President and Managing Partner of Williamson Eye Center
Dr. Blake K. Williamson, MD, MPH, MS, is a third-generation eye doctor continuing a family legacy that has served the people of Louisiana for over 75 years. He currently serves as President and Managing Partner of the Williamson Eye Center. Within a few short years of entering private practice, Dr. Williamson established himself as a nationally recognized surgeon, thought leader, and lecturer in the fields of advanced cataract surgery, laser vision correction, and micro-invasive glaucoma surgery. He has further distinguished himself as one of the highest surgical volume providers in the country, performing thousands of procedures annually. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Dr. Williamson has consistently prioritized academic achievement, graduating from the Episcopal School before earning Master’s degrees from Columbia University in New York City and the world-renowned Johns Hopkins Medical Center, where he completed an ophthalmology capstone. Committed to serving his home state, Dr. Williamson returned to Louisiana to complete his medical school and ophthalmology residency training at LSU and Tulane, respectively.
While training at Tulane, Dr. Williamson quickly developed a reputation as a skilled surgeon and he would go on to perform the most phaco cataract surgeries in the history of the residency program, which dates back 100 years. Innovation and using the latest techniques was also a strong focus, and Dr. Williamson was one of the first resident physicians from the United States to perform all bladeless femtosecond laser cataract surgery on the Catalys prototype in the Dominican Republic. He was also the first resident physician in the Southern United States to become certified using iStent, a novel surgical device for the treatment of glaucoma and the smallest FDA approved medical device in the world at that time. Dr. Williamson remained devoted to research and education during his training, and was awarded the highest honor at the annual Tulane O’brien Research Symposium two years in a row for his work on microscopic glaucoma devices and their role in corneal degeneration. Concern for those less fortunate and giving back has been a strong conviction throughout his career and as a Unite for Sight Global Impact Fellow he has performed surgery on 3 continents and has participated on surgical missions around the world.
After finishing residency training Dr. Williamson completed a one year private fellowship in refractive cataract & advanced anterior segment surgery as well as modern laser vision correction with internationally recognized vision correction pioneer, Dr. Charles Williamson. He now specializes in state of the art laser guided cataract surgery and advanced lens implants that reduce or eliminate the need for glasses post-operatively, as well as bladeless all laser LASIK and EVO ICL, designed to reduce the need for contact lenses or glasses. Following the pioneering tradition put forth by his family for decades, in 2016 Dr. Williamson became the first surgeon in Louisiana state history to implant the first and only extended depth of focus lens for cataract surgery approved in the United States. He also became the first surgeon in the state to implant a corneal inlay to reduce the need for reading glasses. He is on the cutting edge of modern minimally invasive techniques to treat glaucoma and reduce or eliminate the need for glaucoma eye drops by performing micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). Dr. Williamson was one of the first surgeons in the South to implant the Cypass MIGS stent after its FDA approval and he was the first surgeon in Louisiana to implant the XEN stent as well as the OMNI surgical system. In 2019, he became the first surgeon in the State to implant the iStent inject, the smallest medical device in the world used to treat glaucoma.
Dr. Williamson is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, where he serves on the ASCRS Council of 100. He is also on the editorial board for Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today magazine. Dr. Williamson is one of the youngest surgeons ever invited to join the prestigious American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery and sits on the refractive editorial board of EyeWorld magazine, the official trade journal for the largest group of cataract and refractive surgeons in the United States. He has served as Chairman of the YMDC for over five years and has been honored to serve as expert faculty on the program committee for numerous national and international ophthalmology conferences. Additionally, he is the co-founder of Eye Surgery Today, an educational ophthalmic YouTube channel for patients that receives millions of views annually. He is also a founding member of the Oracle Vision Council. Recognized as a Key Opinion Leader, Dr. Williamson consults for several pharmaceutical and surgical device companies and has lectured globally. In his free time, he enjoys music, working as a disc jockey for a local FM radio station, and is passionate about LSU sports, wake surfing, and traveling the world with his wife and their three sons.
As Seen On
Partial Resume:
Tulane University- Ophthalmology Residency
LSU Health Sciences Center- M.D.
Johns Hopkins Medical Center- M.P.H.
Columbia University- M.S.
Member of the Board, Louisiana Association of Eye Physicians and Surgeons
Member, American Academy of Ophthalmology
Member, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Office Locations
9001 Summa Avenue, Suite 245
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 274-3937
550 Connell’s Park Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 924-2020
(800) 375-6828
2290 South Range Avenue
Denham Springs, LA 70726
(225) 665-2019
2308 South Burnside Avenue
Gonzales, LA 70737
(225) 644-7525
230 Roberts Dr #J
New Roads, LA 70760
(225) 618-0088
