GREENVILLE, S.C.—Eye Health America, an eyecare practice management company which is headquartered here in Greenville, S.C., said this week that Southeast Retina Center (SERC), led by Dennis Marcus, MD, has joined its organization. The new affiliation was effective Dec. 31, 2021, according to an Eye Health America announcement. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This partnership includes an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) and the 11 locations that span southeastern Georgia, according to the announcement.

SERC is one of “the go-to retina providers in Augusta, Ga.-Aiken, S.C., and throughout southeastern Georgia,” with a strong culture of outstanding patient care, cutting-edge innovation and clinical/surgical research, the announcement noted. Dr. Marcus, with 27 years of experience, is respected and recognized as a key opinion leader by both his peers and industry.

SERC, located just two hours from Eye Health America’s upstate South Carolina corporate office, represents the organization’s entrance into the state of Georgia. In addition, Marcus will become Eye Health America’s chief clinical research director working closely with Dr. Cathy McCabe, who is chief medical officer.

“Welcoming such a best-in-class group aligns with our growth strategy,” Mary Lou Parisi, co-chief executive officer of Eye Health America, said.

Eye Health America was formed in 2018 via partnership of Clemson Eye, The Eye Associates, and LLR Partners, a growth-focused private equity firm, as VMAIL reported.

EHA has seen substantial growth in the past three years. With the addition of SERC, the organization operates with 80 physicians across 53 locations, eight ambulatory surgical centers, and more than 1,000 employees overall in South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

Dr. Marcus is an internationally recognized leader in retinal research. He recently served as a steering committee member, principal investigator and advising developer of the newly FDA-approved port delivery system (Susvimo), which demonstrated its role in reducing the number of injections and treatment burden for patients with wet macular degeneration.

He has also served as the protocol chair for the National Eye Institute-funded DRCR Retina Network multicenter trial evaluating wide-field imaging for diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working Americans.

Dr. Marcus is also currently involved in retinal gene therapy trials and was the first to present initial results and treat diabetic retinopathy with gene therapy administered via “suprachoroidal” injection.