John A. Epstein, MD

Dr. John A. Epstein is a fellowship-trained ophthalmologist and Princeton University alumnus known for his commitment to personalized patient care and expertise in cataract surgery, LASIK, and refractive procedures.

Education and Training

Dr. Epstein began his path into medicine in high school as a published oncology researcher at the Brown University hospital in Rhode Island. He went on to Princeton University, where he majored in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs alongside his pre-medical studies, focusing his independent thesis on barriers to innovation in health care research. He then earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where his passion for ophthalmology began.

His subspecialty training followed at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, where he received extensive instruction in the medical and surgical treatment of cataracts, LASIK, glaucoma, cornea and external disease, diabetes, and other conditions of the eye and orbit. He also received intensive refractive surgery training in LASIK and PRK with Dr. Arturo Chayet in California, one of the earliest pioneers in the field, where he mastered blade-free LASIK techniques before they were introduced in the United States.

Academic and Professional Roles

Dr. Epstein has been named one of America's "Top Doctors" for multiple years and is a member of the faculty at Wills Eye Hospital, where he teaches residents state-of-the-art cataract surgery. He also trains medical students and residents from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Clinical Focus and Community Involvement

Dr. Epstein's particular area of interest is personalized cataract surgery designed to fit each patient's lifestyle. In his spare time, Dr. Epstein loves to play guitar and is co-owner of the Somerville School of Rock, runs a live music venue supporting original artists in Somerville called the Rock Shack, and is the founder and president of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit named Music Out Loud which is dedicated to providing financial assistance to musicians in education, creation, and performance of original rock music in New Jersey.