Caring Doctors.
Clearer Vision.

Rhode Island Eye Institute offers LASIK, PRK, and refractive lens exchange for adults who want to reduce their dependence on glasses or contact lenses. Dr. Elliot Perlman has performed LASIK since 1994 and works alongside Dr. Christopher Newton (refractive surgery fellowship, University of Minnesota) and Dr. Jane Cook (Bascom Palmer fellowship). A consultation with corneal topography, pachymetry, and wavefront analysis determines whether LASIK, PRK, or another option fits your eyes, prescription, and lifestyle.

• Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism correction
• LASIK and PRK with excimer and femtosecond laser platforms
• Refractive lens exchange for patients outside the LASIK range
• Limbal relaxing incisions and combined cataract-refractive procedures
• Keratoconus screening and CXL stabilization before refractive surgery
• Post-LASIK complication management and dry eye optimization

Our cornea program is led by Director of Corneal Service Dr. Elliot Perlman (the first ophthalmologist in Rhode Island to offer FDA-approved corneal cross-linking), Dr. Jane Cook (Bascom Palmer fellowship, AI corneal diagnostics research), and Dr. Christopher Newton (external disease and refractive surgery fellowship). Optometrists Dr. Paul Zerbinopoulos and Dr. Earle Scharff handle scleral and specialty contact lens fitting, so patients move smoothly between non-surgical management and surgical care.

• Keratoconus, Fuchs' dystrophy, and corneal ectasia
• Corneal cross-linking (CXL) to halt keratoconus progression
• DMEK, DSEK, and full-thickness corneal transplantation
• Pterygium excision with conjunctival graft
• Scleral and rigid gas permeable lens fitting for irregular corneas
• Corneal infections, ulcerations, and ocular surface tumors

Sudden vision loss, a new shower of floaters, flashes of light, a curtain or shadow across your sight, an eye injury, new double vision, or severe eye pain should be evaluated the same day. Our team of ophthalmologists and optometrists offers urgent slit-lamp evaluation, dilated fundus exam, and OCT imaging across all four locations. After-hours and weekend coverage is coordinated through our on-call physician.

• Flashes, new floaters, or a shadow in vision (possible retinal tear or detachment)
• Sudden, painless vision loss in one eye (possible vein or artery occlusion)
• Eye trauma, chemical splash, or persistent foreign body sensation
• Severe eye pain with redness, halos, or nausea (possible angle-closure glaucoma)
• New double vision, drooping eyelid, or unexplained pupil change
• Red eye with discharge, light sensitivity, or contact-lens-related infection

Glaucoma damages the optic nerve quietly, often without symptoms until vision is already lost, which is why early diagnosis and consistent monitoring matter. Our team includes a fellowship-trained glaucoma surgeon (Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins) and uses tonometry, gonioscopy, automated visual field testing, OCT of the optic nerve, and stereoscopic disc photography. Treatment is staged from drops to laser to surgery based on disease type and progression.

• Open-angle, angle-closure, pseudoexfoliative, and pigmentary glaucoma
• Topical medication regimens and adherence support
• Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) and laser iridotomy
• MIGS (micro-stent implants) at the time of cataract surgery
• Trabeculectomy and tube shunt surgery for advanced disease
• Combined cataract-glaucoma surgery with premium IOL options

Children's eyes change rapidly, and conditions caught early often respond better to treatment. Our pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. John Donahue (fellowship at Children's National Medical Center, PhD in microbiology and immunology, Clinical Assistant Professor at Brown) cares for infants, children, and adults with strabismus, working closely with our optometry team on myopia control, glasses, and amblyopia therapy. The South Kingstown office is set up for special needs eye care.

• Strabismus (eye misalignment) in children and adults
• Amblyopia (lazy eye) and patching therapy
• Nasolacrimal duct obstruction with probing and intubation
• Retinopathy of prematurity screening
• Pediatric cataract surgery and contact lens fitting for aphakia
• Myopia control, glasses, and developmental vision care

Dry eye is more than discomfort. Untreated, it can blur your vision, irritate your eyelids, and undermine cataract or LASIK outcomes. Our team of corneal specialists and optometrists evaluates the tear film with meibomian gland imaging, tear osmolarity, and ocular surface staining, then builds a plan that fits the cause: aqueous deficiency, evaporative dry eye, eyelid disease, or post-surgical surface dysfunction. Treatment usually combines in-office therapy with at-home routines.

• Evaporative dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)
• Aqueous-deficient dry eye and Sjogren's-related ocular surface disease
• Blepharitis and eyelid hygiene programs
• Pre and post-operative ocular surface optimization for cataract and LASIK
• Scleral and moisture-retention contact lenses for severe dry eye
• Dry eye linked to keratoconus, eyelid malposition, or thyroid eye disease