The physicians and staff of Florida Eye Specialists are united by a common passion for excellence in eye care. All our doctors have dedicated numerous years of medical school, residency, fellowship and post-fellowship training to eye-disease research and education. Each doctor is uniquely qualified in a subspecialty of ophthalmology.
Prior to founding Florida Eye Specialists in 2009, Dr. Rajesh Shetty spent 7 years as an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic. In 2011, Dr. Kathryn Freidl joined him after training at the prestigious Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia. The practice expanded in 2012 to welcome Dr. David Kostick, who brings a wealth of knowledge from his 16 years as an assistant professor at the Mayo Clinic, and Dr. S. Akbar Hasan, who served as assistant professor and lead cataract and LASIK surgeon at the Mayo Clinic for 10 years. Both doctors bring tremendous clinical experience to our practice.
In 2014, we announced the equal merging of Florida Eye Specialists, Chokshi Vision Center and Eagle Eye Care Group. Combining practices has allowed us to provide new services and specialties and convenient availability for our patients. Among the merging doctors are board certified ophthalmologists Dr. Amit Chokshi, Dr. Ravi Patel, and Dr. Rachana Patel, and optometrist Dr. Kim Riordan. The combined practice continues to be known as Florida Eye Specialists.
Dr. Jerry Maida joined the Florida Eye team in 2016. This collaboration merged his practice, Maida CustomVision, with Drs. Chokshi and Hasan to create a LASIK only location. Dr. Maida is a renowned refractive surgeon who pioneered LASIK surgery in Northeast Florida. His expertise and respected name in the medical community are an invaluable addition to Florida Eye Specialists.
Together, our team of specialists has developed one of the leading eye care centers in Florida with an emphasis on compassionate, patient-centered treatments. Our goal is to provide excellence in eye care to each and every patient.
Click here to learn more about the history of Florida Eye Specialists.
Research
The board certified fellowship trained physicians at Florida Eye Specialists are recognized in their respective ophthalmic subspecialties for their leadership and contributions to the advancement of eye care. Our doctors are engaged in clinical trials and lecture frequently to other eye doctors locally and at national meetings. They were the first to introduce many state-of-the-art surgical techniques and eye procedures to Northeast Florida.
Please contact us at 904-564-2020 to determine if you are eligible for any clinical research trials.
What is the difference between an Ophthalmologist and an Optometrist?
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors (M.D.) with medical school training specifically trained to provide the full spectrum of eye care, from prescribing glasses to treating eye diseases and performing various types of eye surgery. At Florida Eye Specialists we have our ophthalmologists specialized by type of surgery to provide the best doctors for certain required eye surgeries.
An optometrist is an eye doctor of optometry (O.D.) and is licensed to practice optometry, not medicine. The practice of optometry traditionally involves examining the eye for the purpose of prescribing and dispensing corrective lenses, screening vision to detect certain eye abnormalities, and prescribing medications for certain eye diseases.
Ophthalmology Services Provided
The Florida Eye Specialists are a comprehensive eye care practice that features a complete spectrum of ophthalmology services. Our eye surgery services include cataract surgery, LASIK eye surgery, glaucoma treatment options, oculoplastic eyelid surgery, dry eye treatment, and even cosmetic services.