Provider Match Report
Anterior uveitis specialists in Dallas–Fort Worth
Who an adult with anterior uveitis should see in DFW: ranked, with training, research, reviews, access, and what to ask at the first visit.
Generated October 22, 2026 · 9 doctors evaluated across 6 practices · Sources: NPI Registry, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, practice and faculty profiles, Healthgrades, US News, Vitals, WebMD, Castle Connolly, Fort Worth Magazine, OIUF and American Uveitis Society listings
Bottom line. Only 5 ophthalmologists in DFW have dedicated uveitis fellowship training. For an adult, the top pick is Dr. Robert C. Wang (Texas Retina Associates, Dallas/Plano): 24 years in practice, uveitis fellowship at USC Doheny, lead investigator on uveitis drug trials, Castle Connolly Top Doctor. If she lives north (Frisco/Denton), Dr. Rene Y. Choi is equally strong. If she wants an academic center with rheumatology under one roof, go to UT Southwestern (Dr. Jennifer Cao or Dr. Noy Ashkenazy). Fort Worth side: Dr. Tina Chen.
Does she need a uveitis specialist? A first episode of one-sided anterior uveitis is often handled well by a general ophthalmologist with steroid drops. A uveitis specialist matters most if it is recurrent, in both eyes, chronic (won't taper off drops), has high eye pressure, or is linked to a body-wide condition (HLA-B27, ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, sarcoidosis). Those cases usually also need a rheumatologist. See the rheumatology section below.
Top recommendations
88#1 · BEST OVERALL
Robert C. Wang, MD
Texas Retina Associates · Dallas Main, Dallas North, Plano, Sherman · 214-692-6941
- Uveitis fellowship, USC Doheny; retina fellowship, Mass Eye and Ear (Harvard)
- Investigator on the PEACHTREE and AZALEA Phase 3 uveitis trials
- Castle Connolly Top Doctor since 2018; ASRS Honor Award 2026
- Most reviews of anyone: US News 5/5 (47), Healthgrades 4.3 (60), Vitals 4.2 (25)
- Accepting new patients; telehealth offered
85#2 · BEST FOR NORTH DFW
Rene Y. Choi, MD, PhD
Texas Retina Associates · Frisco, Denton (Dallas listed by Texas Health) · 214-692-6941
- Uveitis & ocular immunology fellowship, Casey Eye Institute (Fellow of the Year 2019), plus Devers clinical uveitis; retina fellowship too
- Co-wrote an AAO Focal Points review on anterior uveitis
- ~7 uveitis papers incl. "Reclassifying idiopathic uveitis" (AJO 2019)
- Best review profile: Healthgrades 5.0 (92), US News 5/5 (20)
- Retina Today "One to Watch" 2025; speaks Korean
82#3 · BEST ACADEMIC OPTION
Jennifer H. Cao, MD
UT Southwestern · Aston adult eye clinic, 5303 Harry Hines · 214-645-2020
- Uveitis & ocular immunology fellowship, MERSI (Co-Chief Fellow); Associate Professor
- Most uveitis research in DFW: ~16 uveitis papers (scleritis, birdshot, immunosuppression delays)
- Easy handoff to UTSW rheumatology for HLA-B27 workup
- Confirm adults Public bios lead with pediatric uveitis, but she is listed at the adult clinic
Full comparison
| # | Doctor | Practice / area | Uveitis fellowship | Yrs | Uveitis papers | Reviews | New pts | Score |
|---|
| 1 | Robert C. Wang | Texas Retina · Dallas, Plano, Sherman | Yes USC Doheny | 24 | ~11, incl. Phase 3 trials | US News 5/5 (47); HG 4.3 (60); Vitals 4.2 (25) | Yes | 88 |
| 2 | Rene Y. Choi | Texas Retina · Frisco, Denton | Yes Casey (OHSU) | 6 | ~7 | HG 5.0 (92); US News 5/5 (20) | Yes | 85 |
| 3 | Jennifer H. Cao | UT Southwestern · Dallas | Yes MERSI | 11 | ~16 | HG 5.0 (1) — thin | Yes | 82 |
| 4 | Noy Ashkenazy | UT Southwestern · Dallas, Richardson | Yes Bascom Palmer | 4 | ~9 (inflammation) | None posted | Verify | 76 |
| 5 | Tina H. Chen | Ophthalmology Associates · Fort Worth, Hurst | Yes Northwestern | ~12 | 1 | WebMD 5.0 (1) — thin | Yes | 72 |
| 6 | Johnathan D. Warminski | Retina Center of Texas · Southlake, Grapevine, Plano | No retina only | 12 | 0 | Practice 5.0 (100); HG 159 ratings | Yes | 64 |
| 7 | Philip Lieu | Retina Specialists · DeSoto, Plano, Mesquite | No retina only | 10 | 0 | Practice-wide 4.89 (2,277) | Yes | 58 |
| 8 | Gary E. Fish | Texas Retina · Dallas | No retina; AUS member | 30+ | — | Not collected | — | — |
| 9 | Benjamin R. Lin | Texas Retina · Dallas, Plano | No retina only | 1 | 0 | HG 5.0 (31) | Yes | 55 |
Score is out of 100: uveitis-specific training and experience 35, research and trials 15, patient reviews 15, credentials and awards 15, facility and access 15, communication 5. Red-flag deductions: none applied. Scores are a research aid, not a measure of clinical outcomes.
