By Susan D. Brandenburg
mail@floridanewsline.com
Internationally known for his ground-breaking eye surgical techniques with a worldwide clientele and recognized by Forbes (Goldline Research) as one of the Top Ten Laser Eye Surgeons in the United States, Dr. Arun Gulani has recently moved with his family to an oceanfront home on Ponte Vedra Boulevard. Dr. Gulani and his wife, family physician Dr. Suparna Gulani, have two children, daughter Aaisha, 20, a valedictorian from The Bolles School and presently studying at Wharton School of Business, and son Yash, 14, a junior at The Bolles School.
Dr. Gulani is chief surgeon of Gulani Vision Institute in Jacksonville, has invented several Lasik surgical instruments, created a unique super-specialty of Lasik and Cataract surgery called Corneoplastique™ and travels the globe teaching innovative techniques to other eye surgeons. On a personal note, Gulani is a fashion model, poet and art collector who is known for his elegant style, having designed most of his tailor-made suits. Touted as “Dr. GQ,” “Man of Vision” and the “da Vinci of eye surgery,” new Ponte Vedra resident is a man of many talents whose goal is to take vision “Far Beyond 20/20 for every patient.”
1.You and Suparna designed the elegant interiors of your spacious home. What inspired you?
The design of our house is an extension of the excellence that both of us strive for as doctors. We’ve named our home “Jannat” (Earthly Paradise). We used our hearts, minds and eyes to visualize and customize all the design elements, yet we both agree that God’s exterior design of ocean, beach and sky is what truly makes it paradise.
2. You’ve expressed gratitude that Hurricane Matthew was benevolent to your new home. Did you suffer any damage other than losing some of the dunes?
Of course, like everyone else, we suffered damage to our dunes, dock/walkover and roof, but the house stood solid. As a positive person, I feel this disaster actually brought us together with our neighbors, all with a common bond. It’s been great to get to know such amazing people. We are surrounded by neighbors who have changed the world with their own contributions and are now nesting in this beautiful area. Hurricane Matthew introduced us and now we are friends.
3. You speak of neighbors who have changed the world, but you travel the world as a visiting professor and constantly seek new customized surgical techniques. Do you, too, have dreams of changing the world?
I’m living my dream right now, helping people to see. It is my purpose to continue living that dream and to raise the bar of Lasik and cataract surgery worldwide until as many surgeons as possible will focus on vision beyond 20/20. This is what I try to impart as a visiting professor internationally and also to visiting surgeons and fellows at Gulani Vision Institute.
4. Why do patients and even other eye surgeons seek you out?
I would say one of the most common reasons patients travel to me from far and wide is that they have had a bad outcome from Lasik or cataract surgery, have been told they are not a candidate or simply have high demands for vision outcomes that require custom-designed cataract/Lasik or astigmatism surgery.
5. Gulani Vision Institute is located in Southpoint in Jacksonville and you live in Ponte Vedra Beach. With your global vision, why stay in North Florida?
Patients constantly ask me why I’m not in New York or LA, but as long as they continue to seek me out and travel to me for the best in eye care, I am thankful to live in this wonderful community. I love the people of Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach who have given my family such opportunities. Now, when I am teaching at a foreign university and they ask why I’m not in Beverly Hills, I simply whip out my phone and show them a photo of my home in Ponte Vedra Beach. No further conversation is necessary. This is paradise!
Photo courtesy Dr. Arun Gulani
Dr. Arun Gulani
