The eye care specialists at Gimbel Eye Centre are dedicated to providing preventive, curative and restorative vision services for every patient. Gimbel Eye Centre was the first institution in Canada to perform laser vision correction, Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) and Implantable Corrective Lens (ICL) procedures. The highly trained eye care specialists at Gimbel Eye Centre have collectively performed more than 165,000 eye surgeries, making them among the most experienced vision correction teams in the world.
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The Gimbel Eye Centre team in Calgary
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Dr. Howard V. Gimbel founded Gimbel Eye Centre in 1964 with the goal of offering patients the best possible vision correction options. Since its inception, Gimbel Eye Centre has helped patients with their eye care needs from across Canada, United States and more than 50 countries worldwide. Gimbel Eye Centre's doctors and staff are committed to providing excellent eye care through convenient scheduling, family involvement and extensive education programs to keep patients well informed and at ease.
More About Gimbel Eye Centre - Calgary
The doctors at Gimbel Eye Centre pride themselves on listening to each patient's concerns and explaining the vision correction options available. Patients have the choice of a wide range of procedures, including LASIK, IntraLASIK, Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), Astigmatic Keratotomy (AK), Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI), Implantable Corrective Lens and Refractive Lens Exchange with or without astigmatic correction. Gimbel Eye Centre physicians diagnose and treat a number of other eye disorders, including glaucoma and cataracts. Cataract surgery has been a specialty of Gimbel Eye Centre since 1974 when Dr. Gimbel introduced small incision cataract surgery to Canada and was the first surgeon in Alberta to use intraocular lenses in 1975.
The doctors at Gimbel Eye Centre combine their skills and talents with modern technology to ensure rewarding results and patient safety. For LASIK procedures, Gimbel Eye Centre surgeons use the NIDEK NAVEX platform, which incorporates OPD-Scan to provide a precise map of the eye. This map and waveform data are used by the EC5000 CX laser to ablate the cornea, with the ultimate goal of reducing or eliminating a patient's dependency on glasses or contact lenses. Gimbel Eye Centre is also one of the first eye care facilities in Alberta to offer a full range of AcrySof® intraocular lenses (IOLs), including the Toric, IQ, multifocal and accommodative IOLs for Refractive Lens Exchange procedures as well as the treatment of cataracts. Gimbel Eye Centre also offers the Visian implantable corrective lens for Implantable Corrective Lens procedures with or without astigmatic correction.
To schedule a consultation with a Gimbel Eye Centre doctor, contact the practice at (800) 661-1138 or (403) 286-3022.
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The Gimbel Eye Centre in Calgary
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What Gimbel Eye Centre Patients Are Saying
"From the first telephone call to Gimbel, I could tell they were not only highly professional, but that they were genuinely interested in helping me." — Ian Cockerline, member of Canada's 2006 Olympian Luge Team
"The staff at Gimbel is amazing. They helped me choose the proper LASIK procedure, performed the surgery with ease and made the recovery time quick and smooth." — Jodi Etcheverry, high performance biathlete
More About the Surgeons at Gimbel Eye Centre - Calgary
Howard V. Gimbel, MD, MPH, FRCSC, AOE, FACS, CABE, Executive Medical Director for Gimbel Eye Centre, specializes in cataract and refractive surgery. He also performs intraocular lens refractive procedures for individuals who do not qualify for LASIK or surface ablation techniques such as PRK. Dr. Gimbel has lectured on cataract and refractive surgery at international ophthalmology conferences. He has also taught cataract surgery via live surgery satellite broadcasts to over 20 international conferences. He frequently publishes research in leading ophthalmology journals and is an in-demand speaker having lectured at prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Duke, Johns Hopkins, UCLA as well as the Mayo and Cleveland Clinics.
Dr. Gimbel was invested into the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1992 in recognition of his technical excellence and innovation in the field of ophthalmology. The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery awarded him with the Binkhorst Medal in 1994 and named him one of the "25 Most Influential Ophthalmologists of the 20th Century." The American Academy of Ophthalmology invited him to present the honoured Kelman Lecture in 2007.
John van Westenbrugge, MD, FRCSC, Associate Medical Director, Surgical Services for Gimbel Eye Centre, specializes in cataract and refractive surgery. Dr. van Westenbrugge earned his medical degree and completed an ophthalmology residency at University of Alberta and a medical retina fellowship at Pacific Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco. In 1990, he was the first Canadian surgeon to perform excimer laser PRK to correct nearsightedness. Since that time, he has performed more than 17,000 LASIK, IntraLASIK, PRK and other refractive vision correction procedures. In addition to his expertise with the excimer laser, he is also experienced with the Nd:YAG, Argon/Krypton, Diode and Picosecond lasers. One of the most experienced laser surgeons in Canada, Dr. van Westenbrugge is in demand internationally to teach laser techniques to colleagues.
Jacinthe Kassab, MD, FRCSC, Associate Medical Director, Clinical Services for Gimbel Eye Centre, specializes in cataract and refractive surgery. At the age of 19, Dr. Kassab was admitted to medical school at University of Sherbrooke in her native Quebec, and then completed her internship and residency in ophthalmology at the Centre Hospitalier de Sherbrooke. During this time, she also finished the Lancaster Course in Ophthalmology in Waterville, Maine. Dr. Kassab completed a fellowship program at Gimbel Eye Centre - Calgary and joined Gimbel Eye Centre in 1991. In addition to her extensive cataract, LASIK, IntraLASIK, PRK, ICL and other and refractive surgery experience at Gimbel Eye Centre, Dr. Kassab also works as a consultant ophthalmologist for Calgary Health Region, responding to eye-related emergencies at Calgary hospitals.
Chirag Shah, MD, DO, MBBS, earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Gujurat University in India and became an ophthalmic surgeon by the age of 26. After honing his surgical proficiency through performing cataract, glaucoma, oculoplastic, strabismus and retinal intraocular procedures, Dr. Shah now puts his outstanding patient care to use at Gimbel Eye Centre. After completing a one and a half year Gimbel Eye Centre anterior segment and refractive surgery fellowship, Dr. Shah joined Gimbel Eye Centre's team of surgeons. He is an experienced refractive surgeon and has performed hundreds of traditional LASIK, IntraLASIK and PRK. He is a well-regarded researcher and concentrates his studies on new refractive surgery techniques and optic capture in cases of dislocated intraocular lenses.
Albena Dardzhikova, MD, graduated from the Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria in 1989. Dr. Dardzhikova gained extensive experience working in the University Eye Clinic in Sofia, where she was involved in teaching and research work relating to intraoperative and early post-operative complications with intraocular lens implantation in post-traumatic cataracts. She also worked in Kuwait's Armed Forces Hospital Eye Department where she treated rare and unique eye disorders. Dr. Dardzhikova participated in the development of a screening and follow up program for patients with diabetic retinopathy using aggressive laser treatment to delay the progress and complications associated with the condition. Currently Dr. Dardzhikova is participating in a two-year anterior segment and refractive surgery fellowship at Gimbel Eye Centre.
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