Eyes On Dry Eye 2022 Highlights: Dry Eye On Demand

Dr. Ahmad Fahmy is the Director of Optometric Services at Minnesota Eye Consultants. He received his professional training and the Doctor of Optometry degree in 2001 from the Illinois College of Optometry, and completed residency training in the perioperative care of glaucoma, anterior segment pathology, and refractive surgery with Minnesota Eye Consultants, P.A. in 2004. He earned Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry in 2004, and Diplomate designation in the American Board of Optometry in 2014. Dr. Fahmy is an Adjunct Faculty Assistant Professor of the Illinois College of Optometry, and Southern California College of Optometry.

Dr. Fahmy is a devoted advocate of an integrated eye care delivery model and serves as a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery’s Integrated Practice Committee (IPC), as well as an editorial board peer reviewer for the journal Clinical Ophthalmology. He has been involved in the clinical care of disadvantaged populations and is devoted to continued involvement in the development of philanthropic eye care initiatives. He also remains committed to teaching and mentoring. He is actively involved in numerous clinical research trials and has a special interest in the ocular surface disease.

Dr. Lisa Nijm is a board-certified, corneal, cataract, and refractive surgeon at Warrenville EyeCare & LASIK, a licensed attorney, and an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at the UIC Eye and Ear Infirmary. She serves on the board of directors for the Cornea Society, AAOE, and is the CEO of Women in Ophthalmology. Dr. Nijm also advises leading medical device and pharmaceutical companies on new innovations and is the Chief Medical Advisor for TearLab. She is an invited international lecturer, a published, peer-reviewed author, and has received numerous awards, including being named one of the most influential ophthalmologists in the world on The Ophthalmologist’s Power List. Dr. Nijm has created two highly acclaimed educational resources for physicians, MD Negotiation & Real World Ophthalmology. Believing negotiation skills are paramount to success, Dr. Nijm launched MDNegotiation.com to provide specialized negotiation coaching and has conducted over 40 training workshops across the country. During the pandemic, she recognized a need to help navigate the changing landscape of ophthalmology and took the initiative to create a free, peer-to-peer, educational resource to help young ophthalmologists learn everything they need to know to succeed in early practice, RealWorldOphthalmology.com.

Derek Cunningham, OD, FAAO has conducted advanced research that covers a vast spectrum of eyecare and neuroscience including; dry eye treatments, glaucoma medications and surgeries, retinal disease, cataract and lasik surgeries, cosmetic treatments and products, vision enhancement, and sports vision. His innovative research has been presented at all major meetings ranging from the American Retinal society, the Academies of Ophthalmology and Optometry, to the American College of Sports Medicine. His research has been featured in many medical journals and showcased in publications such as Sports Illustrated and Forbes Magazine.

In addition to having been an associate professor at Texas Tech School of Medicine, Dr. Cunningham also held adjunct professor status at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and the University of Waterloo, University of Houston, and the University of Incarnate Word.

Dr. Cunningham is an internationally recognized educator, having provided continuing education lectures to eye doctors throughout the world. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and is board certified by the American Board of Optometry. He is also the founding Chair of the Integrated Ophthalmic Task Force for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Dr. Cunningham is the director of the Dry Eye Institute at Dell Laser Consultants (DLC) and is well-published in the areas of advanced dry eye treatments and facial aesthetics. He has presented to and educated leading ophthalmologists, corneal specialists, and optometrists in the United States and numerous countries around the world. Many of Dr. Cunningham’s dry eye protocols are being used by academic institutions around the country and his eye disease grading scales are even research standards in other countries.

Dr. McGee is the visionary founder of Precision Vision of Edmond, a boutique-style eyecare practice that specializes in dry eye disease, specialty contact lenses, and aesthetics. She is also the co-founder of Precision Vision of Midwest City, an MD-OD practice specializing in premium IOL and cataract surgery. She earned her OD degree from Northeastern State University College of Optometry, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She is a member of the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians and the American Optometric Association. Currently she serves as the Immediate Past-President the OAOP. She is also an adjunct faculty member of Northeastern State University College of Optometry. She was named Young Optometrist of the year in 2012 by the OAOP.

