To contact Eye Associates of Wilmington to speak with one of our highly regarded eastern North Carolina LASIK surgeons, please fill out the form below.
- 1729 New Hanover
Medical Park Dr.
Wilmington, North Carolina 28403
Ph. (910) 763-3601
Map and Directions - 4831-102 Port Loop Rd.
Southport, North Carolina 28461
Ph. (910) 454-0563
Map and Directions
Located in Wilmington and Southport and Serving Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville, New Bern, Eastern North and South Carolina — Our Surgeons
At Eye Associates of Wilmington, our goal is to provide patients with the most comprehensive eye care available. We have two fully equipped offices — one in Southport and another in Wilmington which includes a state-of-the-art LASIK center. Patients from Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, and all of eastern North and South Carolina rely on our team of LASIK surgeons and cataract, glaucoma, and general ophthalmology providers for their expertise as well as their clear commitment to providing superior care in a comfortable setting. Our doctors and dedicated staff are here to help you ward off eye disease and achieve and maintain improved vision. We are the premier provider of medical and surgical ophthalmology in southeast North Carolina.
If you would like to speak with an eye care professional at Eye Associates of Wilmington, contact our office today to schedule a consultation.
LASIK Center
Eye Associates of Wilmington is the only blade-free LASIK provider in eastern North Carolina. Blade-free LASIK with VISX® Advanced CustomVue® and IntraLase® technology at our LASIK center allows our patients to achieve greatly enhanced vision through a truly customized procedure.
At our LASIK center in Wilmington, our LASIK surgeons are exceptionally well trained and highly experienced. In fact, Byron Stratas, M.D. was the first physician certified for laser vision correction in eastern North Carolina. Certified laser surgeons Darrell E. Hester, Kathleen C. Leone, and R. Dax Hawkins complete our skilled LASIK team, helping our LASIK center patients achieve increased or total independence from glasses and contact lenses.
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Our Physicians
Byron A. Stratas, M.D., F.A.C.S. — LASIK Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Corneal Transplant Surgery, and General Ophthalmology
Byron A. Stratas, M.D., F.A.C.S. is founding director of the LASIK center at Eye Associates of Wilmington. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American College of Surgeons. In 1995, Dr. Stratas became the first surgeon in eastern North Carolina certified to perform laser vision correction. Since then he has performed thousands of LASIK procedures and was the first doctor certified for IntraLase®, the bladeless approach to laser vision correction. In addition, Dr. Stratas is certified in procedures using the Visian ICL™, ReSTOR®, ReZoom®, Intacs® (for keratoconus), and Acrysof® Toric lenses, as well as in VISX® Advanced CustomVue® for LASIK. He is also an editorial reviewer for the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Dr. Stratas' leadership and continuing commitment to excellence have resulted in the introduction of several milestone technologies in eastern North Carolina.
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Darrell E. Hester, M.D. — Cataract Surgery, LASIK Surgery, and General Ophthalmology
Darrell E. Hester, M.D. has been performing LASIK surgery in the Wilmington area since 1997. He has now been with Eye Associates of Wilmington for over eight years. Dr. Hester was instrumental in introducing VISX® Advanced CustomVue® laser vision correction to the LASIK center and is a certified IntraLase® and VISX® Advanced CustomVue® surgeon.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Dr. Hester completed his training at the UNC Department of Ophthalmology and was the first UNC resident to perform no-stitch cataract surgery. He introduced this surgical advancement to Keesler Medical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, the Air Force's second largest hospital. As a major, Dr. Hester had served there as Chief of Ophthalmology. Dr. Hester is also a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Memberships include the American Medical Association, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, and the International Society of Refractive Surgery.
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Thomas H. Maloy, M.D. — Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma Treatment, and Diabetic and General Ophthalmology
Thomas H. Maloy, M.D. has been a board-certified ophthalmologist in Wilmington for more than 25 years. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama in Birmingham with ophthalmology training at Brooke Army Medical Center. Dr. Maloy performed the first posterior chamber intraocular lens implant in Wilmington. He sees cataract, glaucoma, diabetic and general ophthalmology patients.
