. It becomes difficult for these children 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 is rewarding to me because it offers people the ability to overcome their visual inadequacies and open the door to a future full of possibility.”

Dr. Will is an active member in the Nebraska Optometric Association (NOA). After graduating from the NOA’s Leadership Institute in 2014, he has served on the Board of Directors of both the NOA and the Nebraska Foundation for Children’s Vision, and is the proud recipient of the NOA’s Young OD of the Year award in 2019.

In his free time Dr. Will enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, outdoor activities, attending sporting events, and reading books.

Dr. Kent grew up in Waterford, Wisconsin. She attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, to earn her undergraduate degree in biology. After having her own personal experience with ocular disease, Dr. Kent developed a strong interest in the ocular disease specialty.

She graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry and completed internships emphasizing in anterior and posterior segment disease at Vance Thompson Vision and OMNI Eye Services in New Jersey. Dr. Kent also trained in therapeutic specialty contact lens fitting for dry eye and irregular corneas during her time at William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA in South Carolina and the Illinois Eye Institute.

Dr. Kent completed her residency in ocular disease and ocular and refractive surgery at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, SD. During her residency, she advanced her training in anterior segment disease, cornea transplant perioperative care, glaucoma, and dry eye management. She went on to practice with ophthalmology in the Minneapolis area, specializing in refractive and cataract surgery, along with dry eye therapeutics. Dr. Kent is an active member of the American Optometric Association and Nebraska Optometry Association.

Outside of work, she enjoys playing baseball and volleyball, golfing, painting, and fishing. You can always find Dr. Kent watching sports and she loves hearing new jokes.

Dr. Nathan Jackson was born in California, and due to his parents’ military affiliation, was raised in Maryland, Connecticut, and Idaho. In 2017 he received a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Brigham Young University Idaho. He then attended the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee where he graduated in 2021.

Throughout his education Dr. Jackson has been trained in many aspects of eyecare but has consistently been drawn to developmental vision care, sports vision, mTBI, and vision therapy. He is passionate about helping those with learning-related vision disorders, binocular vision issues, and traumatic brain injury learn and develop skills necessary to master control of their visual system. As an avid sports fan he is also enthusiastic about helping athletes maximize their physical performance through sports vision training.

Dr. Jackson is an active member of the American Optometric Association, Nebraska Optometric Association, International Sports Vision Association and College of Optometrists in Visual Development.

In his free time Dr. Jackson loves spending time with his wife and son (soon to be two sons). He also enjoys anything outdoors, especially if it’s on the water, discovering new music, and all sports.

Dr. Robert Vandervort, a founding partner of Heartland Eye Consultants, has been managing ocular disease on a consultative basis his entire career. He is a graduate of Indiana University School of Optometry and completed his residency in hospital-based optometry and ocular disease at the Lexington, Kentucky, VA Medical Center. Following his residency, he served as a full-time faculty member and assistant professor at Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, California, for five years.

Dr. Vandervort moved to Omaha with his wife, Dr. Vicky Vandervort, in 1985 and established the region’s first optometric consultation co-management center. Together, they founded Heartland Eye Consultants in 2006.

After more than 40 years of practice, Dr. Vandervort has limited office hours and is currently on an extended Family Leave of Absence due to COVID19. Dr. Vandervort specializes in the diagnosis and management of ocular and neuro-ophthalmic diseases including glaucoma, dry eye syndrome (and other corneal and ocular surface diseases), optic nerve diseases, diplopia (double vision), uveitis and macular degeneration. Also, as the father of a severely disabled son, Dr. Vandervort is highly sensitive to the unique issues facing special needs patients and enjoys the challenges and rewards of serving this unique population.

Passionate about education, he has served as an adjunct faculty member of several schools and colleges of optometry and has lectured to his colleagues at state, regional, and national optometric meetings across the country on ocular disease topics. Dr. Vandervort also has an adjunct faculty appointment at Creighton University School of Medicine and is on the professional staff of CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy Hospital. He is an active member of Pacific Hills Lutheran Church and enjoys teaching Bible studies.

Dr. Vicky Johns Vandervort, a founding partner of Heartland Eye Consultants, is a graduate of Southern California College of Optometry, a Fellow in both the American Academy of Optometry and the College of Optometrist in Vision Development, with Board Certification in Vision Development and Rehabilitation.

With a Bachelor of Science from the University of Iowa in Elementary Education, a minor in Early Childhood Development, and four years of teaching in Lincoln Public Schools, Dr. Vandervort’s interest in children was the motivating factor that launched her career-long passion of diagnosing and treating children who have suffered with undiagnosed learning related vision disorders, pediatric binocular vision problems, and eye strain due to poor focusing skills. After 35 years of practice, Dr. Vandervort has limited office hours and is currently on an extended Family Leave of Absence due to COVID19.

An avid student of the Bible, Dr. Vicky has completed seven years of Bible Study Fellowship and is an active member of Pacific Hills Lutheran Church. She enjoys reading fiction, playing the piano, and her newest passion, bicycling, often logging 40-60 miles per week in her free time.