Jimmy K. Lee, M.D. is an international leader in the field of laser vision correction, cataract surgery, customized corneal transplants, ocular surface surgery, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), and anterior segment reconstruction.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Lee obtained his medical degree from Cornell University. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Albert Einstein Montefiore Medical Center and Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery Fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Wilmer Eye Institute.

As former Director of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service at Yale University Hospital in New Haven, CT (2008-2012) and at Montefiore Medical Center in New York (2013-2021), Dr. Lee performed vision enhancing laser surgeries, restorative cataract and corneal transplantation surgeries to countless patients in the Northeast region of the United States. He has been recognized by Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctors, New York Magazine Top Doctors and Top Doctors New York Metro Area perennially by fellow ophthalmologists. As a member of the Admissions Committee and as an Associate Professor at the Yale School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Lee trained and mentored generations of medical students and residents, many of whom are on faculty of prestigious ophthalmological institutions today. In 2021, he was voted as the best surgical teaching professor by ophthalmology residents.

In addition to providing the most innovative clinical care, Dr. Lee conducts research on nanoparticle drug delivery, artificial intelligence in cataract surgery, multiphoton microscopy for collagen imaging, computer vision syndrome, ocular surface disease, and limbal stem cell deficiency. His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, abstracts, and he has lectured extensively on these topics nationally and internationally. He is on the editorial boards of many peer-reviewed ophthalmological journals and is the Associate Managing Editor of the American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports.

Dr. Lee is one of seven members of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern Committee for refractive surgery- an expert panel that establishes guidelines for refractive surgeons in providing optimal patient care based on the best available scientific data.

He is excited to bring his expertise back to the patients of his home state of California. In his spare time, he relishes adventurous international travel with his wife and son and exploration of new cultures.

EDUCATION

• 1998 Bachelor of Arts, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

• 2003 Doctor of Medicine, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

• 2004 Internship, Department of Internal Medicine, New York Hospital, Flushing, NY

• 2007 Residency, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

FELLOWSHIPS

• 2008 Fellow in Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery; Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD

BOARD CERTIFICATION

• 2010 American Board of Ophthalmology

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• American Academy of Ophthalmology

• American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

• Vanguard Ophthalmological Society

• Refractive Surgery Alliance

​​​​​​​UNIVERSITY & HOSPITAL POSITIONS

• Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Montefiore Medical Center

• Director of Cornea, Refractive Surgery, and External Diseases, Yale Eye Center, New Haven, CT

• Assistant Director of Medical Studies, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

• Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

• Ulug AZ, Truong TN, Filippi CG, Lee JK, Yang C, Souweidane MM, Zimmerman RD. Diffusion Imaging in Obstructive Hydrocephalus. Am J Neuroradiology. 2003 June-July;24(6):1171-6.

• Spaide RF, Lee JK, Klancnik JK, Gross NE. Optical Coherence Tomography of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion. Retina. 2003 June;23(3):343-7.

• Lee JK, Stark WJ. Anesthetic Keratopathy after Photorefractive Keratectomy. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. 2008 Oct;34(10):1803-5.

• Lee JK, Eghrari AO, Desai NR, Stark WJ, Gottsch JD. Presoaking Donor Corneas Reduces Graft Detachment Rates in Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty. Am J Ophthalmol. 2008 Dec 4

• Lee JK, Nkyekyer EW, Chuck RS. Microkeratome Complications. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 2009, 20:260-263.

• Mozayan E, Lee JK. Update on astigmatism management. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 2014, 25(4):286-90.

• Lee JK, Chuck RS. Changing trends in keratorefractive surgery. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 2014, 25(4):249-50.

• Roh HC, Chuck RS, Lee JK, Park CY. The effect of corneal irregularity on astigmatism measurement by automated versus ray tracing keratometry. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Apr;94(13):e677.

• Lee JK, Nguyen VQ, Chuck RS. Macroscopic and microscopic view of refractive surgery today. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 2015 Jul;26(4):241-2.

• Lee JK, Chuck RS, Park CY. Femtosecond laser refractive surgery: small-incision lenticule extraction vs femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 2015 Jul;26(4):260-4.

• Lim CY, Kim SH, Chuck RS, Lee JK, Park CY. Risk Factors for Pterygium in Korea: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V, 2010-2012. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Aug;94(32):e1258.

• Park, CY, Lee JK, Chuck RS. Second Harmonic Generation Imaging Analysis of Collagen Arrangement in Human Cornea. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015 Aug;56(9):5622-9.

• Park CY, Lee JK, Gore PK, Lim CY, Chuck RS. Keratoplasty in the United States: a 10 Year Review from 2005 to 2014. Ophthalmology. 2015 Dec;122(12):2432-42.

• Park CY, Lee JK, Zhang C, Chuck RS. New Details of the Human Corneal Limbus revealed with Second Harmonic Generation Imaging. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015 Sep;56(10):6058-66.

• Roh HC, Lee JK, Kim M, Oh JH, Chang MW, Chuck RS, Park CY. Systemic Comorbidities of Dry Eye Syndrome: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V, 2010 to 2012. Cornea. 2016 Feb;35(2):187-92.

• Park CY, Lee JK, Kahook MY, Schultz JS, Zhang C, Chuck RS. Revisiting Ciliary Muscle Tendons and Their Connections With the Trabecular Meshwork by Two Photon Excitation Microscopic Imaging. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Mar 1;57(3):1096-105.

