Kent L. Wellish, MD

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Fellowship-trained Cornea & Cataract Surgeon

Fellowship – Cornea, External Ocular Disease, and Refractive Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles – Jules Stein Eye Institute
Research Fellowship – National Institutes of Health
Residency – University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
Medical School – University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Undergraduate – Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

Clinical Expertise

Dr. Kent Wellish is a board-certified ophthalmologist and one of the nation’s leading vision correction surgeons. Calm, genuine, and confident, he brings exceptional surgical skill and a deep passion for improving vision. Dr. Wellish is the only surgeon in Nevada to have completed a two-year university fellowship in corneal and laser refractive surgery at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute. Since performing Nevada’s first laser vision correction surgery in July 1994, he has personally conducted thousands of LASIK and cataract surgeries, including procedures for fellow physicians, their families, and high-profile community leaders. He continues to train local eye care providers in pre- and post-operative care and frequently contributes as an expert in the field to national and local media.

Education and Medical Training

Dr. Wellish earned his B.A. with honors from Brandeis University in 1982 and was selected as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research fellow in vision in 1983. He obtained his M.D. from the University of Arizona in 1987 and completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Kansas. He then completed a prestigious two-year university fellowship in corneal and refractive surgery at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute, where he also served as a visiting assistant professor and conducted pioneering research in Excimer Laser Vision Correction.

Accolades

• First surgeon in Nevada to perform laser vision correction (1994)

• NIH Vision Research Fellow – one of only a handful of LASIK surgeons to receive this honor

• Multiple-time “Top Doc” honoree by Las Vegas-area physicians

• Invited speaker on laser vision correction nationally and internationally

• Contributor and expert for major media outlets including NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX

• Featured in Las Vegas Review Journal and local ABC’s “LASIK LIES” investigation

• Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Nevada School of Medicine

• Honored twice by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and recognized by members of Congress

• Reviewer for the Journal of Refractive Surgery

• Published research used to train surgeons in laser vision correction

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