Thomas K. Schlesinger, MD PhD

Dr. Schlesinger is a board certified ophthalmologist who specializes in the treatment of diseases of the retina. He received his M.D. from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. He went on to do an ophthalmology residency at the Doheny Eye Institute/USC, then completed a vitreoretinal fellowship at the Casey Eye Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University. During his fellowship training he was awarded the Heed Foundation fellowship and the Ronald G. Michels Foundation award. Dr. Schlesinger was involved in several clinical studies, published numerous research papers, and authored a chapter in a textbook. He also holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, where he studied molecular signal transduction.

Dr. Schlesinger grew up in Boulder, Colorado where his father was a professor, and his mother a clinical psychologist. He took a gymnastics lesson when he was ten years old, finding one of his passions. He continued in gymnastics, becoming state champion as a senior in high school. At the University of Nebraska, he became a three-time NCAA champion, seven-time NCAA all American, 1988 Olympic team member, Pan-American Games gold medalist, and Nissen award winner. He also excelled in the classroom, receiving numerous awards including being named GTE academic all American two years in a row, and the NCAA “today’s top six” student athlete award, on his way to receiving a degree in chemistry with distinction.

Dr. Schlesinger joined Drs. Caskey, Meffert and Kayser at North Bay Vitreoretinal Consultants in August, 2006. His practice philosophy involves giving compassionate care that is always at the forefront of new treatments and technologies. The field of retina disease and its treatment continues to see rapid change, and Dr. Schlesinger is determined to deliver the best care available while treating each patient as he would his own family member. He enjoys family activities with his wife and two children, and eating at the great restaurants in wine country. He was inducted into the USA gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.