Cornea Service Grows

In September, the Eye Institute welcomed back a familiar face. Daniel Savage, MD, PhD, joined the cornea service after completing a fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the University of Utah’s Moran Eye Center, a national top-10 eye center. A native of Webster, NY, he is no stranger to the University of Rochester. Driven from a young age by a mission to help people see better, he began his academic career here in 2006 as an undergraduate in optical engineering. He went on to earn a Master’s in Optics before matriculating into the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry’s MD/PhD program, where he completed both his medical degree and his doctorate in optical physics before becoming an ophthalmology resident at Flaum.

Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Savage became a fixture in the Department of Ophthalmology, balancing rigorous scientific training with his clinical interests. During this time, he worked with FEI and basic scientists at the Institute of Optics while also collaborating with clinicians, including current FEI Cornea Chief and refractive surgeon Scott MacRae, MD. His intellectual curiosity and medical aspirations have yielded more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and abstracts, helping him secure a coveted Heed Fellowship to support his subspecialty training at the Moran Eye Center.

“Daniel is one of the smartest people I have ever met,” said MacRae. “He has an incredible understanding of the intersection between ophthalmology and the physics of optics. We are so glad that he chose the path of academic medicine and joined us.”

Dr. Savage now practices at FEI’s Advanced Vision Correction Center at the Meridian Centre location, which offers a full spectrum of modern refractive and corneal care—including laser vision correction, lens-based refractive surgery, and the diagnosis and management of corneal diseases requiring medical or surgical treatment. In addition to his clinical duties, he conducts basic science research with Susana Marcos, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Center for Visual Science, whose work focuses on next-generation technologies for improving visual optics.

Zachary Laird | 11/26/2025