Doctor profiles
1. Robert C. Wang, MD — Texas Retina Associates
- Training
- MD Ohio State 1996 · Residency Ohio State (Havener Eye) 2000 · Uveitis fellowship USC Doheny 2001 · Retina fellowship Mass Eye and Ear 2002
- Role
- Director of Clinical Research (Plano); adjunct UTSW faculty; American Uveitis Society member. NPI 1568447175
- Research
- Co-author on PEACHTREE (suprachoroidal triamcinolone for uveitic macular edema, Ophthalmology 2020), AZALEA (BJO 2022), MUST trial quality-of-life (Ophthalmology 2017)
- Reviews
- US News 5/5 (47) · Healthgrades 4.3 (60) · Vitals 4.2 (25). Spread of 0.8 stars is normal.
- Awards
- Castle Connolly Top Doctor 2018–present · Modern Luxury Dallas Top Doctor 2022–23 · ASRS Honor Award 2026
- Access
- Accepting new patients; telehealth; sees all ages. Dallas Main is 9600 N Central Expy.
- Why #1
- The longest adult uveitis track record in DFW, real trial leadership, and the most patient feedback.
2. Rene Y. Choi, MD, PhD — Texas Retina Associates
- Training
- MD/PhD SUNY Upstate · Residency Moran Eye Center (Utah) 2017 · Uveitis & clinical ocular immunology fellowship, Casey Eye Institute 2018 (+ Devers clinical uveitis) · Retina fellowship Casey 2020
- Role
- With Texas Retina since 2020. NPI 1881038404 (record still shows Portland address)
- Research
- "Reclassifying idiopathic uveitis" (AJO 2019); uveitis after COVID vaccine (OII 2022); CALM fluocinolone implant registry (2026); AAO Focal Points on anterior uveitis
- Reviews
- Healthgrades 5.0 (92) · US News 5/5 (20)
- Awards
- Retina Today "One to Watch" (AAO 2025) · Heed Fellowship 2019
- Access
- Accepting new patients. Denton (3324 Colorado Blvd) and Frisco (5858 Main St).
3. Jennifer H. Cao, MD — UT Southwestern
- Training
- MD Baylor College of Medicine 2010 · Internal medicine internship · Residency Univ. of Colorado 2014 · Uveitis & ocular immunology fellowship, MERSI 2015 (Co-Chief Fellow)
- Role
- Associate Professor, UTSW since 2015. Only DFW doctor (with Ashkenazy) registered under the NPI uveitis specialty code. NPI 1861718942
- Research
- ~16 uveitis papers. Rituximab for refractory scleritis (AJO 2016); delays starting immunomodulatory therapy (AJO 2025); adult disease incl. birdshot and sarcoid uveitis
- Reviews
- Too few to judge (Healthgrades 5.0, 1 review)
- Access
- Adult line 214-645-2020 · Children's line 214-456-7947. Telehealth offered. Ask directly whether she takes a new adult anterior uveitis patient.
4. Noy Ashkenazy, MD, MS — UT Southwestern
- Training
- MD Univ. of Miami 2015 · Residency UTSW 2019 · Retina fellowship Bascom Palmer 2019–21 · Uveitis & ocular inflammatory disease fellowship, Bascom Palmer 2021–22 (Fellow of the Year)
- Role
- Assistant Professor, UTSW since 2022. NPI 1083009260
- Research
- ~38 papers, ~9 on inflammation (e.g., uveal melanoma masquerading as inflammation, 2025)
- Access
- Aston clinic (Dallas) and North Dallas/Richardson (1125 E Campbell Rd). Healthgrades says not accepting new patients — UTSW site disagrees. Call.
