Edward Burney, MD

About

Edward Burney, MD, FAAO, FACS, is a professor of ophthalmology in the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the director of the Anterior Segment Group at UH Medical Group, and the Director of Ophthalmology at the Cleveland VA Medical Center’s Wade Park Campus in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated magna cum laude from Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, with a double major in biology and chemistry. In addition, he was the top premedical student in the honors program, and the university’s Central Ohio Heart Association Undergraduate Research Scholar. During that time he held multiple leadership positions on campus including three years as the president of the Black Student Union, two years as class representative to college council, and senior class vice president. Although he received offers of admission and full scholarships from the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, Meharry Medical College, and Harvard, he chose Case Western Reserve University and attended on a full academic scholarship.

Upon graduation from Case Western Reserve University, he interned at Mt Sinai Hospital of Cleveland in both internal medicine and ophthalmology. He was enthusiastic about entering residency at University Hospitals, as this was the only hospital he interviewed at and ranked. Upon completion of residency, he was asked to join the full time faculty, as the first comprehensive trained ophthalmologist to join the staff. After two years of cataracts, plastics, glaucoma, retina detachments and a variety of lasers, Dr. Burney decided to specialize. He did a 13-month Glaucoma Fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, with Dr. Harry Quigley. He then returned to Cleveland to practice as the first fellowship-trained physician in glaucoma at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and Chief of the Ophthalmology Service at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center.

During his tenure as director of the glaucoma service at University Hospitals, the service and his practice has grown rapidly with nearly 5,000 patient visits and 400 procedures a year while also leading the ophthalmology program at the VA. In addition, he is proud of the accomplishments at the VA Medical Center. In the last 28 years as chief, facilities have grown from a three-room eye clinic, into a 10,000 square foot facility, one that is second to none in this region in the ability to provide ophthalmic care. Their intraocular surgical simulator, the Eyesi machine, was a first in the region. There also is a one of a kind 65 inch 3­D surgical monitor viewing system in the operating room.

His selected accomplishments include: Best Doctors in America, every year since 1996, AAO Award for Best poster 2010, Expert Network Distinguished Doctor Award 2015, America’s Top Ophthalmologist 2016, America Best Physicians 2016, Mentor of the year Award, 2010, University Hospitals Vital’s Patient’s choice Award 2013, 14, 15, and 16 and VAMC Wings Award for outstanding leadership 2004.