New Children’s Eye Institute to Open Aug. 2

From Dr. Jessica Kovarik is a Pediatric Ophthalmologist with Lee Health.

In early August, our community hits a major milestone.

Through the generosity of SWFL Children’s Charities and the commitment made by Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida to provide the highest quality of care to our patients, a new, dedicated pediatric ophthalmology institute will open in Southwest Florida for the children in our region.

The new SWFL Children’s Charities Eye Institute of Golisano Children’s Hospital is scheduled to open its doors on August 2, creating the largest pediatric ophthalmology office between Tampa and Miami.

This will be a space dedicated to treatment and exams for visual disorders in children. Some of the conditions we treat include eye muscle disorders, amblyopia (“lazy eye”), retinopathy of prematurity (often called ROP), ptosis (drooping eyelid), nasolacrimal duct (tear duct) obstructions and strabismus (abnormal alignment of the eyes).

Work is underway to relocate and consolidate our current pediatric ophthalmology locations at Medical Plaza One on the HealthPark campus and Bonita Community Health Center into the centralized building that will double the space for our patients. The increased space will allow for more physicians to be hired, which will reduce wait times for families.

The new eye institute will be located at 11390 Summerlin Square Drive at the intersection of San Carlos Blvd. and Summerlin Road, next to Walmart.

It will have 14 exam rooms, specialized pediatric equipment and colorful designs modeled after Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Along with the additional space, the new SWFL Children’s Charities Eye Institute of Golisano Children’s Hospital will allow our team to continue to grow and serve even more children and adolescents throughout Southwest Florida.

My patients are truly the “why” behind why I do what I do. One of my patients that impacted me personally is a little boy who suffered from a condition that kept him from seeing. We were able to find a therapy that treated this toddler’s condition, and turn him from a blind child to a seeing child. Now, he can do things he’s never been able to do before like catch a ball and read books with his mom. It was life-changing for him.

These are the kinds of miracles that happen at our ophthalmology clinic, and now that we’re able to grow, I expect even more of these types of miracles to take place.

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is extremely grateful for the partnership and support from SWFL Children’s Charities and all participants in the SWFL Wine and Food Fest, which funded the new pediatric eye institute. Everyone is very excited for the new facility to open on August 2.

For more information on its progress and how you can make an appointment, visit www.leehealth.org.