The perception of doctors as real-life superheroes is a common one, a trope that applies to ophthalmology as much as any other medical specialty. Ophthalmologists work wonders for their patients, providing sight-saving care after procedures lasting a mere couple of hours.
Taylor B. Strange, DO, certainly lives up to this reputation. Dr. Strange, the namesake of a well-known Marvel character, does not shy away from this connection. In fact, he leans into it by displaying framed posters of the eponymous mage/surgeon in his office.
Like the fictional superhero, he’s made a profound and beneficial impact on his community as well.
“Eye surgery is amazing, because you see that instant gratification within seconds or minutes of that patient's procedure. We've had patients come back to visit us after who feel that their whole life has changed for the better,” Dr. Strange says. “That is what makes me feel tremendously blessed to be able to do what I can to help change people's lives.”
LIFE-ALTERING CARE CLOSE TO HOME
Dr. Strange, the founder of Alliance Vision Institute, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is well-regarded for his work with laser vision correction surgery. His clinic provides a wide range of services to paying clients as well as support for the less fortunate.
One of these initiatives is a charitable outreach program for socially vulnerable individuals to receive premium laser cataract surgery, including those without health insurance as well as those with little to no income, undocumented status and the homeless. Thanks to this program, which began in November 2022, Dr. Strange has changed hundreds of lives for the better, providing bilateral cataract surgery (BLCS) to these patients.
With equipment like the LENSAR femtosecond laser system, Dr. Strange says he can provide 20/20 vision one day after BLCS, which is a life-altering treatment for these patients.
“I would do every case using BLCS, with some rare exceptions, if insurance would allow it as far as a reimbursement standpoint. Right now, they don't allow two surgeries to be fully compensated on the same day,” Dr. Strange says. “We do bilateral for LASIK, we do bilateral for ICLs, cataract surgery, and for refractive lens exchanges. It just makes sense. We’ve been doing that for a couple of years now with great success.”
BEYOND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Dr. Strange and his team don’t just focus on helping their immediate community; every 6 to 12 months, they head south across the border to the Guerrero Eye Clinic, 2 hours west of Chihuahua, Mexico.
This project, organized along with the Dallas Rotary Club, allows Dr. Strange and his colleagues, like Courtney Crowell, OD, to provide treatment in the most underfunded of locations. For the former, it’s a great opportunity to allow students, from institutions such as the University of Houston and the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, the opportunity to gain practical experience. For the latter, it defines her raison d’etre for working in health care.
“There was a 12-year-old kid with severe keratoconus who had never seen clearly in his life. We fit him in his first scleral lens, and he actually cried because it was the first time he'd seen his mother's face. That's one patient experience; I still get goosebumps when I think about it,” Dr. Crowell says.
Helping others is also why Dr. Strange still maintains a passion for his work. Like his superhero namesake, it’s all about doing what’s right for people in need.
“This is my calling in life, so I'm very blessed,” he says. “I help a lot of people and we do well, so why not help people who can't help themselves? It’s being paid, but in a different way. It's just the right thing to do.” OM
