HIGH PROFILE: DR. ANDREW MAXWELL
Only a handful of names are synonymous with eye care, Maxwell being one of them. Highly regarded as an innovator in refractive eye surgery, Dr. Andrew Maxwell is a board-certified ophthalmologist, in addition to serving as a consultant to ophthalmic device and pharmaceutical companies. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades, he has also earned inclusion on the Health Grades Honor Roll and has been listed numerous times as one of the Best Doctors in America. Yet, in spite of his diverse accomplishments and over four decades of service, this humble doctor has no plans to stop tending to eyes in the Central Valley anytime soon.
His life path has evolved greatly since the doctor’s first job in the orchards of Red Bluff, where he picked peaches, harvested almonds, and pruned plums, and then worked as a gas station attendant as a teenager through his second year of college. Dr. Maxwell’s introduction to eye care is from his Army years. “During the Vietnam War time, I chose to go through ROTC. I got a commission, and the Army gave me a deferment to finish my graduate school.” Dr. Maxwell now holds a Bachelor of Science, a master’s, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.
The young soldier was assigned to the military’s biophysics lab in Fort Knox to evaluate the biological effects of laser radiation, especially on the eyes. “The army, at that point, was just starting to use lasers for all sorts of things, including aiming devices. The concern would be ‘What happens if the laser hits the body, particularly in the eye?’ So during that time, we established the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards for light thresholds in the eye.” Working with so many eye personnel while at the biophysics lab got him particularly interested in this specialization.
Dr. Maxwell then moved to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park for three years, where he worked in microbiology studying cancer and the effects of chemicals. “But I also continued to associate with the researchers that did the eye work because SRI had contracts with the military,” one of which was with a team of doctors in the Stanford Research Institute and Palo Alto Medical Clinic. “They had done a lot of work on laser, on light radiation effects on the eye.” He liked what they could do with research and that they could also teach, provide patient care, and perform surgery. And thus, he decided to go to medical school.
He was 33 and because he already had a Ph.D., he could accelerate through medical school. He was always interested in ophthalmology and his time in medical school only convinced him of that more. Dr. Maxwell earned his medical degree in 1976 from the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed an internship in internal medicine studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a residency in ophthalmology at the prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute in 1977.
Dr. Maxwell entered private practice in Fresno in 1980. Today, he is considered one of the country’s leading innovators in refractive surgery and is part of the InSight Vision Center at The California Eye Institute, where he specializes in laser vision surgery, including LASIK, refractive, and cataract surgery. To date, he has performed upwards of 15,000 LASIK and laser vision procedures and lens implants. He is also affiliated with Fresno Surgical Hospital and Saint Agnes Medical Center.
Life has led Dr. Maxwell all over the country, far from his birthplace of Great Falls, Montana. “My daughter said, ‘You’ve done so many different things … We could hire a company to write a biography.’ They’re in the process of doing that right now.” In the process of recounting his life to them, Dr. Maxwell realized “I’ve lived in 13 different towns and my children… everyone was born in a different city.” Dr. Maxwell has a total of eight children.
Dr. Maxwell is the author of The Surgical Rehabilitation of Vision, has contributed to two ophthalmology textbooks, and has published over 50 scientific papers. Ever the student and keen to share his findings, Dr. Maxwell is a sought-after speaker, seminar presenter, and symposium participant.
When he’s not at the office, Dr. Maxwell and his wife, Kathleen, thoroughly enjoy traveling and seeking out new and interesting places to eat. The couple are major foodies! “You ask me what kind of food do I like. What restaurants do I go to? I enjoy eating almost anything but sushi is probably by absolute favorite. And the more exotic, the better.” In Fresno, he enjoys Wasabi, though when at his vacation home in Aptos, Akira is his go-to sushi restaurant.
Dr. Maxwell has traveled extensively outside of the United States, and each destination has carved a special niche in his heart…and his stomach. “It’s hard to pick because each place is unique!” he shares, referring to both the cultural and culinary scenes. “Not so much now, but it used to be I’d travel international three or four times a year.” Some of his favorite international jaunts include Kyoto, Positano, Florence, Paris, and Stockholm. Domestically, he’s particularly fond of New York, Chicago, and Charleston.
Contrary to some common belief, Dr. Maxwell isn’t even semi-retired and currently has no plans to. In fact, he still maintains a rigorous schedule. Every day begins for his wife and him at 5:00AM, and they don’t hit the sack until 11:00PM. “Anything more than four hours is a waste!” he insists. “That’s what Professor Fyodorov from Russia said,” and he’s been following the same advice ever since.
In his many years of practice, Dr. Maxwell counts Dr. Lee Nordan as one of the most influential personalities in his life. “Lee was a very interesting man: freethinker, willing to think outside the box. He was an ophthalmologist. He was in training about a year-and-a-half ahead of me at Jules Stein Eye Institute, and then he went into practice in San Diego, but he was always interested in doing advanced and innovative things in ophthalmology.” In fact, Dr. Maxwell and Dr. Nordan collaborated on two textbooks together and knew each other for over 40 years.
Dr. Maxwell is a surgeon’s surgeon. Eyes are precious, and Dr. Maxwell is regarded as one of the most trusted ophthalmic surgeons out there. He has pioneered new and advanced procedures since before the start of his career. Now, what used to take hours can be done in a matter of minutes, thanks to medical improvements, many of which he has contributed to. Take modern LASIK for example. Dr. Maxwell explains, “We’ll do two eyes every fifteen minutes.”
He’d already done five LASIK procedures before this interview at 10:30AM. “It’s not a matter that you try to be fast. The thing is, we become so good. In years past, a cataract operation could take up to an hour to do. Today, we can do a cataract procedure in 10 or 15 minutes now because of the advanced technologies.” Patients no longer need major anesthesia for most eye procedures. “We don’t even have to give them an injection. Just with topical anesthesia, we can make it comfortable.”
Many surgeons garner a demanding reputation, yet Dr. Andrew Maxwell’s is one of patience. “That’s why they always had me train the new nurses!” he professes with a chuckle. He maintains a steadfast yet calm and compassionate demeanor, and that permeates every space he enters. The Central Valley is beyond lucky to have an ophthalmologist of such esteemed caliber right in our own backyard. With a teacher’s heart and a student’s spirit, he’s always eager to be better and to do for others.
Features Editor Ann T. Sullivan Whitehurst
Photographer Don Dizon
Don Dizon
Photographer
Don is a portrait and still-life photographer based on Fresno, California. He was a nursing major from Fresno City College, and while waiting to get in the nursing program, he continued to take photography classes. There he fell completely in love with photography. Capturing the right moment only takes one shot. But it is much more than that! You need to have the right lighting, angle, and expression to get the perfect photograph. Over the years, Don has mastered the art of capturing the moment.
