Dr. Lee R. Katzman

Lee R. Katzman, M.D. is a board certified cornea specialist and active Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He was raised in Tampa, FL. and graduated from high school earning the esteemed International Baccalaureate Degree. Attending the University of Miami, FL on scholarship, he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Business Administration. He earned his Medical Degree from The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (Chicago, IL). Dr. Katzman then completed his Internship in Internal Medicine at the Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, IL) where he was honored with the coveted “Intern of the Year” award. He then moved to the Washington D.C. area to complete his ophthalmology residency training at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the internationally recognized U.M. Shock Trauma Center. He then pursued subspecialty fellowship training in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery at the prestigious USC Roski Eye Institute in Los Angeles, CA, an eye hospital ranked in the top ten nationwide for over 20 years.

Throughout his career, Dr. Katzman has been fortunate to have been trained by national leaders and top surgeons here in the U.S. He has presented his research at regional and national conferences and has been published in several ophthalmology journals. He was also involved in the FDA trials for corneal collagen cross-linking before it was FDA approved in the U.S. in 2016. Upon moving to the area, Dr. Katzman quickly became the premier cataract & LASIK surgeon of San Diego. He has performed thousands of refractive surgical procedures and has been honored with the award of San Diego Top Doctors multiple times, as presented by the San Diego County Medical Society and San Diego Magazine. He has also received the 2021 Sharp Healthcare CORE Pillars of Excellence award, a designation that only 7 out of 18,000+ employees and physicians are honored with per year.

Dr. Katzman brings with him the ability to manage and treat the most complex of ocular conditions and is well-versed in the newest technological advancements. His interests include Cataracts, LASIK, Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy, Keratoconus, Corneal Ectasias, and Severe Dry Eyes. In addition to performing laser-assisted cataract surgery and LASIK, Dr. Katzman has vast experience in repairing melting, perforated, and diseased corneas with corneal transplants of all varieties. He is proficient in Refractive Cataract Surgery, LASIK, PRK, PTK, phakic IOLs, as well as corneal surgeries including PK, DALK, INTACS, DSEK, DMEK and cross-linking.

What truly sets Dr. Katzman apart, however, is his bedside manner and that he puts patient safety first and foremost. A mentor instilled in him, “you can train a monkey to do surgery, but knowing when NOT to operate makes you a true physician and surgeon.” He ensures each and every patient is comfortable every step of the way.

Dr. Katzman is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Coloboma of Optic Papilla. His top areas of expertise are Coloboma of Optic Papilla, Coloboma of Optic Nerve, Cataract, Corneal Transplant, and Cataract Removal.

His clinical research consists of co-authoring 6 peer reviewed articles. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years.