SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Our mission at Orlando Style Magazine is to bring visibility to professionals who exhibit excellence, integrity, client service and high standards that have made them preeminent and highly successful. Orlando’s Eye Doctors of the Year are selected based on survey, referrals and feedback from their professional peers. This is an ongoing campaign and we ask you to cast your vote/suggestion for your favorite professionals in our city at OrlandoStyleMagazine.com. The following pages exhibit this issue’s Orlando’s Eye Doctors.

Nominate Your Favorite Doctor at OrlandoStyleMagazine.com

Florida Retina Institute

InstituteFrom top left to bottom right: S.K. Steven Houston III, MD, FASRS; Ruwan A. Silva, MD, MPhil; William J. Dunn, MD, FACS, CHE; Elias C. Mavrofrides, MD; Alexander C. Barnes, MD; Matthew A. Cunningham, MD; Jaya B. Kumar, MD, FASRS; Thomas A. Barnard, MD

1025 Primera Blvd. Lake Mary, FL 32746 407-333-1570

95 Columbia St. Orlando, FL 32806 407-849-9621

424 Treemonte Dr. Orange City, FL 32763 386-775-9909

2270 E. Hwy 50 Clermont, FL 34711 352-243-0716

1123 N. Central Ave. Kissimmee, FL 34741 407-847-7915

564 Health Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 386-258-5777

308 Julia St. Titusville, FL 32796 321-268-1116

FLORIDA RETINA INSTITUTE: One of the most experienced, world-renowned Team of Doctors, dedicated to providing comprehensive patient care in vitreous retinal diseases and surgery. Florida Retina Institute has 19 locations throughout Florida and Georgia. For over 40 years it has been our privilege and pleasure to provide compassionate care for many generations.

TOP DOCTORS: Florida Retina Institute’s 14 ophthalmologists are board certified medical doctors, fellowship trained vitreoretinal surgeons. Dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of vitreoretinal diseases and surgery. Our retina specialists are consistently recognized and have gained a national reputation by leading ophthalmology and medical societies. They have annually been selected by their peers as Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors, consistently ranking best in the U.S.

TOP EDUCATION: Florida Retina Institute’s physicians completed their training at some of the most prestigious, toprated hospitals and medical universities in the U.S.: Harvard University, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Miami, Cole Eye Institute, Wills Eye Hospital, University of Iowa, Emory, Stanford University, Baylor College of Medicine, Duke Eye Center, and Cleveland Clinic.

TOP HOSPITALS: Florida Retina Institute is affiliated with the leading top hospitals in our regions. We participate in continuing medical education, research and clinical trials to study enhanced treatment options for common and rare retinal diseases. Florida Retina Institute is the first group of surgeons to offer retinal surgery with a cutting edge visualization system called NGENUITY. This novel technology allows our surgeons to operate with precision using a 3D screen in high definition. Florida Retina Institute’s Retina Specialists and Staff strive to deliver Excellence in Patient Care with knowledge and compassion.

Your vision is precious. Your vision is priceless. We thank you for your Trust and Confidence in us.

Ly T Nguyen, MD

Cataract Surgeon at Eye Florida

Photo by Kimberly Jefcoat

Patients who visit Dr. Ly Nguyen’s office say she is a wonderful doctor; some say she is one of the most skilled ophthalmologist serving the Kissimmee and Saint Cloud communities. She smiles warmly when her patients tell her that she is a caring person who takes the time to listen and get to know them personally. Dr Nguyen says “I have seen tens of thousands of cases but each patient's life story is unique, and I can still remember the details of most of my patients.”

Reflecting on her life, many signs point to her path in the field of ophthalmology. Growing up in the countryside in Vietnam, she developed night blindness due to malnutrition. While she was still in college at Brown University, her father developed early cataracts due to the harsh sun as a fisherman. These personal experiences shaped Dr. Nguyen’s passion and mission in helping her patients see better.

As a board-certified ophthalmologist, Dr. Nguyen specializes in cataract, oculoplastic, and minimally-invasive glaucoma surgeries. She brings extensive surgical expertise and a warm Aloha spirit to her practice at Eye Florida through her residency training at the University of Hawai’s School of Medicine and Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute at University of Colorado. Her number one goal is to deliver exceptional and personalized eye care for the whole family.