Shelbee started her career in Optometry in 2019 and is a certified Paraoptometric Technician. Shelbee helps provide the patient care and testing, as well as assist the Doctors to keep the flow of clinic in order. She enjoys helping fit patients in specialty contact lenses and being able to continuously learn about all things eye related from Dr. McGee, Dr. Cherian and Dr. Partin.

Dr. Carly Rose was born and raised in the Greater Cincinnati area. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Northern Kentucky University. Following graduation, she decided to experience city living and moved to Chicago in optometry school. When not learning about eyes, Dr. Rose spent much of those four years enjoying all of the food Chicago had to offer! After optometry school graduation, Dr. Rose chose to complete a year-long residency at the Cincinnati VAMC Eye Clinic. Following residency training, she furthered her experience by qualifying and becoming a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She is a current member of the American Optometric Association, the Ohio Optometric Association, and the American Academy of Optometry.

Dr. Blake K. Williamson, MD, MPH, MS is a third-generation eye doctor who continues the legacy of his family, which has been taking care of the great people of Louisiana for nearly 70 years. Within a few short years of private practice, Dr. Williamson has established himself as a nationally recognized surgeon, thought leader, and lecturer in the fields of advanced cataract surgery, laser vision correction, and micro-invasive glaucoma surgery. Dr. Williamson was born and raised in Baton Rouge and has placed a strong emphasis on education and academic achievement throughout his life, first as a graduate from the Episcopal School and later going on to earn Master’s degrees from both Columbia University in New York City as well as the world-renowned Johns Hopkins Medical Center where he completed an ophthalmology capstone. With a goal of taking care of the people of his home state, Dr. Williamson returned to Louisiana completing his medical school and ophthalmology residency training at LSU and Tulane respectively. While training at Tulane, Dr. Williamson quickly developed a reputation as a skilled surgeon and he would go on to perform the most phaco cataract surgeries in the history of the residency program, which dates back 100 years. Innovation and using the latest techniques was also a strong focus, and Dr. Williamson was one of the first resident physicians from the United States to perform all bladeless femtosecond laser cataract surgery on the Catalys prototype in the Dominican Republic. He was also the first resident physician in the Southern United States to become certified using iStent, a novel surgical device for the treatment of glaucoma and the smallest FDA-approved medical device in the world at that time.

Dr. Joshua Davidson grew up in Bay City Michigan where, from the age of 11, he had his eyes set on Optometry. Dr. Davidson graduated from All Saints Catholic Central and attended The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as an undergraduate where he graduated with a degree in Biology. He went on to complete his Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree at the Michigan College of Optometry. Dr. Davidson’s clinical rotations included The William Dorn VA in Columbia, South Carolina, Anderson Eye Associates in Saginaw Michigan, and the Duane L Waters Hospital at the Michigan Department of Corrections Maximum Security Prison in Jackson, Michigan Dr. Davidson’s interests are in the areas of dry eye treatment, specialty contact lenses, and ocular disease. In his spare time, he enjoys CrossFit, playing softball, traveling, watching college football (his beloved Michigan Wolverines and his adopted LSU Tigers), and spending time with his son, Brooks. In October 2019 Dr. Davidson attained the highest status in the profession of Optometry, that of Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO). In qualifying and maintaining this fellowship, individuals are evaluated against the highest standards of professional competence. Dr. Davidson is also proud to be a fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society (FSLS). He is currently the only certified “expert” scleral lens fitter in all of Louisiana, Mississippi, or Arkansas. His interests lie in fitting all specialty contact lenses for high prescriptions, multifocal “bifocal” contacts, keratoconus, post-radial keratotomy, post LASIK, dry eye, amongst countless other ocular issues. More information can be found at http://sclerallens.org/scleral-fitters. Dr. Davidson serves on the medical advisory board and is a paid speaker for Eyevance Pharmaceuticals (https://eyevance.com/), Kala Pharmaceuticals (https://kalarx.com/), and serves as a medical advisor/speaker for Allergan/Abbvie He is on the editorial board of Modern Optometry magazine, and is a consultant of Glaukos Corporation. Recently, Dr. Davidson was given the honor of serving as part of the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) inaugural Leadership Institute. In addition, Dr. Davidson is the founder and CEO of Dry Eye Drink. A hyperhydration drink product designed to help patients with dry eye disease. www.dryeyedrink.com

