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The CVCC LASIK Experience
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Biography
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Larry F. Rich, M.D.
- Univ. of Oregon Medical School, 1970
- Residency - OHSU, 1972-1976
- Corneal Fellowship - LSU, 1979
- Professor fo Opthalmology - OHSU (since 1976)
- Program Chairman, ISRS 1988-1991
- President, ISRS 1992
- Board of Directors - CLAO, since 1997
- Co-author - Principles & Practice of Refractive Surgery
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"You could say I became a doctor by accident," Dr. Larry Rich
explains. "When I was 11 years old, I was struck in the eye with
a baseball. I spent five days in the hospital and came to understand
what doctors could do for people instead of just to people." Fortunately
for Dr. Rich, his family provided the ideal environment to nurture
his interest in eye care. His father's optometric practice was one
of the largest contact lens dispensers in the Northwest, and, by
age 13, Dr. Rich was training as a contact lens technician, a job
he maintained throughout his teen years. He recalls, "I went to
medical school knowing that I wanted to be an ophthalmologist."
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Rich earned a Bachelor
of Science in Chemistry and Biology at Lewis and Clark College prior
to receiving his medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical
School. After completing his internship, Dr. Rich returned to academic
studies, receiving a Master of Science in Ocular Pathology at Oregon Health & Science University followed by an ophthalmology residency.
Three years later, drawn by his interest in the cornea (the clear
tissue through which light enters the eye), Dr. Rich completed a
corneal fellowship at the Louisiana State University Eye Center,
an institution with an international reputation in corneal studies.
He then returned to Oregon Health & Science University.
Dr. Rich is Director of Casey Eye Institute's Cornea and Refractive
Services. He has been an innovator at Casey, performing the first
excimer laser refractive surgery in the Northwest in December 1994.
Dr. Rich has also served as Director of the Oregon Eye Bank, Director
of Medical Student Teaching, and Director of the Adult Eye Clinic,
all at Oregon Health & Science University.
Dr. Rich continues to be committed to research. He co-authored Principles
and Practices of Refractive Surgery, the first book about refractive
surgery, in addition to writing over 60 abstracts and articles in
medical journals and 22 book chapters. Dr. Rich has also served
as an editorial reviewer for several professional journals. His
enthusiasm for research is remarkable. He says, "When treating
patients, I have the opportunity to help an individual. With research,
I have the opportunity to help people on a broader scale." He pauses
and adds, "There is also the joy of discovery – the realization
that no one has known this before!"
Dr. Rich's contributions to the field of ophthalmology have been
widely recognized by his colleagues. In 1990, the American Academy
of Ophthalmology granted Dr. Rich the Honor Award and he has been
repeatedly listed in the Best Doctors in America directory. In
addition, Dr. Rich has served as President of the International
Society of Refractive Keratoplasty and on the Contact Lens Association
of Ophthalmologists' Board of Directors.
Away from the demands of his busy
practice, Dr. Rich enjoys spending time with his wife, Janet and
their three grown sons. Dr. Rich also wistfully recalls a passion
for restoring antique cars – a hobby which has been sidelined
by the demands of his profession but which he hopes to resume in the future.
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