Meet Dr. Echegaray
Dr. Jose J. Echegaray is the founder and director of Retina Consultants of Orlando. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and has sub-specialty training in Retinal Surgery and Ocular Oncology. As a new Central Florida resident, he is committed to delivering compassionate care to all patients using cutting-edge technology for the diagnosis and management of retinal diseases and ocular tumors.
Dr. Echegaray was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He completed his undergraduate training with a Bachelor of Arts in Neurosciences at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he served as a Gates Scholar. He then returned home to Puerto Rico to complete his medical degree at the Ponce Health Sciences University, graduating with Honors and Distinction. During medical school, he served as a one-year National Institutes of Health Research Fellow in Ocular Immunology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He then completed a pre-residency fellowship in Ocular Pathology, also at Bascom Palmer. He completed his Residency training in Ophthalmology at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, where he served as Chief Resident and was honored with the Vista Scholarship Fund Award.
For his sub-specialty training, Dr. Echegaray completed a clinical fellowship in Ophthalmic Oncology at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, training in the clinical and surgical management of adult and pediatric ocular tumors. He then returned to Miami to complete a two-year Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery Fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, perennially ranked as the #1 Eye Hospital in the United States.
Prior to his relocation to Central Florida, Dr. Echegaray served as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Staff Physician at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. As faculty at University Hospitals/Case Western, he led a busy academic practice serving the Northeast Ohio community. During his time in Cleveland, he was most grateful to be directly involved in the training of medical students, Ophthalmology residents, and Retina fellows. For his commitment to teaching, research, and patient care, he was honored with an Award of Excellence by his colleagues in the Retina Service.
Clinical and Research Interests
Clinically, Dr. Echegaray specializes in the medical and surgical management of retinal and macular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinal vascular occlusive disease, retinal detachment, high myopia, epiretinal membranes, vitreomacular traction syndrome, macular holes, ocular trauma, secondary intraocular lenses, and intraocular tumors.
His clinical research interests include outcomes in complex retinal detachment repair, novel surgical techniques for macular hole surgery, and novel techniques in secondary intraocular lens placement. He currently serves as Co-Editor of a textbook, titled Complex Retinal Detachment Surgery.
His research has been sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Vitreoretinal Surgery Foundation. He has a special interest in studying patient outcomes of novel vitreoretinal surgical techniques. Dr. Echegaray also has a genuine interest in the optimization of chemotherapy and radiation-based treatment regimens for adult and pediatric intraocular tumors, such as vitreoretinal lymphoma, choroidal melanoma, and retinoblastoma. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters, and has presented his research in national and international meetings. He actively contributes as Ocular Oncology Section Editor for the journal Current Ophthalmology Reports and serves as an Ad-hoc reviewer for several Ophthalmic journals.
Other Notable Facts
Dr. Echegaray has a genuine passion for Ophthalmic education and has been directly involved in the training of medical students, residents, and fellows. He currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, and the Vit-Buckle Society. Dr. Echegaray is fluent in English and Spanish. Outside the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and family, and is an avid sports fan.