• Lee JK. New Contenders and Revisiting the Familiar in an Election Year. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2016 Jul;27(4):275-6.

• Kwon JW, Cho KJ, Kim HK, Lee JK, Gore PK, McCartney MD, Chuck RS. Analysis of Factors Affecting Endothelial Cell Density in an Eye Bank Corneal Donor Database. Cornea. 2016 Sep;35(9):1206-10.

• Park CY, Marando CM, Liao JA, Lee JK, Kwon J, Chuck RS. Details of the Collagen and Elastin Architecture in the Human Limbal Conjunctiva, Tenon’s Capsule and Sclera Revealed by Two-Photon Excited Fluorescence Microscopy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Oct 1;57(13):5602-5610.

• Park JH, Jeong H, Hong J, Chang M, Kim M, Chuck RS, Lee JK, Park CY. The Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Human Corneal Epithelial Cells. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 23;6:37762.

• Marando CM, Park CY, Liao JA, Lee JK, Chuck RS. Revisiting the Cornea and Trabecular Meshwork Junction With 2-Photon Excitation Fluorescence Microscopy. Cornea. 2017 Jun;36(6):704-711

• Jeong J, Song H, Lee JK, Chuck RS, Kwon JW. The effect of ocular biometric factors on the accuracy of various IOL power calculation formulas. BMC Ophthalmol. 2017 May 2;17(1):62.

• Kim DJ, Chuck RS, Lee JK, Park CY. Reversible opacification of hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens- two cases report. BMC Ophthalmol. 2017 Jun 30;17(1):111.

• Kim DJ, Lee JK, Chuck RS, Park CY. Low recurrence rate of anchored conjunctival rotation flap technique in pterygium surgery. BMC Ophthalmol. 2017 Oct 10;17(1):187.

• Park CY, Lee JK, Chuck RS. Ultra-Wide-Field Imaging of Spontaneously Dislocated Aphakic Soemmering Ring. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017 Dec 14;135(12).

• Chuck RS, Jacobs DS, Lee JK, Afshari NA, Vitale S, Shen TT, Keenan JD; American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern Refractive Management/Intervention Panel. Ophthalmology. 2018 Jan;125(1):P1-P104.

• Park CY, Lee JK, Chuck RS. Toxic anterior segment syndrome- an updated review. BMC Ophthalmol. 2018 Oct 25;18(1):276

• Jin SX, Lee JK. Refractive Surgical Corrective Options After Cataract Surgery. Ann Eye Sci. 2019;4:12

• Park SE, Tseng M, Lee JK. Effectiveness of intracorneal ring segments for Keratoconus. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2019 Jul;30(4):220-8.

• Akella S, Chuck RS., Lee JK. Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty for Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy after previous radial keratotomy. American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports. 2019 Jun 28;15:100503.

• Jeong J, Fay JD, Lee JK, Chuck RS, Kwon JW. The 3-year outcomes of corneal tattooing for severely disfigured corneas. Int Ophthalmol. 2020 Mar 21

• Siddiqui AA, Ladas JG, Lee JK. Artificial intelligence in cornea, refractive, and cataract surgery. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2020 Jul;31(4):253-260.

Books, Chapters in Books, and Review Articles

• Lee JK. Conjunctiva, Cornea, Sclera. Oxford American Handbook of Ophthalmology. Oxford University Press, Inc., 2011

• Huang S, Chuck RS, Lee JK. Limbal Dermoids. Mastering Corneal Surgery. SLACK Inc., 2014

• Jwo K, Kwon J, Wiley W, Lee JK. Preoperative Testing for Refractive Cataract Surgery. Premium Cataract Surgery, Second Edition. SLACK Inc., 2015

• Gills JP, Hill WE, Koch DD, Lee JK, Tsai LM. Astigmatism Correction. Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today. 2010 August;10(8):29-32.

• Consultation Section. Lee JK. Edited by Sonia Yoo. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. 2010

• Consultation Section. Lee JK. Post-PRK Haze. Edited by Marcony Santhiago. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. 2016 Jun;42(6):940-941.

• Refractive Surgery for Keratoconus. Lee JK. ASCRS EyeWorld. September 2013

• Dry Eye Syndrome. Lee JK. ABC NEWS. September 5, 2013

• Corneal Haze after Epi-LASIK. Lee JK. Consultation Section. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2014 Dec;(40)12:2163-2164.

• Trends and Predictions for Refractive Surgery Volume. Lee JK. In Your Head. Millennial Eye Jan/Feb 2015.

• Significant haze after photo refractive keratectomy in a cornea with previous arcuate keratotomy. Lee JK. Consultation Section. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2016 Jun

• Femtosecond Laser versus Manual Technique in Ophthalmic Surgery. Lee JK. Editorial. Pak J Ophthalmol 2016, Vol. 32, No. 3

• Editorial. Lee JK. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2017 Jul;28(4):297-298.

• Dangers of Cosmetic Contact Lenses. Lee JK. News 12 (Brooklyn NY, NJ). October 25, 2017

• Ocular Surface Disease in Patients with Psoriasis. Lee JK. ASCRS EyeWorld. May 2018

• Editorial: Shift in Power. Lee JK. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2018 Jul;29(4):275-276.

• Cataracts: what to know, what to look for, and how to treat them. Lee JK. US News and World Report “For Better” (In Press)

• Editorial: The New Normal for Refractive Surgery. Jin SX, Lee JK. Cure Opin Ophthalmol. 2020 Jul;31(4):223-224.