5. Tina H. Chen, MD — Ophthalmology Associates, Fort Worth
- Training
- MD Univ. of Cincinnati · Residency Univ. of Chicago (Chief Resident) · Uveitis & intraocular inflammation fellowship, Northwestern
- Role
- In Fort Worth since 2019. Uveitis plus general eye care and cataract surgery. NPI 1679991053
- Access
- 1201 Summit Ave, Fort Worth; also Hurst. 817-332-2020. Accepting new patients.
- Why it matters
- The only uveitis-trained doctor on the Tarrant County side. Thin online reviews and research record.
Where they practice
| Setting | Doctors | Strengths | Watch for |
|---|
| UT Southwestern (academic medical center) | Cao, Ashkenazy | Rheumatology, labs, imaging, and infusion under one system; teaching hospital; research access | Longer waits; academic scheduling. UTSW has an open uveitis faculty job (2025), so capacity is tight |
| Texas Retina Associates (large private retina group) | Wang, Choi (+ Fish, Lin) | Many offices; clinical trial site (e.g., OCS-01 uveitic macular edema trial); fast access | Rheumatology is a separate referral |
| Ophthalmology Associates (Fort Worth private) | Chen | Close to Fort Worth; also general and cataract care | Smaller uveitis volume |
Cost and network
Uveitis care is mostly office visits, eye drops, and sometimes injections or infusions. It is not one big hospital procedure, so the facility price-transparency data (Serif Health) used for surgery reports does not give a useful single price here. What matters more:
- In-network check: call the plan with each doctor's NPI (listed above). Academic (UTSW) and private (Texas Retina) offices bill differently; UTSW visits may carry a hospital facility fee.
- If she needs biologic drugs (e.g., adalimumab/Humira for recurrent HLA-B27 uveitis), prior authorization and specialty pharmacy coverage will matter more than visit cost.
Rheumatology partner (if recurrent or HLA-B27)
About half of acute anterior uveitis is HLA-B27 related, and many of those patients have a back/joint condition they don't know about. Ask the eye doctor to order HLA-B27 and a workup. Sourced options:
- Reid Weisberg, MD — UT Southwestern Rheumatology. Clinical focus on spondyloarthritis; Columbia fellowship; joined UTSW 2025.
- UTSW Moncrief Rheumatology, Fort Worth — for the Tarrant County side.
- Rheumatology Associates (Dallas/Arlington, large private group) — treats ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthritis.
No formal combined uveitis–rheumatology clinic was found in DFW.
Red flags and caveats
- No disciplinary actions, lawsuits, or bad press found for any ranked doctor in web and Texas Medical Board news searches. The board's interactive license lookup was not checked one by one — do that before booking: profile.tmb.state.tx.us.
- Cao, Ashkenazy, and Chen have few online reviews. That means "little data," not "bad."
- Out-of-date lists: Dr. David Callanan (Arlington) retired in 2022 but still appears on the OIUF specialist list.
- Baylor Scott & White has no uveitis specialist in DFW (its 2025 job opening was in Temple).
- Insurance, wait times, and D Magazine Best Doctors status were not verified.
Questions to ask at the first visit
- Is this my first episode, or has this happened before in either eye?
- Should I be tested for HLA-B27, and for sarcoidosis, syphilis, or tuberculosis?
- Do you think this is linked to a body-wide condition? Should I see a rheumatologist?
- What is the taper plan for the steroid drops, and when do you check my eye pressure?
- What symptoms mean I should call the same day (pain, light sensitivity, blurred vision)?
- If it keeps coming back, when would you start a long-term medicine instead of more steroids?
- How many uveitis patients do you see each week?
- Can I reach you fast during a flare? Do you hold urgent slots?
How to choose
| If she… | Choose |
|---|
| Wants the most experienced adult uveitis doctor, Dallas or Plano | Robert Wang |
| Lives in Frisco, McKinney, Denton, or north | Rene Choi |
| Has back pain, bowel, skin, or joint symptoms, or wants one system for eye + rheumatology | Jennifer Cao or Noy Ashkenazy at UTSW |
| Lives in Fort Worth, Hurst, or west | Tina Chen |
| Needs to be seen today for a painful red eye | Any ophthalmologist or eye ER now; specialist after |
Method
Candidates came from the NPI Registry (uveitis taxonomy and all DFW ophthalmology), the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation and American Uveitis Society listings, UTSW, Texas Retina, Retina Center of Texas, Retina Specialists, Baylor Scott & White, Cook Children's, Key-Whitman, and directory sites. Each candidate was checked for fellowship training, board certification, PubMed output (name + topic; counts are approximate), ClinicalTrials.gov, reviews on several platforms, awards, and red flags.