Dr. Bollinger has practiced for 28 years and has spent the majority of her career working alongside anterior segment surgeons. As a result, she has managed the pre-and post-operative care of thousands of cataract, cornea, and refractive surgery patients. She developed a dry eye specialty practice in 2009 in private practice because she realized how much OSD was affecting the visual outcomes of the surgery patients she was managing. She later served on a panel that designed & launched a dry eye specialty service in a large OD/MD practice. Currently, Dr. Bollinger works at Jacksoneye in the Chicagoland area where she practices medical optometry. At Jacksoneye, she has at her disposal most every dry eye treatment currently available and participates in the many FDA dry eye studies that the practice is participating in. She has spoken at various venues on the topics of OSD, surgical co-management, and ocular disease management. Dr. Bollinger graduated from Miami University with a double major in Biology and Piano Performance, and then completed her optometric training at The Ohio State University. She became an ABO Diplomate in 2014. She served as an Adjunct Clinical Professor at The Ohio State University from 2006-2012. She directed an externship program sponsored by The Ohio State College of Optometry where she had the opportunity to train & oversee several students in their final year of optometric training. Dr. Bollinger has been involved in several FDA pharmaceutical and surgical clinical studies(Dry Eye, IOLs, Presbyopia, Topical steroids, and surgical lasers). She has served on Advisory Board meetings and as a KOL for various companies, such as Alcon, Eyevance, Novartis, and Science-Based Health.

Mitchell A. Jackson, M.D., is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and refractive surgery. He received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School, completed his internship at Columbus Hospital and his Ophthalmology residency at University of Chicago Hospitals. Currently, Dr. Jackson is the Founder/Medical Director of Jacksoneye and is also a clinical assistant at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Dr. Farahani specializes in the diagnosis and management of disorders of the cornea and external and ocular surface disease. Dr. Farahani completed her fellowship training in cornea and refractive care at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her medical degree from Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and she holds a master of science degree from RFU in health administration and in biomedical sciences. Dr. Farahani completed her internship at MacNeal Hospital, where she was honored with the Intern of the Year Award. She completed her ophthalmology residency training at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, where she was Chief Resident and received the Resident of the Year Award. Dr. Farahani’s ophthalmic interests include intraocular lens repositioning and the management of limbal stem cell disease. Her research interests include keratitis, cornea transplant, ocular surface disease biomarkers, and dry eye syndrome. She is a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Women in Ophthalmology. She enjoys yoga, cooking, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her husband and dog. Dr. Farahani will be seeing patients at our Boston, Cambridge, and North Shore practice locations.

Over the past few years, Dr. Chester has dedicated much of his time to leadership and the community, ophthalmic research and continuing education among his peers.
In his spare time, Dr. Chester enjoys soccer, gardening and spending time with his wife, children and church family.

Dr. Mark Schaeffer serves as Clinical Field Manager at MyEyeDr in Birmingham, Alabama where he practices full-scope optometry. In addition to his clinical work, he is affiliated with several pharmaceutical companies in consulting for ocular disease and contact lenses. Dr. Schaeffer is the author of multiple articles that have appeared in various journals. He has served as a moderator for EyeTubeOD and has given several COPE-approved presentations. He is a founding member of the Intrepid Eye Society and is a member of the Alabama and American Optometric Association, American Academy of Optometry, and the Contact Lens and Cornea Section.

