RICHARD A. WOLITZ, M.D.

Dr. Wolitz is a comprehensive ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery and HIV-related eye problems. He is the Site Director for the ophthalmology residency program.  He is a brilliant cataract surgeon. 

My vision had deteriorated to the point of being legally blind.  I could still see shapes but everything was in triplicate and I had lost the entire range of red and blue in the color spectrum.  Cataracts are amber and turn everything to yellow.  After the surgery, not only could I see a hummingbird in the tree a half a block from my back porch, I could again see the sunset and relish periwinkle blue and magenta.  Those really are my favorite colors and I was in blissful heaven to see them again.  When I first went out into the park to paint after surgery I was completely overwhelmed.  My fingers froze and I couldn't even begin to make a single mark because of the immensity of seeing so much beauty all around me.  The only thing I could do was get a camera and start photographing as much of it as I could.  My digital camera counter is currently at 6,000.  Sunrises and sunsets, flowers, trees, rocks, hillsides, ocean waves, the reflection of light in tide pools, it just goes on and on and on!

Thank you Dr. Wolitz!  My photography is dedicated to you.

Biography

Having operated on several thousand fruit flies in a Johns Hopkins biology lab through my undergraduate years, when later faced with deciding which medical specialty to pursue, small-incision cataract surgery seemed a good fit. With the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco came new eye problems which began my interest in clinical drug and device research, and with the help of colleagues in the field, I co-founded the International Ocular HIV Study Group which provides a forum for those treating this group of diseases. As local director of the residency training program in Ophthalmology and as an examiner for oral board certification I am invested in the next generation of eye surgeons, which makes me feel really old! When not busy with my practice, I enjoy piano, musical composition, theatre, and jogging.

Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University
Professional Affiliations: San Francisco Medical Society; International Ocular HIV Study Group

If you wish to make a donation to vision care, his foundation of choice, because they are dedicated to Resident Education, is:

Pacific Vision Foundation at 2395 Sacramento Street, 2nd level, San Francisco, CA 94115.