Arizona cornea docs? or ODs?

[Rebecca Petris]

Anybody had a good experience with a cornea doc or a dry eye savvy optometrist in Phoenix or Tucson or for that matter anywhere in Arizona lately?

[Rebecca Petris]

OK... I finally bit the bullet and did some research. Scoured dozens of bios, the Phoenix Ophthalmological Society etc. Here is what I've come up with for names of doctors that might be at least worth a phone call to find out more about their practice & treatment options. For a very dry state, it's absolutely pathetic how few there are that even mention cornea or dry eye in their profiles. And - my usual source for the real skinny - the Sjogrens Syndrome Foundation is not listing any support group leaders in Arizona.

Jonathan Kao MD at East Valley Ophth in Mesa - clearly a disease-oriented guy (not many cornea docs are)
Robert Bullington Jr MD at Biltmore Eye in Phoenix , just based on his corneal fellowship training in Houston
Richard Kootman MD at Arrowhead Eye in Peoria, ditto above, U of Louisville

There might be somebody at Horizon Eye in Phoenix who knows what they're doing... they are advertising Lipiflow (piece of equipment $70 to $100k, big investment for dry eye treatment) but I couldn't pick out any dry eye standouts from the bios.

It might be worth a call to Barnet Dulaney Perkins... Not for the MDs but for the optometrists - considering the huge number they have (and, the dry eye generated in-house by laser surgeries) I suspect there are at least one or two who are quite good at dry eye.

Jon Konti MD @ Ophthalmic Surgeons & Physicians a possibility, based on his training.

If you have good experiences with any of these or know somebody else please share!!