Specialty: Ophthalmology

Dr. Folden specializes in cataract, LASIK, and refractive lens implant surgery. He is certified on the LENSARTM femtosecond laser for cataract surgery, ZiemerTM femtosecond laser, and the WaveLight® EX500 topographic-guided excimer laser, providing customized refractive cataract surgery, LASIK, and PRK.

As a board-certified ophthalmologist, Dr. Folden has performed over 15,000 cataract, LASIK, and refractive eye surgeries. His interest and expertise in cataract surgery includes the use of the LENSARTM femtosecond laser and intraocular lens (IOL) technologies.
As an early adopter of femtosecond laser technology, Dr. Folden is now among the most experienced laser cataract surgeons in the state of Minnesota. He has designed surgical instruments used in laser cataract surgery, enhancing safety and comfort for patients undergoing this procedure.

Dr. Folden’s experience with IOLs includes the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL), multifocal, extended depth of focus (EDOF) and astigmatism-correcting (Toric) IOLs. He was the first resident surgeon at the University of Minnesota to implant these advanced technology IOLs, giving patients reduced dependence on glasses, bifocals, and/or contact lenses. Dr. Folden was instrumental in bringing the Light Adjustable Lens to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, popularizing an “open-access” availability to this technology for both patients and surgeons. He authored the first visual outcome data for the second-generation LAL in the worldwide peer-reviewed literature.

Dr Folden is active in research, publishing his work in various journals including the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, Clinical Ophthalmology, and the American Journal of Ophthalmology. He is frequently included in “Top Doctor” lists and was one of six physicians in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area “reshaping medicine in the Twin Cities and beyond through cutting-edge techniques, technologies, research, and approaches to patient care” featured in the July 2023, Mpls. St.Paul Magazine cover story.

Dr. Folden was born in Minot, North Dakota, and later attended high school in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where he was Valedictorian of his high school class. He then graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bethel University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree. Before beginning medical school, Dr. Folden worked as a high school math and physics teacher and was a baseball coach. He then received his medical degree (MD) from the University of North Dakota where he gained recognition for his research in cardiac physiology and infectious disease. Dr. Folden then completed his internship at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and his ophthalmology residency at the University of Minnesota where he received awards for outstanding patient care, clinical skills (Harry Plotke Award), and scientific research (Harry Friedman Research Award).