Dr. Schaeffer earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from University of Georgia, his Doctor of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry, and completed a residency in Ocular Disease at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida.

Cynthia Matossian, MD, FACS, is the founder and CEO of Matossian Eye Associates, an integrated ophthalmology and optometry private practice with locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Dr. Matossian is a specialist in the treatment and management of dry eye disease, and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology (Adjunct) at Temple University School of Medicine; a Clinical Instructor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; a Clinical Instructor at the American Academy of Family Physicians; and a Faculty Member and Mentor for the Surgical Mentor Resident Program, Bausch & Lomb Surgical. She is an active member of many associations and participates in numerous clinical trials.

Dr. O’Dell focuses on the management of ocular disease including glaucoma, dry eye, and diabetic eye disease as the Clinical Director of Medical Optometry America in York, PA. Dr. O’Dell graduated from Salus University (PCO) in 2003 and completed a residency at the Baltimore VA Hospital. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society, Tear Film, and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), AOA and Central PA Optometric Society. Most recently, Dr. O’Dell has been selected to participate in the TFOS Dry Eye Workshop (TFOS DEWSII) initiative and is one of six TFOS Global Ambassadors for the United States. She has published many articles both nationally and internationally and lectures on topics including glaucoma, advancements in dry eye disease, diabetic eye disease and the management of surgical patients.

Dr. Brimer is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Southern College of Optometry, a Fellow of the AAO, and a primary clinical investigator. She owns a specialty dry eye clinic in Wilmington, NC, dedicated to treating dry eye differently. Dr. Brimer is devoted to the development of equipment and protocols that help doctors differentiate the underlying causes of ocular surface disease and create successful outcomes. She was the co-creator of the Vision Source Dry Eye Protocol and integral in designing the Oculus 5M software platform and Crystal Tear Report. After seeing the day-to-day struggles offices experienced with the implementation of dry eye, she went on to create the Dry Eye Institute. Here, she hosts doctors from across the country for a small, hands-on, interactive OSD retreat to establish a firm foundation and deliver ongoing resources for successful implementation and outcomes. Dr. Brimer enjoys publishing articles and traveling, both nationally and internationally, to lecture and consult within the field. In her downtime, she enjoys time on the water with her dog and being a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Laura M. Periman, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist, fellowship-trained cornea and refractive surgeon, and ocular surface disease (OSD) expert. Dr. Periman completed her ophthalmology residency and cornea/refractive fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has 18 peer-reviewed publications and has written extensively on ocular surface disease.

Her unique and passionate perspective on OSD stems from her work in immunopathophysiology. She is an innovator and enthusiastic speaker who loves bridging the gap between basic science, clinical practice, and patient compassion. Whether delivering top-line care in the sacred 1:1 patient encounter or expanding awareness of the worldwide impacts of dry eye disease, Dr. Periman thrives on contributing to the greater good.

Dr. Periman is the Founder and Director of Dry Eye Services and Clinical Research at Periman Eye Institute in Seattle, as well as the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Quench Method, an eye-friendly cosmetics company.

Sathi Maiti, OD is an ocular surface disease fellow at the Periman Eye Institute and primary care optometrist in Seattle, WA. She is a sub-investigator of a number of clinical trials related to dry eye and ocular surface disease. She graduated from the UC Berkeley School of Optometry in 2014 where she studied endothelial cell traits as a NEI research trainee and taught undergraduates human anatomy as a graduate student instructor. She is passionate about issues regarding social justice and is a member of the Optometric Physicians of Washington’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Access taskforce. She volunteers her optometric skills extensively through local organizations like Public Health Reserve Corp, Uplift Northwest, Seattle/King County Clinic, and VOSH-NW. She particularly values education and mentorship, and mentors local high school students interested in eye care through Project InSight. In her free time, she loves to play with her pup Kali, draw, crochet, and embroider, and share her love for all things eyeball-related on her optometry instagram account, follow her at @dr.maitiseyeballsandstuff!