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Brian Samartino, O.D.

Brian Samartino, O.D.

Dr. Brian completed his undergraduate study with TriBeta honors in Biology at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. He received his Doctorate of Optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University.

During his studies at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. Brian completed externships in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Alaska with clinical honors. Before establishing Premier Eye Associates, he practiced full time in the South Jersey area. During this time, he worked at an ophthalmology practice where he served as the contact lens specialist and practiced medical optometry including care for post operative cataract, retina and LASIK patients. Recently, he was awarded recognition in the Dry Eye community and was appointed to the advisory board for NovaBay's dry eye products. 

Dr. Samartino, originally from South Jersey, currently lives in Philadelphia. His interests include watching movies, hiking, watching Philadelphia Union and US Mens National Team play soccer, and playing with his dog, Cessa.

Professional interests include myopia management/orthokeratology, specialty contact lenses, keratoconus, ocular disease, dry eye treatment.

Dr. Brian sees patients at our Collingswood and Marlton locations. 

Q&A with Dr. Samartino

What is your favorite patient story about scleral lenses?

There's a patient who had keratoconusa and had to have a corneal transplant several years ago. He was a collegiate football player and he told me about how difficult it was for him to perform and play, especially as his sight began to worsen. When I first put him in the lenses, he went outside and I just saw a big smile on his face because he was able to enjoy the world in a clearer way than he had been able to since college, several decades ago.

His first follow up appointment he came back raving about the details and the clarity of the moon that he could see at nighttime. Every time he comes in he gives me a hug just because he's so thankful for the vision that he has.

What technologies are available in your office for the diagnosis of keratoconus?

We have a corneal topographer that measures the shape of the cornea and a device for corneal pachymetry, which measures the thickness of the cornea. These devices allow us to diagnose keratoconus, measure its severity and track progression if there is any.

In order to test for the genetic component of keratoconus, we do a cheek swab that can give us an idea of a patients level of risk. This will help us determine how often they should come in to visit for a check-up so that we can monitor their eyes for any worrisome changes.