Eye Institute
UW Medicine Eye Institute  

 At the UW Medicine Eye Institute, our mission dovetails with our passion: To improve patients’ vision.

We provide comprehensive care for people with glaucoma, cataracts, and diseases of the retina, cornea, orbit and nerves. Our surgeons also perform refractive and oculofacial plastic (cosmetic and traumatic) procedures.

Our dedicated physicians, surgeons and researchers care for patients in the new Ninth & Jefferson Building at Harborview Medical Center, just off Interstate 5 on Seattle’s First Hill. Patients can park conveniently in the building’s underground garage. Institute physicians and staff will continue to treat patients at the Eye Center at UW Medical Center, as well.

Eyes on James is our full-service optical shop located at street level in the Ninth & Jefferson Building at the intersection of James Street and Terry Avenue. The shop offers eye exams, specialty glasses and contact lenses. For additional information, call 206.897.4774.

First-time customers can receive 20 percent off frames and lenses>

Whether your eye problem is simple or complex, the UW Medicine Eye Institue looks forward to offering you first-rate service and terrific results.
Featured Article
Treatment Options for an Aging Face

What can surgeons do?

Surgeons’ job is to elevate and reposition tissue, and to try to enhance facial volume or restore an appearance changed by time. Such improved effects can be achieved with injections of body-friendly materials and with surgical procedures. In either case, the surgeon's experience and technique are vital to his ability to customize procedures to individuals'... Read more
In The News

Macular Degeneration and the Latest in Eye Care  January 20, 2008

What You Need to Know About LASIK and Cataract Surgery  October 29, 2005

Featured Provider
Russell N. Van Gelder, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Van Gelder is the UW Boyd K. Bucey Professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Van Gelder is a clinician-scientist. His primary ...
View full bio
Featured Video
Refractive Eye Surgery
Laser eye surgery allows many people to enjoy life without glasses. At UW Medical Center's Refractive Surgery Center, Dr. Tueng T. Shen and her University of Washington team offer the latest form of this surgery, called LASEK. This procedure can be done without cutting a flap in the cornea, as the older and more familiar LASIK surgery did, which means less chance for complications in the future. We profile three patients who have had or are preparing to have this procedure, including the contact lens trials that will allow them to choose the best level of correction for their own lifestyles.