Drs. Sheppard and Scoper are highly regarded as educators and speakers of national reputation. This, in part, stems from the high volume of pathology seen in this referral practice leading to an abundance of patients for clinical research. Virginia Eye Consultants currently sees 20,000 patients per year and performs over 1,000 surgical procedures per year. This growing patient population infuses our clinical research program and provides exceptional pathology for teaching ophthalmology residents, medical students and optometrists. We have developed an Optometric network of over 60 affiliated doctors who refer patients for surgery, medical consultation and participation in clinical research. Dr. Gregory M. Schultz joined the practice in June 2004 to help coordinate our Optometric Network affiliates and provide medical consultation for our referring doctors. Dr. Schultz is a nationally known teacher and speaker and brings a new dimension to our practice to accelerate our growth. Virginia Eye Consultants growth curve is very steep with plans to bring in new fellowship trained ophthalmologists and move into a state of the art 34,000 square foot facility by Spring 2005. We are pleased to announce the addition of an oculoplastic and orbital reconstructive surgeon, Tom Joly M.D. PhD. to the practice starting in June 2005. Dr. Joly will be the newest addition to our team of subspecialty surgeons and comes with a prestigious background in directing the Ophthalmology residency programs at Case Western University Medical School.
The future is exciting for Virginia Eye Consultants. Future projections in our new facility with new doctors put annual patient visits at 80,000 per year and surgical procedures at 5,000 per year by 2009. This provides a tremendous number of patients for clinical research and pathology for teaching. We believe that the best educators and teachers are those that see the most pathology and are involved in the highest volume of clinical research.
Our new state of the art Excimer laser center will provide the latest technology for our patients in an efficient and comfortable setting. After comprehensive examinations including elevation topography and wavefront technology, patients will have opportunities for all aspects of refractive surgery. In addition to providing LASIK, conductive keratoplasty, phakic IOL's and clear lensectomies, patients will have opportunities to participate in exciting clinical trials with cutting edge new technology.
In addition to the traditional aspects of an ophthalmic referral center, Virginia Eye Consultants will be providing auxiliary services including registered dietician consultations, audiology lab and aesthetician services. Ocular nutrition as well as systemic nutrition is an important service that we will provide our patients in our new facility. Complete nutrition, including diet, vitamins and supplements, will aid our patients in the healing process and more importantly, prevent disease in the future. Our goal is to provide the resources for our patients to live healthy lives with a sense of well being. We see each of these services as complementing the basic core ophthalmic services expected. We therefore plan to exceed the expectations of our patients and referring doctors.