Dr. Lance Kugler

An Omaha native, Dr. Kugler earned his undergraduate degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Computer Science. He then went on to earn his MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He returned to Omaha for residency training in ophthalmology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Following residency training, Dr. Kugler entered private practice. After practicing ophthalmology in the Omaha area for four years, Dr. Kugler saw that Nebraska was in need of a surgeon with advanced training in state-of-the-art LASIK and cataract surgery. Building on his background in computer science, Dr. Kugler and his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he completed a prestigious fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery under the guidance of Ming Wang, MD, PhD, a world renowned ophthalmologist with a PhD in laser physics. Dr. Kugler performed over 1300 refractive surgical procedures during his fellowship, by far the most of any fellow in the country, and became an expert in managing complicated LASIK cases and helping patients who had suffered from LASIK complications elsewhere. Following his year of specialty training, Dr. Kugler returned to join Dr. Schlichtemeier and bring the latest state-of-the-art LASIK and cataract surgery technology to Nebraska. Dr. Kugler also serves as Director of Refractive Surgery for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he is in charge of resident education and research programs to advance the field of refractive surgery. Dr. Kugler has authored several peer reviewed journal articles and textbook chapters, presented at national meetings, and served as the study coordinator for an FDA clinical trial for a new procedure to reduce patients’ need for reading glasses. He is an international consultant for corneal topography scans, which are computer generated maps of the surface of the eye, and also serves as a peer reviewer for several scientific journals. Dr. Kugler is active at the national level through his involvement in the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the YO (Young Ophthalmologist) YO-info subcommittee and is a graduate of the prestigious AAO Leadership Development Program. Dr. Kugler is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.