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Ophthalmology Chair, Dr. Robert Fechtner

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences


Welcome. Our website may be your first introduction to our department. Please take your time and explore the links. We are part of the State University of New York and are the leading academic medical center in Upstate New York. Our department is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery, and education.

The Center for Vision Care is the hub of our clinical enterprise.

We like to think of our clinical department as an extended family. We have a core of eight full-time faculty and a large complement of part-time community faculty. In fact, nearly all the community comprehensive and subspecialty ophthalmologists in Syracuse are voluntary faculty at the Center for Vision Care.  Several of our clinics are staffed by these community-based subspecialists and the residents operate with these highly skilled surgeons. This collaboration between the University and the community gives our patients access to the very best subspecialty care and allows our residents to work with, and learn from, outstanding clinicians.

We are also affiliated with the Syracuse Veterans Administration Health Center, which has a busy clinical and surgical ophthalmology service. As a result, we see an extraordinary variety of interesting and challenging ophthalmologic problems. I believe this provides our residents with a much broader experience than they might otherwise receive if they only worked with a limited number of faculty in a single setting.

Many of our residents have recently gone on to top-notch fellowships such as Wills Eye Hospital, University of Southern California, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Wake Forest and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in retina, cornea, oculo-plastics, and glaucoma. Other have felt well prepared by their training here and have joined comprehensive practices after residency. It is not uncommon for our residents to remain in Central New York or return to the area after completing their training. Click here to more about the ophthalmology residency at SUNY Upstate.

Our department has a long history of community involvement, and Syracuse has welcomed refugees from many regions, now including Afghanistan and Ukraine. In addition to the tertiary level sub-specialty care, we are the eye care resource for the diverse immigrant and financially disadvantaged communities. Our close relationships with community subspecialists allow us to contribute to a high level of eye care for the over one million New Yorkers in Central New York, the Southern Tier, and the North Country.

The Center for Vision Research is our discovery and translational research endeavor with thirteen scientists pursuing a fundamental understanding of vision. From molecules to cells and tissues to visual perception, we seek to apply new knowledge to finding cures for blindness. The research faculty members include some of the most respected names in vision research who bring a wealth of experience to their work and several young scientists who are starting their research careers and experiencing great success. Our current grant funding places the Department of Ophthalmology in the top 35 NEI funded research centers in the nation. The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is honored to have received an Unrestricted Grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, a distinction that is shared with only 37 other university centers in the country and only three others in New York State.

Diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice is at the core of our mission as evidenced by our faculty, leadership, staff, and the patients we serve. We are proud to call ourselves one of the most diverse academic departments on campus, are seeking new talent, and are committed to training the brilliant, diverse faculty of tomorrow.

 

We hope that you have the opportunity to get to know us better.

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