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January 2019
VOLUME 1 | NO. 6
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Cokato optometrist looks back at long career
GENEVIEVE FULTZ
Correspondent
The Cokato Eye Center and residents of Cokato
bid a fond farewell to Dr. Paul Eklof O.D. when
he retired Dec. 28 after 43 years of service to the
community.
Eklof has been a resident of the Cokato area dur-
ing his entire career, and plans to stay in the town
he made his home.
His childhood hometown of Slayton in the south-
western part of the state is similar in many ways
to Cokato.
As a child, Eklof seemed to know exactly what
he wanted to be, and even remembers writing a
paper in middle school about becoming an optom-
etrist. “It’s unusual, but I had it in mind apparently
for quite a while,” He said. “I think I was lucky to
always know.”
He attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls,
SD for two years before moving to the Illinois Col-
lege of Optometry in Chicago, IL, where he gradu-
ated June 3, 1973.
The newly accredited optometrist returned to
Minnesota to start his practice and opened his fi rst
offi ce Oct. 1, 1973 at 370 South Broadway in Co-
kato.
Eklof transferred his practice to the Cokato Eye
Center in summer 1997. He has been the primary
optometrist at that location until recently when Dr.
Katie Tanacbel and other staff have come on in
preparation for his retirement.
When looking back on his career in Cokato,
Eklof spoke of the community and the pleasure of
working and living close to his patients in a small
town. “It’s enjoyable ... to see generational changes.
To see a patient, and know their parents and grand-
parents.”
When describing the most rewarding aspects of
his profession, Eklof relayed the feelings of satis-
faction in helping patients who benefi t almost im-
mediately from his analysis.
That would certainly
include those who see
him on an emergency
basis for removal of de-
bris where, Eklof jokes,
he gets “the best hand-
shakes” from relieved
patients. He also men-
tions instances of help-
ing children see the writ-
ing board in class, where
he stated that “the grad-
ual degradation of sight
might not even be noticed
until it’s been addressed
and once corrected, can
have an incredible ef-
fect on the child.” He has
also enjoyed helping the
elderly citizens of Co-
kato maintain their inde-
pendence by fi nding cor-
rective measures so they
can see well enough to
keep drivers’ licenses.
During the course of
his long career, Eklof has Dr. Paul Eklof has been serving the Cokato community since 1973.
seen many changes in
PHOTO BY GENEVIEVE FULTZ
the science and method
As changes to technology in all scientifi c fi elds
of practicing optometry. Among the most notable
continue
to move quickly, one of the biggest chal-
technological changes, he mentioned the increased
lenges
Eklof
has noticed is the diffi culty in simply
sensitivity of diagnostic equipment and the benefi ts
keeping
up
with
new equipment and procedures.
to patient care. He clarifi ed that “this is primarily
Another
major
shift in the fi eld of optometry is
for eye health issues, fi nding swelling on the optic
the
ability
to
prescribe
medications directly to pa-
nerve relating to brain tumors, and other melano-
tients.
ma of the eye,” and not for an examination testing
“Optometry has probably changed more than
for visual acuity, a test which hasn’t changed much
any
[medical] profession,” Eklof stated. “In 1973,
over the years.
optometry
was not licensed to use any diagnostic
This diagnostic equipment can catch signifi cant
and possibly life-threatening problems early on and
More OPTOMETRIST on Pg 5
provide time to assess and fi nd options.
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