Eye Doctors in Wendell, NC

Janelle is originally from Pennsylvania but grew up in Hickory, North Carolina. She attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she received her Exercise and Sports Science Degree and went on to get her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She spent many years working at the Wakemed Rehab Hospital as a physical therapist working primarily with patients who had suffered brain injuries, strokes and other neurological ailments.

In 2016, Dr. Lutz and Janelle purchased Wendell Eye Care and she took on the role of office manager mainly handling the financial aspects of the office while also continuing her role as PT at Wakemed. She continued to work as both a PT and office manager until 2021, when she was needed in the office on more of a full time basis. She continues to handle the financial aspects of the office while also maintaining general office needs, human resources, social media and website management. Because of her physical therapy background, Janelle has a passion for patient care. She enjoys greeting and checking in patients, assisting patients with glasses selection and patient work ups.

Janelle lives in Wendell with Dr. Lutz and their two children, Rhett and Kate. When not at work, she can often be found on a soccer field or golf course watching her kids do what they love best! In her free time, she enjoys exercising, traveling and spending time outdoors.

Nichole is a native of Zebulon, NC and began her career in optometry over 11 years ago. She received her medical administrative and health records certifications following graduation and began her career in eye care shortly thereafter. Prior to becoming an optometric technician, Nichole worked as a patient care coordinator performing patient scheduling, check in/out, and front desk duties. Following two years as a patient care coordinator, she transitioned to the role of optometric technician. As optometric technician, Nichole conducts all preliminary vision tests prior to your eye examination and assists the doctors with special testing and other patient care needs as they arise. Nichole’s excellent work ethic and attention to detail make her the perfect fit for this role in our office. She strives to ensure that each patient feels comfortable during their appointment and that their visit is as smooth and efficient as possible.

Nichole lives in Middlesex with her two sons and sweet pup Nayla. She enjoys spending time outside, watching her sons play sports and spending time with family and friends.

Emily was born and raised in New Hampshire. She began her career as a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) prior to beginning her career in optometry. Emily has been in the field of optometry for 10 years, working primarily in an optometric technician role.

As an optometric technician, she conducts preliminary testing prior to your eye exam. She also assists with special testing, contact lenses and other patient care needs as they arise. Her favorite part of being a technician is seeing how excited patients get about their eye health and vision. She enjoys the excitement of fitting someone in a pair of contact lenses for the very first time! Her technical skills and attention to detail make her an excellent fit for our team!

Emily lives in Benson with her husband and her beloved fur babies. When not at work, Emily enjoys traveling to new places. She enjoys spending time with friends and family and trying out local breweries and restaurants.

Danielle was born and raised in Westchester, New York. She began her career in retail where she moved up the ranks to supervisory and management positions. Embracing her love of animals she moved from retail to veterinary medicine. Danielle started as a customer service representative then shortly became the pharmacy/lab technician. In this role, she performed in house lab testing, maintained lab equipment, and prepared medications and samples. She also assisted the doctors in exam rooms as needed. Danielle started her career in the optical industry in 2019 as patient care coordinator and was cross trained as a backup technician for a well known optical office in Rye, New York. In 2020, she became a technician assisting both doctors, performing all pretesting and pre-screenings. In the fall of 2021, Danielle moved to North Carolina where she continued her technician career. She joined Wendell Eye Care in the summer of 2022 as a patient care coordinator and currently performs patient care coordinator and technician duties throughout each week. Danielle earned her CPO certification in the summer of 2025. Danielle’s prior customer service experience, adaptability and bilingualism make her an asset and a great fit for the Wendell Eye Care team.

When not in the office, Danielle enjoys using her baking & pastry degree to experiment with flavors of cakes, cookies, and other confections. Her coworkers enjoy this as well! ☺️ Danielle loves all things spooky and she enjoys crafting of all kinds, especially making jewelry and sculpting. When there’s time, Danielle likes to relax watching scary movies with her husband Alex and playing with their dog Rhea.

Holly was born in Halifax County and grew up in Tabor City, NC. She began her career as a Pharmacy Technician in Loris, SC in 2003 prior to beginning her career in optometry. Holly has been in the field of optometry for almost 6 years. She plans to get her certification in the near future.

As an optometric technician, Holly performs all preliminary vision tests prior to your eye examination and assists the doctors with special testing and other patient care needs as they arise. Holly’s warm, friendly personality make her a perfect fit for our Wendell Eye Care team.

Holly lives in Clayton with her husband, 3 children, and 2 fur babies. When not at work, Holly enjoys spending time with her family and traveling to the beach and mountains. She is an active member of Bethesda Baptist Church in Clayton. She loves all things Jeep related and her favorite holiday is Christmas. You may even catch her Christmas shopping in July!

Crystal was born in Raleigh, NC, and grew up in Garner, NC. She began her career in eye care in 2010 as an Ophthalmic Technician and later transitioned to an Optometric Technician in 2022. Crystal is passionate about patient care and strives to make every patient feel comfortable and at ease during their visit. As an optometric technician, Crystal helps with patient work ups and special testing. She works with the doctors to ensure that your visit in our office is thorough and efficient. Crystal’s calm demeanor and friendly personality make her a perfect fit for our WEC team.

Crystal has been married to her husband, Gabe, since 2011. Together they have three adult children and a Boston Terrier named Theo. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing with Theo, and has recently picked up a new hobby—diamond painting.

