Page 3 - Dr. Melissa Toyos Feature

Originally from Louisiana and labeling herself a “true southern girl,” Dr. Toyos moved to Kansas City where she worked as the first and only female partner at Dis- cover Vision Centers – the third largest ophthalmology center in the country. In 2014, she moved to Nashville where her husband, Dr. Rolando Toyos – a renowned ophthalmologist – specializes in dry eye and LASIK procedures. The duo has deep- ly invested themselves into their rapidly growing ophthalmology practice.
The Foundation of the Toyos Clinic
Originally from California and a skilled athlete, Rolando excelled academically as well. Before beginning medical school, he worked as a high school teacher and bas- ketball coach. He won the National Teach- ing Award from Columbia University for his development of the science curriculum, as well as his work with at-risk children. He graduated from the University of Illinois Medical School where he was class presi- dent and a James Scholar. He received a community service award for assisting the Chicago City Public Schools for developing a pre-med program and book for students interested in pursuing a career in medicine.
The Toyos Clinic was founded in Mem- phis in 1998. Rolando was recruited for an ophthalmology position in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Jackson Madison Medical Center in Jackson, Tennessee. There, Rolando was the ophthalmologist for 10 years and became the medical direc- tor of the Jackson Madison Surgery Center. When the Memphis Grizzlies offered him a position as the team’s ophthalmologist, Ro- lando decided to open his own clinic and served the Grizzlies for many years.
The Toyos Clinic has continued to ex- pand to five other locations, including two in Nashville and one in Franklin and South-
aven. Melissa and Rolando both work in the Nashville office (located on Crestmoor Road), which Melissa says is ideal for their booming business.
The clinic specializes in vision, optical and facial cosmetic surgery. The vision component encompasses medical and surgical eye care, such as cataract surgery, glaucoma, dry eye, wavelight LASIK and more. Optical includes general eye ex- ams for contacts and glasses and exclusive lines of frames like Shamballa, Zero G and Chloe. Facial cosmetic surgeries include laser resurfacing, laser blepharoplasty, Bo- tox, intense pulsed light, a complete line of medical skin care products and much more. Rolando is one of the most experi- enced surgeons in the country completing over 25,000 cataract and 15,000 LASIK surgeries. Melissa is also a high volume cataract surgeon, a national researcher, lec- turer and a popular cosmetic surgeon for public figures. Both Rolando and Melissa have been named Premier Surgeons 300 by Ocular Surgery News. Between the two of them, the Toyos Clinic is founded on a strong base of knowledge, experience and doctors who are passionate about helping their patients.
The clinic also has its own research team to conduct various studies. The Toyos re- search team has won numerous awards and grants such as the Lieberman Award, two ASCRS Foundation Grants, Harold Stein Award, Earl Young Prize and James Scholar Award. Their research has allowed them to develop technology and techniques that are utilized by ophthalmologists all over the world.
Getting to Know Dr. Me- lissa Toyos
Melissa’s passion for the eyes sprouted from a situation – more common than not – where she was having difficulty reading
the board in school. She often sat near the front of the classroom, but still couldn’t see clearly. Finally, somebody noticed that the reason she sat near the front was because she couldn’t see the board. Her parents took her to see an ophthalmologist. Upon evaluation, Melissa was fitted with a pair of eyeglasses, which forever changed her per- spective, both of the world and of the field of ophthalmology.
“I will never forget the amazement and the feeling of being able to see the world clearly,” Melissa explained. From that day forward, Melissa wanted to pursue a career in the study of the eyes.
During her time as a practicing ophthal- mologist, a portion of that time is spent re- searching new technologies, medicines and procedures, which she explains is crucial to the evolution of her field. Melissa’s research has been used by the FDA to approve medi- cations now readily available in the market. One of the awards she was most proud of receiving was the Charles Lieberman Award and ACRS foundation grant for her original research for glaucoma. Addition- ally, she has published and edited over 100 publications and speaks regularly at na- tional and international meetings.
It is no doubt that Melissa is devoted to advocating for her patients, as well as the field of ophthalmology. Among her many accomplishments, she was former presi- dent of the Missouri Society of Eye Physi- cians and Surgeons, twice elected deputy section leader of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and voted one of Kan- sas City’s Most Influential Women for her community work. The Nashville Business Journal recently recognized Toyos Clinic as one of the best businesses in Nashville.
Melissa is devoted to the promotion and evolution of her industry. She emphasized the importance of adaptability and resil
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