Irvine LASIK Eye Surgeon Ronald N. Gaster, M.D. , F.A.C.S

Appointments:

Address:

Gottschalk Medical Plaza
UC Irvine
1 Medical Plaza Drive
Irvine CA 92697

Web Site:

Ronald Gaster University of California Irvine Professor of Ophthalmology

Credentials and Qualifications

Dr. Ronald Gaster has extensive qualifications that we estimate place him among the USA's top 1% of LASIK, Cataract and refractive surgeons in the U.S.A. Dr. Ronald Gaster specializes in Cataract, External Disease/Corneal Surgery & Refractive Surgery

Below is a summary of Dr. Gaster’s qualifications. For your convenience, these credentials and criteria have been grouped by Experience, Patient Care and Credentials.

In addition, Dr. Gaster has included some additional career highlights that while not used by Trusted LASIK Surgeons in our screening process, clearly supplement his highly distinguished career.

Experience

• Over 15 years experience in laser vision surgery, including LASIK and PRK
• Over 25 years experience in refractive surgery
• Performed over 2,000 LASIK and laser vision procedures
• Principal investigator for 6 FDA studies for approval of excimer lasers as well as a Co-Investigator for 4 other studies
• American Academy of Ophthalmology, taught corneal microsurgical courses to ophthalmologists (every year since 1978)
• Helped teach the first course in refractive surgery in the northern hemisphere (1979)
• VISX Excimer Laser Certified Trainer in PRK and PTK (1996-1998)
• First academic corneal specialist in Orange County
  
  Premier Patient Care

• Use of IntraLase system for “All-Laser” or “Bladeless” LASIK
• Use of Wavefront Based (“Custom”) LASIK and PRK
• Use of iLASIK Procedure- WaveScan Technology, IntraLase, and Visx Advanced CustomVue treatments
• Offers complete refractive surgery care, including LASIK, PRK, RLE / CLE, CK (Conductive Keratoplasty), Limbal Relaxing Incisions, and cataract lens implant procedures
• Management of complications of surgery for new patients who had problems from a surgery performed by another doctor
• Other eye surgeons, optometrists, opticians, employees of companies that specialize in refractive surgery instrumentation or their family members have had their LASIK and other refractive surgeries performed by Dr. Gaster

Professional Credentials

• Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology
• Fellow, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
  • Honor Award
  • Senior Achievement Award
• Member, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
• Professor of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine
  • Former Acting Chair of Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine
  • Outstanding Teacher Award, 1999 and 2002
• Member, International Society of Refractive Surgeons (ISRS)
• Current Hospital Staff Appointments:
  • University of California, Irvine, Medical Center
  • Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
  • Chief of Ophthalmology, Long Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center
• Past Hospital Staff Hospital Staff Appointments:
  • Western Medical Center
  • St. Joseph's Medical Center
  • St. Mary's Medical Center
  • Long Beach Community Hospital
• Reviewer for American Journal of Ophthalmology
• Published over 50 articles and book chapters on refractive, cataract and lens implant surgery and corneal transplantation advances in major (peer-reviewed) ophthalmology journals and text books
• Over 200 presentations, lectures and courses at major meetings of ophthalmologists worldwide
• Have taught many residents and fellows refractive, corneal and cataract surgery since 1979

Additional Career Highlights

• Woodward and White's "Best Doctors in America" every year since 1996
• “Physician of Excellence" for Orange County by the Orange County Medical Association (2005-2006 and 2007-2008)
• California Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons
  • Board of Trustees (2006-present)
  • Board of Directors (2004-2007)
• Former President of the Orange County Society of Ophthalmology (2002-2004)
• Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship (1978-1979)
• Participated in medical missions in South America and Asia to improve eye care to underserved populations

Education

• Undergraduate: Cornell University, Biological Sciences
• Medical School: U.C.L.A. School of Medicine
• Residency: University of Chicago Medical Center
• Fellowship Training: Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital
  

Personal Bio

Dr. Ronald N. Gaster is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine and was Acting Chair of the Department from 1987 to 1990.

He has been honored by his peers by being selected for Woodward and White's "Best Doctors in America" every year since 1996, and was awarded the American Academy of Ophthalmology Honor Award in 1988 and the Senior Achievement Award in 2007. Dr. Gaster was recently selected to be a "Physician of Excellence" for Orange County by the Orange County Medical Association. Dr. Gaster's primary clinical and research interests are in corneal and refractive surgery, including LASIK, and small incision cataract surgery and accommodating intraocular lenses. He is currently working on the use of the femtosecond laser with corneal transplant surgery.

In 1979, Dr. Gaster was recruited to UCI directly after completing his Fellowship in Corneal and Refractive Microsurgery at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital where he had been awarded a Heed Foundation Fellowship. During his fellowship he worked with Jose I. Barraquer, M.D., the father of Refractive Surgery, at the Instituto Barraquer de America in Colombia. He helped teach the first course in Refractive Surgery given in the northern hemisphere in 1979 with Richard C. Troutman, M.D., and was a charter member of the International Society of Refractive Keratoplasty. Dr. Gaster was the first academic corneal specialist in Orange County and has trained numerous residents and fellows here while maintaining his full-time academic position at UCI.

Dr. Gaster completed his ophthalmology residency at The University of Chicago, his surgical internship at the University of California, San Diego, was awarded his M.D. from U.C.L.A. School of Medicine and received his B.A. from Cornell University. Dr. Gaster was elected President of the Orange County Society of Ophthalmology from 2002 to 2004. He travels nationally and internationally to give lectures and teach ophthalmic microsurgery. Dr. Gaster has been on several medical missions to third-world countries and has taught many ophthalmologists there advances in corneal and cataract microsurgery..

LASIK SURGEON Ronald Gaster Curriculum Vitae.

The screening process and standards used by Trusted LASIK Surgeons, can be found at:

How Are Lasik Eye Surgeons Qualified at TLS

To find a refractive specialist who has qualified to be listed at Trusted LASIK surgeons in another area, please visit:

Find a Trusted LASIK Eye Surgeon