By Jim Bloom, Administrator
Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado

The fellowship-trained ophthalmologists at the Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado (ECCNC) invested a year or two in additional training in order to serve patients’ specific medical needs.

Joel S. Meyers, MD, and William L. Benedict, MD, the group’s two guiding partners, both completed fellowships before moving to Longmont in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Dr. Meyers completed a fellowship in cosmetic and reconstructive eye plastic surgery (frequently referred to as oculofacial plastics) while Dr. Benedict completed a vitreoretinal fellowship (the medical and surgical management of diseases of the retina and vitreous). In the years since, they have recruited other fellowship-trained ophthalmologists to join the group.

After completing the rigors of college and four years of medical school, our physicians went through a one-year internship followed by a three-year residency in ophthalmology.

Additionally, after residency, our doctors applied for acceptance to a fellowship in one of the subspecialty fields of ophthalmology, such as retina, glaucoma, cornea and refractive surgery, oculofacial plastics, and ocular oncology. These programs are highly selective and require an additional level of professional commitment to continuing education during which the advanced medical and surgical training takes place. The fellowship also involves performing research, and teaching both ophthalmology residents and medical students.

ECCNC is very proud of our fellowship trained sub-specialists. In addition to Drs. Meyers and Benedict, other subspecialists in our group are:

In the end, ECCNC patients benefit from this extra training. If you suffer a retina detachment, experience increasing eye pressure, need a cornea transplant or reconstructive facial surgery, by seeking out a fellowship trained surgeon, you will see a doctor with additional specialized training to treat your potentially complex medical condition.