Eric D. Weichel, M.D.

Retina Specialist & Vitreoretinal Surgeon

Fellowship
Wills Eye Hospital

Residency
Walter Reed Army Medical Center

“It’s important for me to educate my patients in a way that allows them to grasp at least the basics of their disease or condition so that they can ask questions and understand the answers. I view them as partners and together we work toward achieving the best visual outcome possible.”

Prior to beginning his post-graduate training, Dr. Weichel completed a combined six-year Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine program at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. He then served as an intern in Internal Medicine at Tripler Army Medical Center, was a resident in Ophthalmology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and completed a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at Wills Eye Hospital. Before joining RGW, he spent 13 years with the US Army—rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel—and served as the Director of Vitreoretinal Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Staff Vitreoretinal surgeon at the National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Weichel, a recipient of Washingtonian’s 2019 Top Doctor honor, is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is licensed in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. He is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Uniformed Services University of Health Services in Bethesda, Md. He is currently the Chief of the Ophthalmology Service at Anne Arundel Medical Center. His hospital affiliations also include the University of Maryland Capital Region Surgery Center, Georgetown University Medical Center and the Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Weichel is an active member of the Retina Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Widely published with more than 55 journal articles plus multiple interviews, textbook chapters, posters and videos to his credit, Dr. Weichel has lectured or presented nationally and internationally on over 60 occasions. His research resume includes more than 25 studies and trials as principal investigator or co-investigator. He also serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Ophthalmology Journal, Retina Journal, and the Ophthalmic Surgery, Laser and Imaging Journal.

Media Appearances & Activities/Accomplishments

Drs. Eric D. Weichel & Marcus H. Colyer Co-author Article In Ophthalmology Journal on Military Combat-Related Intraocular Foreign Body Injuries
Drs. Eric D. Weichel & Marcus H. Colyer co-authored an article in a recent issue of Ophthalmology Journal on Military Combat-Related Intraocular Foreign Body Injuries. The findings—first presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Annual Meeting—documented trauma in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Drs. Eric D. Weichel, Gayatri S. Reilly and RGW Retinal Detachment Study Group Co-Author Epiretinal Membrane/Membrane Peel Study for Ophthalmic Surgery Lasers and Imaging Retina Journal
Drs. Eric D. Weichel, Gayatri S. Reilly and RGW’s Retinal Detachment Study Group co-authored a study scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of the OSLI Journal. This was a study conducted last year by a collaboration of RGW surgeons and patients evaluating the outcomes of patients who underwent epiretinal membrane peeling following uncomplicated retinal detachment repair. The study concluded that epiretinal membranes are commonly found after retinal detachment repair and are potentially visually significant over time, although surgery was found to help improve both vision and macular edema. It also identified rates and potential risk factors for epiretinal membrane (ERM) and membrane peel (MP).

Dr. Eric D. Weichel, RGW’s Retinal Detachment Study Group Co-Author Study Presented at Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology’s (ARVO) Annual Meeting
Dr. Eric D. Weichel and RGW’s Retinal Detachment Study Group co-authored a study on Cataract formation in patients after undergoing a small gauge vitrectomy at the Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting. The study also evaluated the long term visual outcome after cataract extraction in the vitrectomized eye.

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