Kelly was born and raised in Amherst, Virginia where she began her career in eye care in 2006. Her first experience in the industry was as a technician. During this time, she became certified as a Certified Paraoptometric (CPO) and Certified Paraoptometric Assistant (CPOA). After a few years as a technician, she transitioned to more of an optical role. It was in the optical, that she truly found her love for eyecare. She has a passion for helping patients pick out the perfect pair of glasses and she takes the time to get to know each patient so that she can ensure they are in the best lenses to suit their everyday needs. Kelly’s optical knowledge and attention to detail make her the perfect fit for our optical team!

Kelly lives in Clayton with her husband Dustin and 2 sons, Alex and Karter, and her 3 ragdoll cats. Kelly is an avid lover of Disney and all things Crime Junkies. She loves to read and watch Mystery and Psychological Thrillers – if you have any suggestions let her know! Kelly hates to be hot so during summer months you will most definitely find her near air conditioning and she is likely to blame if our office is colder than normal! 🙂

Susan was born and raised in Roanoke Rapids, NC. She started her optical career working in an optical shop for an ophthalmologist. Her love for all things optical inspired her to go to Opticianary school to be licensed in NC. She attended J Sargeant Reynolds Community College and graduated Com Laude in 1990. She was licensed in VA and NC.

After 16 years, her family relocated to Tallahasse, Fl where she got licensed and worked for a privately owned practice with many locations. She worked as a manager and optician in this practice until her family decided to move back to NC. She worked for several years at a corporate “Big Box” optical shop but ultimately decided that she missed private practice which led her to Wendell Eye Care. She enjoys working with patients of all ages to find just the right frame for their personality and encouraging patients to step outside of the box. Susan’s upbeat personality and talkative nature make her a wonderful fit for our optical team.

Susan and her husband Pat have been married for 35 years and live in Bailey, NC. They have 2 daughters and 2 grandsons. In her spare time she likes to read, travel and work in the yard. She is a member of the NC Opticians Association and maintains her optical license in NC.

Coming soon…

Tiffany joined our office as an optical technician and comes to us with over 13 years of experience in the optometry field. She has had the opportunity to grow in multiple roles – from front desk to management to training. She loves her job and especially loves getting to know our patients and helping them find the perfect pair of glasses that make them see and feel their best. Tiffany is a strong leader with excellent communication skills and attention to detail and this makes her a wonderful fit for our Wendell Eye Care team!

She is originally from Massachusetts but has called North Carolina home for the past 10 years. Outside of the work, she loves spending time with her husband and daughter. She also enjoys all things spooky, reading, football (GO CHIEFS!!), and making memories with friends and family.

April began her career in the optical industry in 2000 as an optical consultant. Since then, her career has flourished as she has taken on various roles in the optometry industry including optician, insurance specialist, and practice manager.

In April of 2015, she joined our Wendell Eye Care team as our insurance specialist. Since that time, April has taken on many roles in office including insurance, front desk duties and optical. Although April has the ability to do many things throughout the office, her true passion is insurance. She has a passion for making sure that your insurance information is correct and up to date and that our accounts receivables are current. Her attention to detail makes her the perfect fit for this role within our team!

April currently lives in Spring Hope with her husband, son and 2 fur babies. In her free time, April enjoys spending time with her nephews, friends and family.

Sara was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She worked in merchandising and retail management and took pride in great service and attention to details. Sara graduated from Bryman College for medical assisting in 2003. The following year, Sara moved to North Carolina to be closer to family and begin her career in the medical field as an office administrator in Primary Care and Gastroenterology.

New to Optometry, Sara joined our Wendell Eye care team in 2018 and continues to utilize her exceptional customer service skills as a patient care coordinator in our office. Sara will be one of the first faces you see as you enter our office. Her main roles include assisting patients with check-in and check-out, scheduling appointments, insurance verification and claim filing. Sara’s warm, friendly personality and kind heart make her the perfect fit for this role. She is sure to greet you with a smile and ensure your experience with our office is pleasant from start to finish.

Sara lives in Wendell with her husband and two daughters. She is an active member at Hephzibah Baptist Church. When not at work, Sara enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling and exploring new places.

Chelsea is native to the Eastern Wake area. She has worked as a patient care coordinator in various medical offices for over 10 years. She joined the Wendell Eye Care team in 2019 as a patient care coordinator where she greets patients, assists with appointment check in and check out, insurance verification and paperwork. Chelsea is often the first face you will see when you walk in our office and she works to ensure that you feel comfortable and welcome as soon as you walk in the door. Her bright personality and friendly demeanor make her the perfect fit for our Wendell Eye Care team!

Chelsea lives locally with her husband, sons and fur babies. When not at work she enjoys exercising, fellowship at church, and spending time with her boys.

Nikki was born and raised in South Africa but now calls Franklinton, North Carolina her home. Nikki began her career in dermatology prior to joining the optometric field in 2007. She has over 20 years of front desk experience, including call center and insurance verification. Nikki began at Wendell Eye Care in 2021 as a patient care coordinator, greeting patients as they walked in the door and assisting with check in, check out, and paperwork. As we have grown, you may still find Nikki at the front desk but she also spends some of her time in our call center helping to answer the phones, verify insurance and prepare patient charts for each day. She is courteous and caring and strives for excellence in everything she does. Nikki’s positive attitude and bright smile make her the perfect fit for our Wendell Eye Care team.

Nikki has 2 grown boys, 2 grandbabies and 3 pups. The beach is her happy place! When not at work she enjoys boxing, spending time with her dogs and watching movies.

Coming soon…