Getting to know: Mandy Longoria

Mandy Longoria

Optometrist, Lentz Eye Care

Longoria says she always has enjoyed helping people, something she gets to do every day as a newly certified optometrist.

“I get to know 15 or 20 people a day,” she said. “Helping them see better affects their daily life, which is kind of cool.”

Born and raised in Wichita, Longoria attended Maize High School, majored in biology at Wichita State University and then graduated in May from the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry.

Longoria said she wasn’t sure as an undergrad what kind of medicine she wanted to practice, but shadowing an uncle who’s an optometrist and making church mission trips to poor areas of Mexico and Guatemala convinced her that practicing optometry would fill a vital need.

While at UMSL she went on a mission to El Salvador, performing eye exams and distributing glasses.

Longoria says many people don’t realize that prescribing eyeglasses and contacts is just one part of optometry.

“We’re able to manage a lot of eye diseases before (patients) have to go to surgery,” she said. “We can help manage diabetes. That’s a big one we deal with every day.”

Longoria and her husband, Nick, enjoy hiking and are active in Central Community Church.

“And we’re currently house hunting, so that takes up a lot of free time.”

Joe Stumpe

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Getting to know: Mandy Longoria."