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Kathleen C. Leone, M.D., F.A.C.S. — LASIK Surgery, Cataract Surgery and General Ophthalmology
Kathleen Leone, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a board-certified LASIK surgeon at Eye Associates of Wilmington. She graduated cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. A lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, Dr. Leone served eight years of active duty before joining the Wilmington medical community. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American College of Surgeons. She began performing refractive surgery in 1995, and has been awarded certifications in CustomVue® IntraLase® laser vision correction, multifocal intraocular lens implants, and Visian ICL™ implantable collamer lens insertion.
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Katherine I. Ochsner, M.D. — Glaucoma Specialist
Dr. Ochsner is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained glaucoma specialist. She grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and earned her medical degree from Louisiana State University Medical School and her general ophthalmology training from the University of Louisville. She went on to study medical ethics and pursue subspecialty training at the University of Texas. On completing her glaucoma fellowship, Dr. Ochsner joined the faculty at the University of Texas, where she served as director of glaucoma services and fellowship training for nearly 10 years. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Glaucoma Society.
Dr. Ochsner joined Eye Associates of Wilmington in 2000, and continues to add to her extensive subspecialty experience by participating in national educational programs and clinical research. Dr. Ochsner limits her practice to the diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment of all forms of glaucoma, cataract, and associated ocular conditions.
R. Dax Hawkins, M.D. — Cataract Surgery, LASIK Surgery, and General Ophthalmology
Dax Hawkins, M.D. is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt University Ophthalmology Residency Program. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Dr. Hawkins has spoken at national conventions on his research of LASIK surgery and the therapeutic uses of the VISX® laser system. Having performed refractive procedures since 1998, he is a certified provider of IntraLase® and VISX® Advanced CustomVue® technology.
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David A. Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. — Pediatric Ophthalmologist
David A. Johnson, M.D., Ph.D. graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and obtained a Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Connecticut. After a three-year fellowship in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, he obtained his doctor of medicine degree from the same university. He then completed his residency at the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Johnson also completed fellowship training in pediatric ophthalmology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. and is the only fellowship-trained pediatric ophthalmologist in the Wilmington area.
Dr. Johnson was assistant professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and director of pediatric ophthalmology at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the early 1990s. He then joined the Eye Clinic of Wichita/Grene Vision Group in Wichita, Kansas, where he also served as assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical School. He moved to Wilmington to join the Eye Associates in 2005.
Dr. Johnson has published numerous studies in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus research and has lectured extensively in North Carolina and throughout the country. His clinical specialty is the medical and surgical care of pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus. Dr. Johnson is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. He was recently elected to the prestigious American Ophthalmological Society and is listed as one of the best doctors both in America and in North Carolina.
He sees patients at our Wilmington office and performs surgery at Wilmington Surgcare and the New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Travis Pickens, O.D - Optometry
On April 1, 2008, we will welcome Dr. Travis Pickens to our practice. Dr. Pickens is an optometrist and has been working in the eye care field for over 12 years. Originally from Sanford, Florida (just north of Orlando), Dr. Pickens is a graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa where he received a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry. He received his education and training in optometry from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He completed externships in the areas of cataract and refractive surgery as well as ocular disease. In addition to North Carolina, he also holds licensing to practice optometry in Florida and Georgia.
Prior to joining the Eye Associates team, Dr. Pickens lived and practiced optometry in Atlanta, Georgia. He worked for a large scale optometric practice and served as lead doctor for more than 20 other physicians. Dr. Pickens prides himself on exceeding patient expectations and recognizes that in order to do so, he must provide excellent patient care, maintain high levels of staff training and efficiently manage the practice.
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Amanda Britt, O.D. — Optometry, Glaucoma Treatment
Amanda Britt, O.D. is originally from Wilmington, NC. She received her undergraduate degree from University of NC at Chapel Hill, were she obtained a bachelor of science in biology. Before attending optometry school, she worked in research at Research Triangle Institute in Durham, NC. She received her doctorate of optometry from Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Her externships were completed at The Eye Institute in Philadelphia and at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Salisbury, NC. She also completed a residency at the VAMC in Johnson City, TN. Before joining Eye Associates of Wilmington, she worked in private practice in Raleigh, NC. She now works closely with Dr. Ochsner on the glaucoma team and also does routine vision care.
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A Consultation at Eye Associates of Wilmington
To meet with a member of our practice serving patients from Wilmington, Southport, Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, and other areas of eastern North and South Carolina, please contact our office today. One of our LASIK surgeons or other eye care professionals will be happy to assist you.
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