Chicago Cornea Consultants

What Chicago Cornea Consultants does

Chicago Cornea Consultants, Ltd. is a privately held, physician-owned ophthalmology practice founded in 1986 by Dr. Randy J. Epstein and headquartered in Highland Park, Illinois, serving patients across the greater Chicago metropolitan area through four office locations (Chicago/RUSH, Highland Park, Hoffman Estates, and Arlington Heights). The practice provides surgical vision correction, advanced cataract surgery, and medical/surgical management of corneal, glaucoma, dry eye, and oculoplastic conditions, supported by six board-certified ophthalmologists, approximately six optometrists, and an in-house Office-Based Surgical Suite.

Its core technology platform is built around third-party advanced diagnostic and surgical systems rather than proprietary IP, including ZEISS VisuMax femtosecond laser for SMILE and LASIK, Pentacam corneal tomography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), corneal topography, the Alcon ORA intra-operative wavefront aberrometry system, and the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL/LAL+) platform. The practice has cumulatively performed 50,000+ corneal refractive procedures and positions itself as a first-adopter of premium intraocular lens technologies (PanOptix Trifocal, Vivity, Toric, Symfony, Crystalens, Trulign, LAL+) and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (iStent, Kahook Dual Blade).

Revenue is generated on a per-procedure transactional basis, combining Medicare/insurance reimbursement for standard cataract care with patient out-of-pocket fees for premium IOL upgrades, elective LASIK/SMILE/EVO ICL, specialty contact lens fittings (scleral, EyePrintPRO, keratoconus), dry eye treatments (LipiFlow, IPL), and oculoplastic/cosmetic services (blepharoplasty, BOTOX). CareCredit patient financing and a $50 no-show fee supplement the model. Patients are acquired through a direct-to-consumer mix of website/SEO, patient testimonials and Google reviews, referring physician network, blog and YouTube educational content, and a self-serve patient portal — with no external PE, VC, or corporate parent ownership identified.

Name

Chicago Cornea Consultants

Legal name

Chicago Cornea Consultants, Ltd.

Website

https://chicagocornea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Cornea Consultants is a physician-owned ophthalmology practice founded in 1986, offering LASIK, SMILE, premium cataract surgery, and corneal disease treatment to patients across four Chicagoland locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132), Diagnostic Imaging Centers (621512)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery (LASIK/PRK) (HLAKAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ophthalmology Surgery Centers (HLAFAIAF), Cornea & External Disease Surgical Devices (Keratoplasty Tools, Cross-Linking Systems, Amniotic Membrane Delivery) (HLAHAJAK), Glaucoma Specialists (HLAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Refractive eye surgery
• Cataract surgery
• Corneal treatments
• Ophthalmology services
• Laser vision correction

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Surgical Vision Correction Procedures: Revenue from laser eye surgery procedures including LASIK, SMILE, PRK, and other refractive surgeries. Fees vary by procedure type with additional technology fees for premium options.
2. Cataract Surgery: Cataract surgery with various IOL options including standard and premium lenses (PanOptix, Vivity, Toric, Symfony). Premium IOLs have additional fees not covered by Medicare/insurance.
3. Corneal Treatments: Corneal transplants, cross-linking (CXL), and keratoconus treatments.
4. Consultation and Eye Exams: Office visits and eye examinations for diagnosis and treatment planning.
5. Contact Lens Services: Specialty contact lens fittings including scleral lenses, keratoconus lenses, and EyePrintPRO.
6. Dry Eye Treatments: IPL therapy and LipiFlow procedures for dry eye syndrome.
7. Cosmetic Procedures: BOTOX cosmetic treatments and oculoplastic procedures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chicago Cornea Consultants is a private ophthalmology practice providing surgical vision correction, cataract surgery, corneal disease management, glaucoma treatment, dry eye therapy, specialty contact lens fitting, and oculoplastic procedures to patients in the greater Chicago area. The practice operates across four office locations with a team of board-certified ophthalmologists and optometrists performing over 50,000 corneal refractive procedures to date.

