DOCTORS of the DESERT
20/20 Care
Dr. Robert Reid McCulloch, MD of Horizon Eye Specialists & Lasik Center
THEY SAY THE EYES are the window to the soul, and for Dr. Robert Reid McCulloch of Horizon Eye Specialists & Lasik Center, the statement couldn’t be truer. A native Arizonan, McCulloch has been practicing in the Valley since 1988. After graduating from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, he completed an ophthalmology residency and a fellowship in corneal and external disease at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. But McCulloch says coming home to Arizona was an easy choice – and a career in eye care seemed to always be a natural fit. As a kid, McCulloch loved working with his hands and was fascinated by science. “My passion for good eyesight started in the fifth grade when the teacher noticed I was ‘squinting.’ An eye test let my parents know I was nearsighted,” he says. “With my first pair of glasses, suddenly I could see the leaves on the trees. But even more important – as an aspiring baseball player – I could now see a fast ball and my batting average soared! My love affair with vision took off from there.” As the senior cataract surgeon at Horizon Eye Specialists, McCulloch is responsible for mentoring other doctors. Together, McCulloch and his team have seen more than 300,000 patients for comprehensive eye care, from annual exams to LASIK, corneal transplant and glaucoma surgeries. McCulloch himself has performed more than 10,000 LASIK and refractive treatments, as well as 30,000 cataract or corneal transplant procedures. “This amount of experience helps with understanding challenging situations and how to improve patients’ lives,” he says. “Often, using cataract, LASIK or a corneal surgery, patients can have their sight corrected despite being told in the past that nothing could be done.” As a specialist in refractive surgery, he also serves as medical director for the practice’s LASIK center and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology. Beyond these credentials, Horizon Eye Specialists and McCulloch believe in “Eye Care Like No Other,” practicing a
patient-first philosophy while striving to be at the forefront of technology and surgical skills. He notes that it’s this dedication to cutting-edge technology that differentiates him from others in his field. In fact, he is the first MD in Arizona to perform the newest cataract lens exchange procedure, the Symfony intraocular lens, which is the only extended depth-of-focus lens for cataract sufferers. Truly, McCulloch’s passion and purpose is being able to give the gift of sight. “I have always felt so passionate about giving people good eyesight. Repairing damaged eyes is tremendously rewarding to me. A patient’s smile after having LASIK or after removing a cataract is beyond fulfilling. A corneal transplant changes a life forever!” And in return, he feels the effects of this gift. “I am so fortunate to have the most wonderful job any person could have,” McCulloch says. “Every day I can bring delight and happiness to people. How extraordinary is that?” TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HORIZON EYE SPECIALISTS & LASIK CENTER, CALL 602.467.4966 OR VISIT WWW.HORIZONLASERVISION.COM.