Our mission
We started in 1972 with a simple idea: that retinal disease deserves a dedicated specialty practice. Half a century later, we are five surgeons and the technicians, photographers, and administrative staff who make every clinic and surgical day possible.
We treat the conditions that affect the back of the eye — macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, vein occlusion, macular hole, epiretinal membrane, uveitis, and dozens of others — using the same techniques and technologies you'd find at a major academic center. Because that's where most of us trained, and what we now teach.
Subspecialty focus
Retina is a subspecialty within ophthalmology. After medical school, an ophthalmologist completes a four-year residency, and a smaller subset go on to a two-year fellowship in vitreoretinal disease and surgery. All five of our partners completed that fellowship.
What this means in practice: this is what we do all day. Every patient we see has a problem somewhere between the lens of the eye and the optic nerve. We don't perform cataract surgery, fit glasses, or treat glaucoma. The narrowness of our focus is what allows the depth of expertise within it.
Academic affiliations
All five partners hold appointments as Clinical Assistant Professors at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where we teach medical students and residents in ophthalmology.
These affiliations are more than titles — they are how we stay current. They give our patients access to the latest therapies and clinical trials, and they keep us connected to the broader academic ophthalmology community.
Technology & imaging
Our offices are equipped with the imaging modalities required for modern retinal care: optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green (ICG) angiography, fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence, and ocular ultrasound. Surgical cases are performed using small-gauge vitrectomy systems at our local hospital and ambulatory surgery center.
Our staff
A practice is more than its physicians. Our technicians, photographers, scheduling and billing staff, surgical coordinators, and administrative team make every clinic and surgical day run. Caring for patients with retinal disease takes patience, attention, and a steady hand at every step — from the first phone call through scheduling, imaging, examination, and follow-up. We are grateful for the dedication our staff brings to that work, every day.
Clinical research
We have an active clinical research program enrolling patients in trials for wet AMD, diabetic macular edema, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and geographic atrophy. View our active trials →
Fellowship program
We sponsor a two-year vitreoretinal surgery fellowship for ophthalmologists pursuing subspecialty training in medical and surgical diseases of the retina. Our first fellow begins in July 2026.
Fellows train across our four offices and operate at our affiliated hospital and ambulatory surgery center, gaining wide exposure to medical retina, complex vitreoretinal surgery, and the full range of in-office procedures. The program is structured around high clinical and surgical volume — fellows participate in thousands of patient encounters and hundreds of surgical cases over the two years — and an active clinical research program, with opportunities to participate in industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated trials.
Mentorship comes from five fellowship-trained vitreoretinal surgeons with diverse academic and training backgrounds, giving fellows a breadth of perspectives on diagnosis, technique, and practice management. Our academic affiliation with SUNY Upstate Medical University extends the training environment beyond our private practice.
Applications are accepted through the SF Match ophthalmology fellowship matching program. Inquiries from prospective fellows can be directed to rvscny@rvscny.com.
We are honored by the patients and referring physicians who have placed their trust in our practice over the years.