Top hospitals for retina surgery in the United States

Patients researching the top hospitals for retina surgery in the United States encounter a landscape shaped by national ranking systems, fellowship-trained surgical staffs, and the depth of active clinical research programs. The U.S. News and World Report annual Best Hospitals report evaluates more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties, and only 13% of those institutions receive any Best Hospitals designation at all. 1 Within the ophthalmology category, which directly reflects institutional strength in retinal and vitreoretinal surgery, a small cluster of academic medical centers has consistently separated itself from the broader field.

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute: The Benchmark Institution

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, part of UHealth at the University of Miami Health System, holds the No. 1 ophthalmology ranking in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals list. 2 This marks the 22nd consecutive year and the 24th overall time the institution has received this designation. 2 The scale of surgical activity at Bascom Palmer is substantial: more than 21,000 sight-saving surgeries are performed annually across five locations spanning South Florida, and nearly 300,000 patients are served by a 1,200-member team of specialists, researchers, and technicians each year. 3 The institute's director, Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., has noted a deliberate focus on emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and predictive analytics as tools for more personalized diagnostics and treatment planning in retinal disease. 3

Among its faculty, Dr. Audina M. Berrocal is a globally recognized pediatric retina specialist and was the first surgeon to treat a patient in the United States with the first FDA-approved gene therapy for Leber's congenital amaurosis. 4 Dr. Luis J. Haddock, Associate Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and fellowship director at Bascom Palmer Palm Beach Gardens, specializes in vitreoretinal and macular diseases surgery with research focused on mobile retina imaging and telemedicine-based diagnosis. 5 These faculty profiles illustrate why Bascom Palmer functions as a national referral destination for the most complex retinal cases.

Wills Eye Hospital and Mid Atlantic Retina: Philadelphia's Specialty Network

Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia is one of the oldest and most prestigious specialty eye hospitals in the United States, consistently ranked among the top institutions by U.S. News and World Report. 6 Mid Atlantic Retina, whose physicians serve as the principal faculty at Wills Eye Hospital, operates with 30 physicians across 22 locations and maintains four dedicated research centers. 7 The retina specialists affiliated with Wills Eye are credited with pioneering several current standard-of-care treatments for diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, and they continue to lead research into new diagnostics and surgical techniques. 7

The clinical depth at this network extends to ocular oncology, pediatric retinal care, and inherited retinal diseases, which are subspecialties that require particularly advanced surgical skill sets. Dr. Justis P. Ehlers, a vitreoretinal surgeon at the Cole Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic who completed his residency and fellowship training at Wills Eye and Duke, respectively, has acknowledged the foundational training environment at Wills Eye as central to building surgical competency in complex retinal cases. 8

Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins: Research-Driven Vitreoretinal Care

The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore is broadly recognized among the top ophthalmology programs in the nation, with particular strength in vitreoretinal surgery and advanced clinical research. 9 Dr. J. Fernando Arevalo, Edmund F. and Virginia Ball Professor of Ophthalmology and chairman of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, has personally performed more than 10,000 retinal detachment operations and has led clinical research advancing treatments for complex retinal detachments, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. 10 Dr. Adrienne Scott, Fred M. Leader Family Retina Professor at Wilmer, treats the full spectrum of vitreoretinal medical and surgical diseases and received the Ocular Innovation Award and clinical excellence awards during her Duke University Eye Center residency. 11

The institutional research infrastructure at Wilmer supports active clinical trials across retinal degenerative diseases, making it a recognized destination for patients seeking access to investigational therapies alongside standard surgical care. Johns Hopkins physicians also hold active roles in training the next generation of vitreoretinal surgeons, contributing to the long-term pipeline of retinal surgical expertise nationally. 9

Massachusetts Eye and Ear: Harvard-Affiliated Retinal Surgery

Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, is a globally recognized leader in treating retinal conditions and performing complex vitreous surgery. 12 Dr. John B. Miller, a retinal specialist at Mass Eye and Ear through Mass General Brigham, maintains an active surgical practice focused on retinal detachment repair including complex cases related to proliferative vitreoretinopathy and traumatic injuries, macular holes, and epiretinal membranes. His research program at the Ines and Frederick Yeatts Retina Research Laboratory explores pathogenesis mechanisms in age-related macular degeneration and advanced retinal imaging technologies. 13 Dr. Lucia Sobrin, also at Mass Eye and Ear, serves as Associate Director of the Retina Service and Director of the Morse Laser Center, with specialized expertise in autoimmune retinopathy and cancer-associated retinopathy. 14

