The Practice:

Kerry K. Assil, M.D., is the international medical director of Aris Laser Vision, Inc. He's also director and CEO of the Sinskey Eye Institute.

Locations:

Aris Laser Vision has 30 centers worldwide; Dr. Assil works out of the Aris Vision Institute in Santa Monica, Calif. The Sinskey Eye Institute is in Santa Monica as well.

He assumed leadership of Sinskey Eye Institute after Dr. Sinskey's recent retirement. The Institute conducts numerous clinical trials, including trials of laser cataract removal procedures.

Practice Summary:

At Aris Vision, Dr. Assil staffs eight employees.

The Sinskey Eye Institute employs about 30 people. They include an optician, two optometrists and nine ophthalmologists. Three of the opthalmol- ogists are in fellowship training.

Surgical Focus:

At Aris Vision, Dr. Assil performs refractive surgery.

The Sinskey Eye Institute is a multi-subspecialty practice. The breakdown of cases is as follows: 30% refractive, 25% cataracts, 20% cosmetic and 5% glaucoma. The remaining 20% includes external disease, low vision, medical retina, clinical trials and general eye surgery.

Preferred Instruments:

"We use two VISX Star S2 excimer lasers," says Dr. Assil. "However, we're evaluating other technology."

Dr. Assil and his staff also use the Hansatome microkeratome, the Moria Carriazo-Barraquer microkeratome and the Nidek MK-2000 Keratome System.

Preferred Medications:

For post-op, Dr. Assil uses Ciloxan for his cataract patients, Flarex for his refractive surgery patients, and Bion Tears and TheraTears for his dry eye patients.

"Additionally," says Dr. Assil, "at the Sinskey Institute, we're focusing on the newest generation of antibiotics, antihistamines and anti-glaucoma agents, many of which we're conducting clinical trials on."

Growth Areas:

Dr. Assil says, "At Aris Vision, we perform up to 300 refractive surgery procedures each month. I expect this to continue and hopefully increase."

Slow Spots:

"We experienced a 20% decline in cataract surgery," says Dr. Assil. "The reason for this was Dr. Sinskey's retirement. He practiced for 50 years in the Santa Monica area and had a very loyal patient following, some of whom have been reluctant to continue in his absence.

"However, we've been seeing a resurgence in cataract volume recently, thanks to emerging technology and our talented staff of surgeons."

Management Philosophy:

"My philosophy is comprised of five facets," says Dr. Assil. "Number one: remaining on the cutting edge. Number two: staying focused on the quality of care. Number three: learning not to micromanage our administrators. Number four: communicating our philosophy and direction to staff and doctors. And number five, which ties in with the Sinskey Eye Institute: carrying on Dr. Sinskey's reputation and good will." OM

Kerry Assil, M.D., donates his time to the Southern California Lions Eye Institute.

New patient percentage	70%
Refractive surgery volume increase	50%
Refractive surgery income increase	10%