Midwest Retina Consultants, 1100 W. Central Road, Suite LL2, Arlington Heights, IL (2026)

02/10/2026

Congratulations to our Dr. Daniel Alter, who was recently selected to the Board of Directors for the Foundation of the American Society of Retina Specialists. The Foundation aims to advance research, education and global initiatives that improve retina care worldwide. Dr. Alter brings a wealth of experience in global outreach programs due to his many years serving as president of .

12/07/2025

Happy holidays from the team at Midwest Retina Consultants! We had our annual holiday party last evening, where we showed appreciation for all the hard work put forth by our team at every level of the organization. We are grateful for how the front desk workers, ophthalmic technicians, scribes, administrators and physicians collaborate to provide a first class experience for our patients. We enjoyed fine dining and spirits, a secret Santa exchange, and raffle prizes.

09/21/2025

Dr. Daniel Alter just returned from another mission trip to Tanzania where he helped with capacity building of the ophthalmology residency program at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. He is in the process of helping them develop a retina surgery program at the national hospital of Tanzania through 1focus.org

08/28/2025

What are vitreous floaters? Can they be treated ?

Vitreous floaters are small pieces of debris that are suspended in the gel-like substance in the back of the eye (vitreous humor). They can come in a variety of shapes, such as dots, squiggly lines and cobwebs. As light enters the eye, these floaters cause a shadow on the retina, which looks like the first image presented. The floaters usually move when the eye looks in different directions.

For many people, floaters are a normal change associated with aging. In some circumstances, floaters can be associated with vision threatening conditions such as retinal tear and detachment, bleeding in the eye, or inflammation in the eye.

It is important to get your eyes examined soon if you experience new onset of increased floaters, flashing lights, or a shadow of missing vision. These symptoms can be seen in retinal detachment, which requires surgical repair in a time sensitive manner.

For most patients, treatment is not required for floaters. However, for patients that feel their floaters are negatively affecting their activities of daily living (such as reading and driving) it is worthwhile to consult with a vitreoretinal surgeon. Treatment options include vitrectomy surgery to remove the floaters and YAG vitreolysis to break apart the floaters. Your surgeon will discuss the risks and benefits of these options, tailored to your unique circumstances.

08/22/2025

We are proud to share that two of our own, Dr. Bryan Kim and Dr. Daniel Alter were featured on the list of “America’s top retina specialists”, coming in at #2 and #20 respectively!

Dr. Kim was also featured in an article about digital eye health and the increasing prevalence of myopia.

Check out a few screenshots from both articles!

08/19/2025

Raised in the Chicago area, Dr. Bryan Kim graduated from the prestigious Illinois Math and Science Academy before entering the combined undergraduate/medical degree GPPA program at the University of Illinois, where he graduated with top honors. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he was selected as Chief Resident. Following residency, he joined the University of Illinois teaching faculty for one year before completing a two-year vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the renowned Barnes Retina Institute at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Kim is a board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and an active member of the American Society of Retina Specialists and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national meetings including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. In 2025, he was named one of Newsweek’s America’s Leading Doctors in retinal surgery.

Dedicated to education, Dr. Kim has held roles as Chief Resident, Associate Director of Ophthalmic Education, and Assistant Director of the Ocular Trauma Service at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. During his fellowship at Barnes Retina Institute, he received the Golden Apple Teaching Award from the Department of Ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis. He currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, as well as Chief of Ophthalmology and Director of Pediatric Retina at Northwest Community Hospital.

Dr. Kim’s expertise includes retinal tears and detachments (including complex cases), macular degeneration, macular holes and puckers, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases, dislocated intraocular lenses, complex cataract, ocular trauma, ocular inflammation, and retinopathy of prematurity.

08/15/2025

Midwest Retina Consultants has 5 convenient locations in which we serve Chicago and its northwest suburbs. Each site is covered by multiple doctors to ensure a variety of options for each patient.

1. Arlington Heights
2. Des Plaines
3. Hoffman Estates
4. Elk Grove Village
5. Chicago / Park Ridge

For more detailed directions for each office, please check our website (link in bio): mwretina.com

You can also call 847-394-3933 for assistance in scheduling an appointment at any of the offices.

08/09/2025

Get to know our retina specialists - part 4!

