Dr. Wendler was born in El Paso, TX and raised in the nearby town of Canutillo, Texas. She obtained anacademic scholarship to the University of Houston, where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree, graduating cum laude. She then went on to obtain her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Houston, graduating in 1999.

While in optometry school she was involved in various activities, including being an instructor of ophthalmic optics for college students pursuing a career in optometry. She was also a teacher’s assistant, the recipient of a clinical excellence award, and an officer of SVOSH (Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity). 

She completed externships at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and Barnet Dulaney Eyecare in Arizona.

She has practiced optometry for over 20 years, 14 of which have been in an ophthalmology setting. She has had the privilege of working across several states, including Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico and Texas. During this tenure she gained valuable experience working in a wide variety of clinical settings. In Minnesota she served patients in a multidisciplinary health care facility, working directly with pediatric ophthalmologists as well as various other subspecialty ophthalmologists. While in Minnesota, she served as lead optometrist, acting as a liaison between the optometry and ophthalmology departments. She was also afforded the opportunity to be one of few optometrists to participate in journal club meetings at the University of Minnesota Ophthalmology Department. 

In addition to her extensive experience managing pediatric patients and special needs patients with various eye problems such as strabismus and amblyopia (misaligned eyes and lazy eyes), she also has years of experience managing other ophthalmic conditions. These include glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, dry eye, as well as the co-management of cataract and LASIK surgery. More recently, she’s acquired advanced training in scleral contact lenses.

She’s grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in volunteer eye care missions abroad with VOSH and the Rotary Club in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Mexico, which has allowed her to utilize her Spanish fluency.

She is a member of the American Optometric Association and New Mexico Optometric Association. She was previously a NMOA trustee for the southwest region of New Mexico.

She is happy to be back home and she strives to care for each patient as she would care for a family member. She enjoys learning and staying up to date with evolving technology to provide the best vision care possible. She looks forward to serving the people of Las Cruces and surrounding areas in a family atmosphere, private practice setting.

Outside of work, she stays busy spending time with her husband and their three children.