Our Doctors

Eric Donnenfeld, M.D., F.A.C.S.

As Medical Director of TLC Garden City and Co-Director of the NY Metropolitan area, Dr. Donnenfeld is responsible for guiding all affiliate doctors on clinical issues.

Dr. Donnenfeld is the Co-Director of the Cornea Department at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York, and Co-Director of the External Disease/Cornea Department at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, New York. He is the Surgical Director of the Lions Eye Bank for Long Island at the North Shore University Hospital and is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University Medical College.

Dr. Donnenfeld has been one of the principal FDA investigators of the Excimer Laser Study for Corneal Disease at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. In addition, he has written over 90 scientific papers and books on corneal disease and refractive surgery. Dr. Donnenfeld has delivered lectures throughout the United States and abroad on refractive surgery and is considered a international authority on the subject.

Dr. Eric Donnenfeld has performed over 20,000 procedures to date including over 1500 procedures on fellow doctors and their families. Over 250 eye doctors and their family members, from all over the United States, have chosen Dr. Eric Donnenfeld for their laser vision correction. Dr. Donnenfeld has been performing laser vision correction surgery for almost 13 years, over twice as long as any other surgeon on Long Island.

Richard Nattis, M.D., FAAO

After graduating New York Medical College, Dr. Nattis completed his Ophthalmology residency training at St. Vincent's Hospital Medical Center in New York. He now specializes in Cataract, Refractive and Eye Laser surgery and is medical director of Lindenhurst Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Nattis has been recognized in the book titled, "How to Find the Best Doctors in the Tri-State Area" for the past five years. He has also been awarded the Physicians Recognition Award by the AMA. Dr. Nattis is actively involved in teaching both medical students and practicing physicians on a regular basis.

Dr. Nattis lectures regularly to community groups as well as writing articles for many newspapers and magazines.

Dr. Nattis was appointed to the position of Chief of the Department of Ophthalmology at Good Samaritan Hospital in 1991. Additionally, the Board of Directors of the Eye Bank of New York has appointed Dr. Nattis Clinical Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology. In addition, to being Board-Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, Dr. Nattis is a member of the following Medical societies:

• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• American society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
• N.Y. State Ophthalmological Society
• Suffolk County Ophthalmological Society
• Medical Society of the State of New York
• Long Island Ophthalmology Society
• American Medical Association
• American Diabetes Association

Dr. Nattis has been performing laser refractive surgery since the FDA had approved it in 1995. He has performed thousands of laser procedures and is a specialist in microsurgery of the eye. He is certified to use both the VISX and Ladarvision Flying Spot Tracking Laser. His patients, many of whom are doctors and their families, have enjoyed consistently excellent outcomes with laser refractive surgery.

Visit Dr. Nattis at www.livisioncorrection.com.

John R. Wittpenn, Jr. M.D.

Wittpenn has been a TLC staff laser surgeon since 1996. He is committed to providing his patients with the latest, up-to-date laser vision correction services and techniques available.

TLC is dedicated to providing its staff surgeons with state-of-the art equipment and training. This merger of dedicated professionals was one of the many reasons Dr. Wittpenn joined the TLC network of physicians.

Accomplishments
Dr. Wittpenn is the leading refractive surgeon and corneal specialist in Suffolk County. Dr. Wittpenn had been performing refractive surgery for over twelve years and has been performing laser vision correction longer than anyone in Suffolk County. Dr. Wittpenn and his partner, Dr. Eric Donnenfeld, have performed laser surgery on more doctors than any other ophthalmologists in New York.

Dr. Wittpenn has served as medical monitor for the FDA as a clinical investigator for ocular drug studies. He has published many scientific periodicals and lectures nationwide on ophthalmic issues. Dr. Wittpenn maintains many research interests including work in corneal infectious diseases, dry eye and the delivery of cataract surgery in Third World countries including Morocco, India, Nepal and Indonesia. He holds three patents for ophthalmic products licensed worldwide.

Memberships/Education
Dr. Wittpenn is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is an active member of many professional organizations. For the past eleven years he was director of cornea and cataract surgery at S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook. Dr. Wittpenn received his undergraduate degree summa cum laude in biophysics from Amherst College in Massachusetts. He obtained his Doctorate of Medicine from the John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained at the Wilmer Eye Institute for his specialty training in ophthalmology. Following his residency, he went to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard University of Boston, for a year of fellowship training.

Debi Pian, O.D.

Dr. Pian is the clinical director at TLC-Garden City, NY. Dr. Pian has successfully counseled and managed thousands of laser vision correction patients. She works alongside our medical director in determining patient candidacy, as well as calculating surgical outcomes.