Dr. Anand Gopal joined Midwest Retina Consultants earlier this year after moving to Chicago. He received his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine after graduating summa cm laude from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his training in ophthalmology and then vitreoretinal surgery at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital, world-renowned for its pioneering excellence in eye care and consistently ranked among the top eye hospitals in the nation. He has served as attending ophthalmologist in the Wills Eye Emergency Room, one of few dedicated eye emergency centers in the country.

Dr. Gopal has presented research at global and national scientific meetings and published his work in leading peer-reviewed journals including JAMA, Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Retina, and the American Journal of Ophthalmology. He has received awards for his work from the Retina Research Foundation, the Atlantic Coast Retina Club, and the New England Ophthalmological Society among others.

Dr. Gopal is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, fitness, and exploring the Chicago food scene.

08/02/2025

Get to know our retina specialists - part 3!

Dr. Enrique Garcia-Valenzuela has been practicing Vitreoretinal Surgery since 2001. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. His special interests are the medical and surgical treatment of macular degenerative diseases, uveitis, ocular melanomas, diabetic retinopathy, repair of retinal detachments, retinopathy of prematurity, and surgery to repair macular holes and macular puckers.

He completed his ophthalmology residency at University of Illinois Chicago and his vitreoretinal fellowship at Kresge Eye Institute in Detroit.
 He has a strong personal interest in Retina Research, has written many scientific publications, has given many presentations, and has been the Primary Investigator in several clinical trials. Dr. Garcia-Valenzeula obtained a PhD where he discovered for the first time that adult neurons die through programmed cell death when injured, and published on several novel concepts regarding damage to Retinal Neurons, and Gene Therapy to prevent their death. He has obtained several awards, including: the Martha Lucas Pate Award for best PhD Thesis, the Oncology Award for best Intern, the Beem-Fisher Award of the Chicago Ophthalmology Society, the Retina Society Fellow Award, the American Geriatrics Society Jahnigen Award.  He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the Retina Society.

07/27/2025

Get to know our retina specialists (part 2)…

Dr. Rehan Hussain joined Midwest Retina Consultants in June 2025 but has been practicing in the greater Chicago area since 2019. He was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. After graduating with the Valedictorian award from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, he entered an accelerated 7-year BA/MD program at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. While there, he was part of the University Honors Program and was selected into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. During medical school at GWU, he was selected as a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, awarded to the top 10% of the graduating medical school class.

Dr. Hussain completed his ophthalmology residency training at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he was chosen by his peers to serve as Chief Resident and won the Merrill Grayson Leadership Award. He completed his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, which has been consistently recognized as the nation’s #1 ranked eye hospital over the past three decades.

Dr. Hussain is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He holds leadership positions within the American Society of Retina Specialists (chairman of the scientific poster session) and Vit-Buckle Society (VP of Digital Relations). He has presented retina-related research and surgical videos at numerous national meetings. He has authored over 80 publications in journals and textbooks pertaining to ophthalmology and retinal disease. He serves on the scientific advisory board for several pharmaceutical companies that develop retinal therapeutic medications.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, weight training, traveling, and cheering for the Chicago Bears and Bulls. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

07/20/2025

Get to know our retina specialists!

Dr. Daniel Alter is a board certified ophthalmologist with fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery. He is currently serving as President of Midwest Retina Consultants.

Dr. Alter is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Global Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has made over 22 mission trips to Haiti since 2014 to equip, supply, and teach local Haitian doctors modern vitrectomy surgery. He has also spearheaded efforts to support and reinvigorate the struggling ophthalmology residency program in Haiti. He is President of FOCUS Inc. a registered non-profit organization since 1961 that has a long history of humanitarian eye care in the developing world. Dr. Alter is a regular speaker at various global ophthalmology forums.

Dr. Alter was awarded the 2017 Humanitarian of the Year by SEE International in recognition of his contributions and efforts in Haiti.

Dr. Alter believes each individual patient should be treated with dignity and respect to the best of his ability. He has passed down his love for medicine to his three children, all of whom are doctors.

He has completed 9 full distance Ironman triathlons since 2010 including the 2023 Ironman World Championship in Nice, France and recently won his age group at Muncie Ironman 70.3 to qualify for the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Midwest Retina Consultants

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