About Emily

Emily S. (Anderson) Birkholz is a native of St. James and alumni of Minnesota State University, Mankato where she played basketball for the Mavericks. She earned her medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor society for being top in her class. She completed a one year internship at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. She completed her ophthalmology residency at the University of Iowa, one of the top programs in the country, where she received the PJ Leinfelder Research Award and Resident Teaching Award. Emily joined Ophthalmology Associates in 2011, is Board Certified in Ophthalmology and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

She specializes in Cataract Surgery including Multifocal and Toric intraocular lenses, Laser Refractive Surgery (All-Laser wave front guided LASIK and PRK), medical retina including laser and intraocular injections for macular degeneration and diabetes, glaucoma management, as well as functional eyelid surgery.

Education

• Bachelor of Science, Biology: Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota; 2002
• Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry: Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota; 2002
• MD: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota; 2007
• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
• Transitional Internship: Gundersen Lutheran Hospital, LaCrosse, Wisconsin; 2008
• Ophthalmology Residency: University of Iowa, Iowa City; 2011
• Resident Teaching Award
• P.J. Leinfelder Research Award

Board Certification

• 2012, American Board of Ophthalmology

Professional Associations

• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology
• Minnesota Medical Association
• Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology
• Blue Earth County Medical Society
• International Society of Refractive Surgery
• American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

Areas of Practice

• Cataract surgery including Multifocal and Toric IOLs
• LASIK refractive surgery including Intralase LASIK, Custom Treatments, PRK
• Glaucoma exams and treatment
• Diabetic and Macular Degeneration evaluations and treatment including Intravitreal injections
• Eyelid surgery
• General eye surgery and examinations