When she is not operating or running her private practice, Dr. Nguyen enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, reading, and exploring historical sites. She dedicates her time to giving back to the community. She contributes as the current Chief of Surgery and previous member of the Board of Trustee for Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital. She is a co-founding member of the An Bang Professionals, a non-profit organization committed to providing financial assistance to promising high school graduates and underserved communities in the United States and aboard. She shares her time and knowledge to aspire the next generation of young professionals through mentorship programs. Several of her mentees have gone on to pursue careers in medicine and ophthalmology.

When asked to share some memorable cases in her career, Dr. Nguyen spoke about a case of a young mother who was legally blind due to mature cataracts and insurance delays. By the time this young mother was referred to Dr. Nguyen, many had feared that her sight was permanently lost. Dr. Nguyen performed the cataract surgery and soon after, the mother was able to see! During her follow-up visit with Dr. Nguyen, she was overjoyed with tears that she could now see her young son’s face and watch him grow up.

“We often take our gift of sight for granted and experiences like these inspires me to make a difference in my patient’s life” says Dr. Nguyen.

1330 Budinger Ave., Suite 200, St. Cloud, FL 34769 | P: 407-891-2010 | www.eyeflorida.com | info@eyeflorida.com

Chirag J. Patel, MD FACS

Lake Nona Ophthlamology

With roots in the small central Florida town of Fruitland Park, Chirag J. Patel, MD, FACS, developed a passion for people and the community at an early age. As a first-generation Indian-American, he learned life’s most important lessons from his parents, who operated a local business in the small town. The ability to help people and develop long-lasting relationships was a strong impetus for Chirag’s pursuit of medicine.

After graduating as the Valedictorian of his high school, Dr. Patel attended the University of Florida for his undergraduate and medical degrees. He then completed an internship in Internal medicine at Richmond University Medical Center and a three-year residency in Ophthalmology at the prestigious Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. During his residency, Chirag had the privilege of learning under renowned leaders in the field and worked with his mentor, Dr. Elahi, a recognized Ophthalmic Plastic surgeon, who taught him advanced functional and cosmetic eyelid surgery. Dr. Patel then decided to purse an additional year of Fellowship training in Medical Retina and Research at the University of Florida – Jacksonville. Back in his home state, Chirag gained expertise in the treatment and diagnosis of retinal diseases, participated in nationally recognized clinical trials, such as DRCR.net and AREDS, published in peer-reviewed journals, and actively taught residents clinical and surgical concepts in Ophthalmology.

Ultimately, Dr. Patel founded Lake Nona Ophthalmology in 2013 as a unique, patient-first practice founded on the core principles of compassion, community, and cutting-edge care.

As a comprehensive Ophthalmologist with a subspecialty in medical retina, and years of experience in non-invasive facial cosmetic rejuvenation, Dr. Patel performs surgeries involving the eye and eyelids, such as laser cataract surgery, pterygium surgery, Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, and upper and lower eyelid surgery; additionally, he performs non-invasive aesthetic procedures. He is a member of American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association, New York Academy of Medicine and Florida Society of Ophthalmology.

Outside of the office, Dr. Patel enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, photography, playing sports and rooting for his Gators!

9685 Lake Nona Village Place, Suite 204, Orlando, FL 32827 | P: 407-857-3937 www.NonaEyeMD.com | info@NonaEyeMD.com

Javier Pérez, MD, FACS

Orlando Eye Specialists, PA

Dr. Pérez is a Board Certified and Fellowship Trained Ophthalmologist who has performed thousands of ophthalmic surgeries. The focus of his practice is the medical and surgical management of glaucoma and cataracts. After years of training, he established his private and professional life in Central Florida and opened Orlando Eye Specialists in 2013. He is happily married to Dr. Lindsey Koss, Ob-Gyn in Winter Park and enjoys spending time with his twin boys, running, biking, scuba diving and skiing.

Dr. Pérez proudly served in the U.S. Navy as a member of the Navy Medical Corps and was honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is active in several medical societies and is the current president of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.

10815 Dylan Loren Circle, Orlando, FL 32815 P: 407-965-3770 | F: 407-930-1550 www.orlandoeyespecialists.com