General Practitioners

• Primary Care
  Appointments are available 7:30 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday and occasional Saturday appointments. Whenever possible, new patient consultations should be arranged through your primary eye doctor, with the approval of your primary care physician if required by your insurance. We limit our practice to diseases and surgery of the retina and do not prescribe glasses or contact lenses. Upon your arrival in our office, the Tennessee Retina staff will enter or update your registration and insurance information. To avoid delays, it is very important that you have your insurance card(s) and photo ID with you. You may also choose to obtain and fill out your registration forms prior to your arrival. To print your forms now, please click here.

Ophthalmologists

• Glaucoma
  Glaucoma patients may have an angle test done at the slip lamp before dilation. The angle test done before dilation is important for glaucoma patients to make sure it is safe to be dilated. This angle test is typically performed by the doctor. You will always get your pressure checked before dilation. This is also a safety feature before you are dilated. If your pressure in the eye is elevated, the technician will check with the doctor or clinic to make sure you are safe to be dilated.
• Ophthalmology
  The physicians of Tennessee Retina are Everton L. Arrindell, M.D., Carl C. Awh, M.D., Brandon G. Busbee, M.D., Kenneth P. Moffat, M.D., Franco M. Recchia, M.D., David A. Reichstein, M.D., Eric W. Schneider, M.D., Peter L. Sonkin, M.D., Akshay S. Thomas, M.D. and R. Trent Wallace, M.D. Our ten experienced, board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians are active in local, national, and international ophthalmologic and vitreoretinal professional societies. Based on the 2018 Best Hospitals Rankings in US News and World Report, all of the physicians at Tennessee Retina completed their residency and/or fellowship training at one the top 10 Ophthalmology programs in the country.
• Macular Degeneration
  Dr. Awh’s special interests include macular surgery, macular degeneration, and the development of surgical devices and techniques. He is an active investigator in industry-sponsored and National Eye Institute-sponsored clinical trials, holds twelve U.S. patents for retinal surgical devices and treatments, and has designed dozens of instruments in widespread use by vitreoretinal surgeons. He is a consultant to numerous ophthalmic companies and has lectured in over twenty countries and on every continent (except Antarctica!). He serves on the Executive Committee and is a past President of the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is a past member of the board of EURETINA, the European Retina Society.
• Cataracts
  A B Scan Ocular Ultrasound can be used to discover a wide range of pathological anatomy. A doctor will order a b scan to be performed for multiple reasons. Some of these reasons for a b scan would include retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, dense cataract and tumors. A vitreous hemorrhage or dense cataract for example, will obscure the view for the doctor.  This test will allow the doctor to have a better view of the posterior portion of your eye to evaluate the area of concern. A b scan will allow the doctor to view the back of the eye to make sure the patient does not have a retinal detachment or other abnormal pathologies.
• Eye Exam
  Dilation is an important factor to your comprehensive eye exam at Tennessee Retina. At almost every visit, both of your eyes are usually dilated if you are scheduled for a comprehensive retina exam. Dilation allows the doctor to have a good, full view to the back of the eye. This view will include your retina and optic nerve. Dilated pupils are necessary for the doctor to look into your eye more completely in the exam room and are important for clearer imaging that may need to be performed at your visit. With your pupils dilated, the doctor has a better view to the back of your eye to assess the health of your eye and make a diagnosis.

Internists

• Internal Medicine

Psychiatrists

• Anxiety

Endocrinologist

• Diabetes Care
• Diabetic Retinopathy
  Dr. Schneider's clinical and research interests include medical and surgical treatments of macular disease, complicated retinal detachment, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy.  Much of his previous research focuses on diseases of the vitreoretinal interface and novel applications of ophthalmic imaging technology.

Radiologist

• Ultrasound
  Your physician will then perform a thorough ophthalmologic and vitreoretinal examination. If necessary, additional diagnostic testing will then be done. This may include retinal photography, fluorescein angiography, ocular ultrasound and visual field testing.
• X-Rays
• Chemotherapy
  Ocular Lymphomas will not heal on their own and will require treatment. If PIOL is indicated a biopsy will be performed to confirm the diagnosis before treatment. Initial therapy options include methotrexate chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the brain and the eye. The methotrexate chemotherapy is an intravitreal treatment. The methotrexate is injected into the eye.
• Radiation Therapy
  The pictures below represent an actual patient of Dr Reichstein's who was diagnosed with a Choroidal Melanoma. The recommendation for treatment was that the patient proceed with Plaque Brachytherapy. At Tennessee Retina, we perform plaque brachytherapy regularly with excellent rates of tumor control and globe salvage (the ability to keep the eye). Brachytherapy is a broad term used to define the application of radiation directly to a particular body part or tissue. This patient elected to proceed with Radiation therapy. The patient was then scheduled to see a Radiation Oncologist following the diagnosis. The Radiation Oncologist will design a plaque for the individual patient. This plaque will be placed on the melanoma during the surgery performed by Dr Reichstein.

Dermatologists

• Skin Cancer
  We have our own oncology team here at TN Retina. Our team is considered one of the largest and most active Ocular Oncology services in the country.  Dr. David Reichstein is the director of our Ocular Oncology Service. He is both a vitreoretinal surgeon and an ocular oncologist. He serves along with oncology coordinators Anderson Brock and Holly Lamb to provide exemplary service to the patient. The oncology team will put together the best treatment plan for your specific diagnosis and be alongside of you.
• Lesions
  This is a prospective multicenter, group-matched study of patients with primary indeterminate lesions or choroidal melanoma who receive treatment with belzupacap sarotalocan (bel-sar; AU-011) and patients who are planned to receive standard of care (SOC) treatment with plaque radiotherapy (plaque) to compare the visual outcomes of AU-011 and plaque radiotherapy.
• Burns