The Mass Eye and Ear retinal program benefits from direct integration with the broader Harvard academic medical ecosystem, enabling rapid translation of laboratory findings into clinical protocols. Dr. Magdalena G. Krzystolik, Site Director at Mass Eye and Ear Providence, focuses on anti-angiogenic treatments for retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusions, and holds a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School. 15

Cole Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic and University of Iowa: Midwest Centers of Excellence

The Cole Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic has developed a nationally recognized vitreoretinal surgery program anchored by Dr. Sunil K. Srivastava, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, who has co-authored more than 325 peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 300 invited lectures worldwide. 8 Dr. Srivastava has received the Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Senior Honor and Presidential Awards from the American Society of Retina Specialists, reflecting the breadth of his contributions to the field. 8 Dr. Justis P. Ehlers at the same institute holds the Norman C. and Donna L. Harbert Endowed Chair of Ophthalmic Research and directs a center focused on image-guided surgery and advanced retinal imaging. 16

The University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences ranked No. 6 in the country for ophthalmology care in the 2025 to 2026 U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals rankings, and its residency training program was ranked No. 3 nationally by Doximity's Residency Navigator based on peer nominations from current and former residents. 17 The department functions as a national referral center for complex ophthalmic cases and has built a nearly 100-year tradition of clinical innovation and surgical training in the Midwest. 17

Additional Nationally Recognized Programs and Evaluation Criteria

Emory Eye Center at Emory University in Atlanta, John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah (ranked among the Top 10 Best Hospitals for Ophthalmology by U.S. News and World Report and the largest eye center in the Mountain West with more than 40 specialists), and the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan round out a broader group of institutions with documented strength in retinal and vitreoretinal surgery. 18 Dr. Jiong Yan at Emory Eye Center directs the inherited retinal disease unit and serves as vitreoretinal surgery fellowship director, specializing in age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and retinal degenerative diseases. 19 Newsweek's America's Leading Doctors 2025 rankings in the retina surgery category also identified surgeons affiliated with institutions including Rush University Medical Center, Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, and Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital as nationally recognized practitioners. 20

Patients evaluating retinal surgery programs should consider several objective criteria beyond published rankings. Fellowship training in vitreoretinal diseases is a standard credential among surgeons at top-tier centers. Institutional participation in clinical trials signals ongoing engagement with investigational therapies for conditions such as inherited retinal dystrophies, advanced macular degeneration, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Surgical volume, the availability of minimally invasive vitrectomy techniques, subspecialty depth in areas such as pediatric retina, ocular oncology, and uveitis, and access to advanced imaging technologies such as swept-source optical coherence tomography are all meaningful factors when assessing program quality. Geographic proximity, insurance network participation, and referral pathways from primary eye care providers also affect access to these programs in practical terms.

Sources

1. Ophthalmology Times - ophthalmologytimes.com
2. PR Newswire / UHealth University of Miami Health System - prnewswire.com
3. INVISIONMAG.COM - invisionmag.com
4. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute / UHealth - bascompalmer-doctors.umiamihealth.org
5. UHealth University of Miami Health System - doctors.umiamihealth.org
6. Wills Eye Hospital - willseye.org
7. Mid Atlantic Retina / Wills Eye Physicians - midatlanticretina.com
8. Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute - providers.clevelandclinic.org
9. Johns Hopkins Medicine Wilmer Eye Institute - hopkinsmedicine.org
10. Johns Hopkins Medicine - profiles.hopkinsmedicine.org (Arevalo)
11. Johns Hopkins Medicine - profiles.hopkinsmedicine.org (Scott)
12. Mass Eye and Ear / Mass General Brigham - masseyeandear.org
13. Mass General Brigham - doctors.massgeneralbrigham.org (Miller)
14. Mass General Brigham - doctors.massgeneralbrigham.org (Sobrin)
15. Mass General Brigham - doctors.massgeneralbrigham.org (Krzystolik)
16. Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute - providers.clevelandclinic.org (Ehlers)
17. University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences - eye.medicine.uiowa.edu
18. John A. Moran Eye Center / University of Utah Health - healthcare.utah.edu
19. Emory Healthcare - providers.emoryhealthcare.org
20. Newsweek America's Leading Doctors 2025 - rankings.newsweek.com