Product overview

Chicago Cornea Consultants is a comprehensive ophthalmology practice offering a unified portfolio of eye care services centered around surgical vision correction and corneal disease management. The practice operates as a single service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing over 50,000 corneal refractive procedures. Core offerings include laser vision correction (SMILE, LASIK with Contoura, PRK, ASA), premium cataract surgery with advanced IOLs (PanOptix Trifocal, Vivity, Toric, Symfony, Crystalens, Trulign, Light Adjustable Lens LAL/LAL+), corneal treatments (Cross-Linking, Transplant), glaucoma management (iStent, Kahook Dual Blade), dry eye treatments (LipiFlow, IPL), and specialty contact lenses (Scleral, EyePrintPRO, Keratoconus lenses). Surgical services include oculoplastics (Blepharoplasty, Ptosis Repair, Eyelid Tightening, Tumor Removal, BOTOX). The practice also offers an Office-Based Surgical Suite (OBS) for advanced procedures. All services are delivered through five board-certified ophthalmologists and six optometrists across four Chicago-area locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) Laser eye surgery that uses a laser to reshape the cornea, correcting refractive errors to improve vision and reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses, for patients seeking surgical vision correction.
• Contoura Vision Assisted LASIK Advanced topography-guided LASIK that maps and treats unique corneal irregularities for personalized vision correction, for patients with specific corneal characteristics.
• Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) Laser eye surgery that reshapes the corneal surface to correct refractive errors, suitable for patients with thinner corneas who are not candidates for LASIK.
• Advanced Surface Ablation (ASA) A surface ablation procedure similar to PRK that reshapes the cornea using laser technology for vision correction in patients with thinner corneas.
• SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction) A minimally invasive laser vision correction procedure using the VisuMax femtosecond laser to remove tissue from the cornea, correcting myopia and astigmatism without creating a corneal flap.
• EVO ICL (Implantable Collamer Lens) An implantable contact lens placed behind the iris to correct nearsightedness and astigmatism, functioning as an additive procedure that preserves corneal tissue.
• Refractive Lens Exchange Surgical procedure that replaces the natural lens with an intraocular lens to correct refractive errors in patients not suitable for laser surgery.
• Light Adjustable Lens (LAL/LAL+) FDA-approved intraocular lens made of photosensitive material that can be adjusted with UV light post-surgery for precise, customized vision correction during cataract surgery.
• Alcon PanOptix Trifocal IOL Trifocal intraocular lens with built-in multiple focus rings providing crisp near, intermediate, and distance vision with UV and blue light protection, used in cataract surgery.
• Alcon Vivity IOL Extended depth of focus IOL using non-diffractive X-Wave technology for high-quality distance and intermediate vision with reduced visual disturbances.
• AcrySof IQ Toric IOL Astigmatism-correcting intraocular lens that replaces the clouded lens while simultaneously correcting corneal astigmatism during cataract surgery.
• TECNIS Symfony IOL Presbyopia-correcting intraocular lens approved to improve near, intermediate, and distance vision without causing halos or glare.
• Crystalens Accommodating IOL Accommodating intraocular lens that changes shape to focus on both distant and near objects, reducing dependence on reading glasses.
• Trulign Toric IOL Premium IOL combining Crystalens accommodation with astigmatism correction and wider range of vision.
• Alcon ORA System (Intra-Operative Wavefront Aberrometry) Real-time refractive measurement technology used during cataract surgery to optimize IOL placement and improve visual outcomes.
• Corneal Cross-Linking (CXL) Treatment that strengthens the cornea using riboflavin drops and UV light to halt progression of keratoconus and corneal ectasia.
• Corneal Transplant Surgery Surgical procedure to replace damaged or diseased corneal tissue with healthy donor tissue to restore vision.
• iStent Inject (Glaucoma Surgery) Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) device, the smallest FDA-approved medical device, inserted to improve fluid outflow and lower intraocular pressure.
• Kahook Dual Blade Goniotomy MIGS procedure using a microscopic blade to remove trabecular meshwork tissue and improve aqueous humor outflow for glaucoma treatment.
• LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation In-office treatment using targeted heat and pulsatile pressure to unblock meibomian glands and restore natural lipid production for healthy tear film in dry eye patients.
• IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) Therapy Light-based treatment for dry eye disease, blepharitis, ocular rosacea, and meibomian gland dysfunction that reduces inflammation and improves gland function.
• Scleral Contact Lenses Custom large-diameter gas permeable contact lenses that vault over the cornea and rest on the sclera, providing vision correction for irregular corneas and severe dry eye.
• EyePrintPRO Contact Lenses Prosthetic scleral device that matches the exact contour of any eye for patients with corneal disease, irregularities, or when other lens options have failed.
• Keratoconus Contact Lenses Specialty contact lenses including Rose-K, Dyna-Cone, hybrid, and scleral designs to manage keratoconus and irregular corneas.
• Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty Surgical removal of excess skin and tissue from upper eyelids to improve vision and restore a more youthful appearance.
• Ptosis Repair Surgical procedure to lift droopy eyelids by shortening the levator muscle, improving visual field and eyelid position.
• Lower Eyelid Tightening Surgical procedure to tighten loose or sagging lower eyelids caused by entropion, ectropion, or eyelid laxity to protect the eye and improve aesthetics.
• Oculoplastic Tumor Removal Surgical removal of benign or malignant tumors from eyelids, conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, and orbit with reconstruction as needed.
• BOTOX Cosmetic

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ corneal refractive procedures performed
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TLC Laser Eye Centers: National LASIK and laser vision correction chain with regional centers, directly competing with Chicago Cornea Consultants on refractive procedures and premium cataract/IOL offerings across the Midwest.
• LasikPlus: Large US LASIK provider chain with a Chicagoland presence, competing head-to-head on laser vision correction pricing, SMILE, and LASIK volume.
• Kraff Eye Institute: Chicago-based ophthalmology practice specializing in LASIK and cataract surgery, directly comparable as a regional refractive/cataract competitor with similar premium-IOL positioning.
• Mann Eye Institute: Multi-location ophthalmology practice offering LASIK, cataract surgery, and corneal treatments; comparable in service mix and premium-technology adoption, though operating in a different metro.

Regional players

• Arbor Centers for EyeCare: Chicago-area ophthalmology group offering cataract, glaucoma, and corneal services; competes in the same Chicagoland market with overlapping service lines.

Broad incumbents

• Northwestern Medicine Department of Ophthalmology: Academic ophthalmology department embedded in a major Chicago health system, providing overlapping specialty and surgical eye care with broader institutional resources.
• Rush University Medical Center – Department of Ophthalmology: Academic ophthalmology program at RUSH, where Chicago Cornea Consultants already maintains a clinical office; competes for complex cataract, cornea, and glaucoma cases within the same institution.
• Bascom Palmer Eye Institute: Nationally ranked academic eye institute; provides overlapping cornea, refractive, and cataract services and represents the gold-standard benchmark for ophthalmology clinical reputation.
• Wills Eye Hospital: Premier specialty eye hospital providing comprehensive ophthalmology services including cornea and refractive surgery, comparable as an established tertiary-care competitor.

Others

• US Eye (United Surgical Partners International platform): PE-backed consolidator of ophthalmology practices; not a direct clinical competitor but a relevant strategic actor whose M&A activity and roll-up playbook could reshape the Midwest ophthalmology market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChicagoCorneas
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagocornea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-cornea-consultants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Cornea Consultants