Meet Our Doctors

Clark Blackwood, O.D.

Dr. Blackwood received his Doctorate in Optometry from Pacific University College of Optometry. Dr. Blackwood also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Pacific University. Following graduation Dr. Blackwood served in the Army being stationed 1 year with the 101 st Airborne at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky and 3 years in Frankfurt, Germany with the 10 th General Dispensary. Throughout his career in Optometry, Dr. Blackwood has served the Colorado Optometric Association in numerous positions including President from 1988-1989. Dr. Blackwood co-authored the Manual of Esotropia Therapy with Colorado Vision Consultants and is currently the Secretary/Treasurer of the Mountain States Congress of Optometry that organizes a regional educational program for optometrists on an annual basis. He has also served on the Advisory Board for Clear Vision Laser centers and is listed in the 1994-1995 Who’s Who for Executives. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Colorado Optometric Association in 2004. Dr. Blackwood’s wife Lois has taught at Central Elementary since 1977. He has two daughters, the oldest having graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1999 and the youngest from Baylor University in 2003. He enjoys travel, snow skiing, water skiing, playing golf (sometimes) and bridge.

Larry Forrest, O.D.

Since graduating in 1972 and spending one year in Ft. Knox Kentucky and three years at the 34th General Hospital in Muenchweiler/Rodalb West Germany as an optometrist in the U.S. Army, Dr. Forrest has been in private practice in Longmont CO. for over 34 years. Dr. Forrest is a member in good standing in the American Optometric Association and the Colorado Optometric Association where he served as a trustee, the legislative chairman, president elect, president, and past president. He was awarded Optometrist of the Year by his peers and has served as a board member of the Southwest Council of Optometry’s annual conference representing Colorado in Dallas Texas.  In this capacity it has been his responsibility to help with the education committee for this annual meeting. Dr. Forrest has served as Chair of the Ethics and Values committee for the American Optometric Association. He is certified to the highest level that the law allows in the practice of optometry and co-authored the Manual of Esotropia Therapy with Colorado Vision Consultants. He has a wife (Mary) of 40 years and two daughters and three granddaughters.  Kristi is married to Andy Cripe and lives in Broomfield CO with their two daughters Alyssa and Hayden, and Heather is married to Chris Spahn and they live in Colorado Springs CO with their daughter Tayson.  Dr. Forrest is a member of Calvary Church in Longmont and enjoys tennis, skiing, jogging and bike riding.

Lowell Schaefer, O.D.

Dr. Schaefer has watched the Longmont area change immensely since his childhood days. He received an engineering degree from the University of Colorado with honors. He was then commissioned as an officer in the Navy and flew aircraft for five years. The next five years were spent preparing for his career in the field of optometry, graduating from Pacific University in Oregon in 1979. His first four years of practice were dedicated to the Army in a hospital in Oklahoma. He has been in private practice here in Longmont since 1983. Dr. Schaefer has been active in many community projects, including a local Kiwanis organization, where he served as President. He helped start a church in Niwot that is now one of the largest in Boulder County. He retired from the Army Reserves after 34 years of military service. He has been married to his wife, Liz, for 40 years and has one daughter, Amanda. Dr Schaefer enjoys working with patients of all ages, finding practical solutions to their unique problems. Dr. Schaefer is certified in the fitting of special contact lenses that correct for near-sightedness in lieu of LASIK. He is a member in good standing of both the Colorado and American Optometric Associations. In his free time he enjoys traveling, photography, gardening, wood-working and mountain climbing.

Wm. Rex Eland, O.D.

Dr. Eland is a Colorado native who has been practicing optometry over twenty years. As a graduate from the University of Colorado he attended the Southern California College of Optometry, where he graduated with honors. He is a member in good standing in the American Optometric Association and the Colorado Optometric Association. Dr. Eland has served as Chairman for Save Your Vision Week in Boulder County. He is a certified Computer Vision Specialist and can provide recommendations, both visually and ergonomically, to enhance efficiency and decrease fatigue on the computer. Dr. Eland loves his profession and enjoys general eyecare, contact lens fittings, and co-management of laser refractive surgery (LASIK). He has four children, is actively involved in his church, and loves to spend time fishing, clogging, landscaping and cooking.

Gina Marangoni Gabriel, O.D., M.S.

Gina Gabriel graduated cum laude from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 2004. During her time in optometry school, she worked as a vision therapist and served as vice-president of Students Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, having the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and El Salvador to deliver eye care to underprivileged communities. She graduated with several awards, including The Lyle Gassman Memorial Award, awarded to the optometry graduate who exemplifies humanitarianism, leadership and service, and The Binocular Vision and Pediatrics Clinical Excellence Award.

Dr. Gabriel completed a combined Pediatrics and Binocular Vision Residency and Master's degree program at Ohio State. She worked in a pediatric and binocular vision (eye-teaming) specialty clinic helping children and adults with amblyopia, eye turns (lazy eye), vergence / accommodative / and tracking problems, and those with special needs such as intellectually disabled patients. Her Master's degree research involved analyzing the focusing mechanism of three- to twelve-month-old infants. She was a masked examiner for the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT) and the Study of Eyes and Attention Deficit (SEAD). Dr. Gabriel was honored to receive The Terrance Ingraham Pediatric Optometry Residency Award, which is awarded to the top two pediatric residents in the country each year.

Dr. Gina Gabriel joined Eagle Vision and Eye clinic in 2006. She is the Director of Vision Therapy and does InfantSEE exams as part of the American Optometric Association program. In 2009 she received the Key Person of the Year award from the Colorado Optometric Association. She lives in Louisville with her husband, Dr. Christopher Gabriel, who does organic chemistry research at Micron, Inc. in Longmont. She enjoys caring for her twins (a girl and a boy), riding her bike, hiking, skiing, and traveling.

Dr. Smith, O.D.

Dr. Smith graduated from the University Of Alabama School Of Optometry in 2008. After graduating he completed a hospital based residency at Dorn Veteran’s Administration center in Columbia, South Carolina. Upon completing his residency he joined one of the nation’s largest eye groups in New Mexico; where he gained valuable experience and additional training in the management of complex eye diseases such as Diabetic eye disease, Macular degeneration, Glaucoma, Cataracts, and Dry Eye Syndrome. Dr. Smith has extensive experience in co-management of surgical post-operative cases ranging from Cataracts and Lasik to Retinal Detachments. He enjoys fitting contact lenses, and has experience fitting difficult patients such as those with Keratoconus. In his spare time he enjoys skiing and pursuing other outdoor activities.