Elegant Island Living recently had the opportunity to speak to Dr. John Imhoff, Ophthalmologist, Founder and Medical Director of SouthEast Eye, about his nearly 40 years of practice and the newly opened Laser Surgery Center. Dr. Imhoff began the conversation by admitting that he’s sentimental about his career and life’s journey. Dr. Imhoff opened his first Ophthalmic practice in 1983, here in Brunswick, just three years after graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and completing his residency at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. Dr. Imhoff is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American College of Eye Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Society of Contemporary Ophthalmology, and the Medical Association of Georgia. He is a fellow of the McGee Eye Institute and Oklahoma Eye Institute. During his career, Dr. Imhoff, with others, pioneered modern cataract surgery, and he has performed more than 80,000 of those procedures successfully to date. He says, “I love what we do, and I truly believe it’s not just a job, it’s preserving and restoring God’s precious gift of vision.”
SouthEast Eye Laser Surgery Center
SouthEast Eye, formerly known as Imhoff Eye Center, is southeast Georgia’s premier ophthalmic provider with skilled physicians and friendly staff dedicated to providing the highest quality eye care to each patient using the most sophisticated technology available. Since the practice was opened in 1983, it has expanded to serve patients in 10 different locations throughout southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. Dr. Imhoff explains that his goal is not just to provide the patient with good vision, but to provide them with the very best vision possible using the best technology available and based on the overall health of their eye. To do that, he says, “you need: 1) the best and newest physical facility, 2) the best and most technologically advanced equipment, 3) the best lasers, hardware and software, and 4) the best staff, one that is focused exclusively on surgical eyecare.”
SouthEast Eye Laser Surgery Center
Dr. Imhoff says that these three things are exactly what the new SouthEast Eye Laser Surgery Center provides. The facility at 3215 Shrine Road, Suite 8 is an outpatient surgery center dedicated entirely to ophthalmology outfitted with state-of-the-art surgery equipment and offering the highest level of infection control. They don’t do glasses; the practice is dedicated to cataract and laser surgery and laser vision correction. staff trained in laser cataract surgery, laser vision correction, laser glaucoma procedures. Dr. Imhoff and his staff are proud to work closely with a patient’s regular optometrist to provide an easy, seamless experience.
Dr. Imhoff’s many, many years of expertise include the areas of Anterior Segment Ophthalmic Microsurgery, Cataract and Intraocular Lens Surgery, Secondary Intraocular Lens Implants, Laser Surgery for Secondary Cataracts, Glaucoma Treatment, Corneal Disease Treatment, Refractive Surgery. Experienced ophthalmologist and surgeon Dr. Kent Price joined SouthEast Eye in 2019 and has more than 25 years of experience with ophthalmic producers that include Laser Vision Correction, Laser Cataract Surgery, Implantable Collamer Lenses for Myopia (ICL), Presbyopia Correction, and Glaucoma Management. Dr. Price attended medical school at Northeast Ohio Medical University and completed his residency at University of Missouri – Kansas City. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Eye Surgery. In addition, he is a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and has a faculty appointment at Mercer University College of Medicine. Together with Office Manager Jeri Harper, who’s been with Dr. Imhoff almost since the beginning, and Surgery Center Director Sandra Nemetz, RN, who brings 36 years of ophthalmology specific surgery center experience, they are unquestionably the most experienced laser eye surgery team in Georgia. Dr. Imhoff takes great pride in the fact that his staff is not only knowledgeable, but “a truly loving, caring, and nurturing team that wants to provide the best patient experience with the very best results.” When asked about his more than 40 years of practice, he responds with a chuckle, “It’s fun making people see! I could have retired by now, but it’s just so much fun to restore people’s vision!”
Dr. Imhoff has plentiful stories about restoring vision for patients who lost their sight or may not have ever been able to see properly before he performed surgery. It’s easy to believe him when he says, “It’s a passion, not just a job. I truly feel like I am doing the good Lord’s work.” He has touched numerous lives and has such a deep connection with many in the Golden Isles, including the Jones family, and he credits John Gilbert for recruiting him to come here. Retirement is far from his mind he shares as he’s driving to Kiawah to do some recruiting of his own. He says, “I’m excited about the next 10 years. This area is lacking in glaucoma specialists and retina specialists. I want to get them here. I want us to have multi-disciplinary practices here in the Golden Isles to get these subspecialities covered.” In the meantime, he is certainly doing his best using all the tools available to him to provide the highest quality eye care experience to those seeking better vision through surgery and laser correction.
SouthEast Eye welcomes new patients. For more information, call 912.267.0565 or visit southeast-eye.com. If you’re in need of vision correction, trust a team that’s laser focused on what it takes to help you see your best.
