David G. O’Day, M.D. Ophthalmologist

David G. O’Day, M.S., M.D.

Ophthalmologist

Meet Dr. O’Day

Dr. O’Day, provides comprehensive medical and surgical ophthalmologic care in his private practice at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, with a specialization in corneal, cataract and refractive surgery.His patients come for care at the office in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina from the Charleston area and many other places throughout South Carolina and beyond. Patients benefit from his extensive experience of over 20 years in the diagnosis and management of eye disease including complex corneal diseases and degenerations, external eye diseases, glaucoma, dry eyes, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, macular and other retinal diseases.  He expertly performs Laser Vision Correction procedures (LASIK, PRK) to improve unaided vision and thus eliminate the need for glasses or contact lenses for distance vision. He manages patients with extreme nearsightedness and farsightedness with lens-based surgery including the EVO ICL and with Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) where appropriate. He utilizes his Refractive Surgery sub-specialty training in his approach to every patient requiring cataract surgery to attain a return of best vision often without the need for prescription glasses. And he offers the latest in refractive lens implants (IOLs) so patients may achieve the goal of excellent vision at all distances without the need for glasses.

Dr. O’Day has a 98% complication-free success rate after LASIK— almost unheard of in the field of Refractive Surgery. He frequently takes on and treats complex cases referred to him where other eye surgeons may defer treatment. His reputation for excellence stems from his ability to expertly manage these difficult cases along with the routine ones. He has  performed well over 120,000 successful LASIK and other vision correction procedures, and thousands more corneal, cataract and other anterior segment surgeries.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. O’Day completed his undergraduate studies at Tulane University before attending Georgetown University, where he first received a Master of Science in Physiology, before completing Medical School with a doctorate in medicine. While in medical school, Dr. O’Day was awarded a Naval Health Profession Scholarship and subsequently served on active duty for four years as a physician in the United States Navy. After leaving military service, Dr. O’Day completed his ophthalmology residency at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He was awarded highly-competitive fellowships in cornea and external diseases at the University of Minnesota, and in refractive surgery at the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis. After completing his fellowship training, he was certified as a Diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology, with recertification every ten years, last in 2024,

Dr. David G. O'Day 10
Dr. David G. O'Day 11

Dr. O’Day has been involved in laser vision correction surgery and vision correction research since completing fellowship training in 1993. He was on the full time academic cornea faculty at Case Western Reserve University as the Director of Refractive Surgery Service from 1993 to 1996 before coming to Charleston to go into private practice, where he has remained ever since. 

Dr. O’Day maintains professional involvement in many groups including the Eye Bank Association of America,  the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Cornea Society and the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has also been active in the South Carolina Lions Eye Bank, the Charleston Ophthalmological Society, and the South Carolina Medical Association. He continues to serve his patient well by keeping current on medical and surgical advances in Ophthalmology

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