Knowing the bells and whistles of a particular vitrectomy platform widens surgical potential and increases confidence and safety. I recently completed a vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa., where I had the privilege to operate 5 days a week over the past year with 15 talented vitreoretinal surgery attendings. Never again will I get the chance to perform 1200 surgical cases in 1 year and gain surgical proficiency so exponentially. The lessons, techniques, and skills learned have been indispensible to my career. Much like my car, I got behind the wheel of the Constellation Vision System (Alcon) for 8 to 10 hours each day, getting to know the ins and outs of the machine.

"Watching a Florida sunset’s shifting shades of red, admiring a grandchild’s finger-painted portrait, gazing upon a loved one’s smiling face, or reading the last line of a beloved book – for more than 15 years, the skilled doctors of the Florida Retina Institute have been helping our friends and neighbors with failing vision see life’s precious moments. No group of retina specialists has been serving the Lake Mary/Longwood community longer, and no one stays more up-to-date on the very latest treatments and techniques.

The Institute specializes in diseases or injuries of the retina – a light-sensitive membrane in the rear of the eye that acts like a video camera, capturing and transmitting images to the brain. If that’s the most down-to-earth description of the retina you’ve ever heard, it’s not a coincidence at Florida Retina Institute.

“One of our group’s strengths is that we strive to be very approachable when it comes to treating such a complex and important part of the body,” says Dr. Thomas A. Barnard, past chairman of Ophthalmology at Florida Hospital in Orlando, who was fellowship trained in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at West Virginia University. Dr. Barnard is currently working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research to study a new drug to treat diabetic eye conditions. “We speak to our patients in terms they understand. We treat everyone from newborn babies to patients older than 100.”

“Retinal medicine has improved significantly in the 10 years I’ve been in practice,” says Dr. Elias Mavrofrides, who was fellowship trained in vitreoretinal surgery at the famed Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami. Dr. Mavrofrides was named one of U.S. News & World Report’s top doctors in the U.S. in 2011 and 2013. “We are constantly researching and training to stay at the top of our game. There are new treatments that can slow the progression of common diseases of the retina to minimize their impact on a patient’s life. Whether the issue is basic or complex, we have the necessary experience and the latest skills to achieve the best-possible outcome.”

“The Florida Retina Institute has a long history of providing excellent care to patients with diseases of the retina,” says Dr. Matthew Cunningham, fellowship trained in vitreoretinal surgery and disease at the University of Iowa. Dr. Cunningham knew he was becoming part of something special when he joined Florida Retina Institute six months ago. “We have a great team here, and we prove it every day. I love my job, and I love the relationships I build with each of my patients.”

In addition to their remarkable credentials, Drs. Barnard, Mavrofrides, and Cunningham have something else in common − they all live in Lake Mary.

Doctor's at the Lake Mary office, which relocated from the original Longwood location in 2004, perform their modern miracles in an atmosphere of extraordinary care and compassion. Doctors and staff help patients decipher their insurance plans, educate them about their eye conditions, and help them adjust to a new lifestyle if they become legally blind.

Florida Retina Institute is often the choice of other local doctors when they need retina treatment for themselves or members of their own families, so it should come as no surprise that the Institute is staffed by a dream team of physicians.

But in final analysis, it is the love and appreciation from Florida Retina Institute’s patients that is most important. One typical example from an Air Force vet:
“Thank you for all the care and professional attention shown to me during the past year. My eyesight has been saved through your work, and I want to say what it means to me. I still share sunrises and sunsets with my beautiful wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

Article by Peter Reilly, Lake Mary Life, Photo: Dr. Cunningham demonstrates an eye exam with the help of Nicole Winn.

The Florida Retina Institute's Doctors Mavrofrides, Cunningham and Barnard are chosen as Orlando’s finest 2013 and highlighted in the Orlando Weekly. Board Certified Retina Specialists — Whether caused by illness or injury, retinal conditions should be treated by a skilled physician.

Drs. Elias C. Mavrofrides, Matthew A. Cunningham and Thomas A. Barnard at FLORIDA RETINA INSTITUTE are regionally recognized experts in the evaluation and treatment of retinal disease and injury. They specialize in diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, laser surgery, retinal detachment, macular surgery, penetrating eye injuries, ocular tumors & inflammatory eye disease.

The doctors and their staff have a long history of working with patients with visual difficulties and are sensitive to their needs. They are all committed to making certain that you are comfortable and confident about your surgery and follow-up care.

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