About Dr. Steven Kane

Meet Dr. Kane

Steven Kane, MD, FAAO is a Board Certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist specializing in cataract, cornea, and refractive surgery. As an expert in laser cataract surgery, LASIK, and cornea transplant, he utilizes the latest advanced technology and minimally invasive surgical techniques. He is an internationally recognized expert in small incision cornea transplantation techniques and an advisor and faculty instructor for the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research (LEITR). As a cornea transplant instructor, he helps teach US and international surgeons how to perform the latest transplant techniques. Dr. Kane is also involved in cornea transplant research and development. He was involved in developing a micro-incisional technique for DMEK and was the lead surgeon who helped develop a new minimally invasive “no touch” technique for DSAEK.

Born and raised in Venice Florida, Dr. Kane is proud to offer the latest innovations in medical and surgical eye care to his hometown. He is a certified Spanish-English interpreter and helped found a medical interpreting program during medical school. He was a scholar-athlete, graduated summa cum laude from William and Mary, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated Cum Laude from Thomas Jefferson Medical College. He completed corneal fellowship training at the prestigious University of Pittsburgh. For his compassionate patient care, he was inducted in 2016 by his professors and peers at the University of Florida into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. As an internationally-recognized expert on Fuchs’ endothelial disease, he has published articles in peer-reviewed journals in addition to a textbook chapter on corneal disease in Yankoff. Dr. Kane is married to Amanda and they have three children. Dr. Kane enjoys triathlons, snow skiing, and tinkering with his car in his spare time.

Place of Birth:
Venice, Florida

Undergraduate:
The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA – summa cum laude

Medical School:
Thomas Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA – cum laude

Internship in Internal Medicine:
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Ophthalmology Residency:
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Cornea Fellowship:
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Board Certification:
American Board of Ophthalmology

5 Quick Questions with Dr. Kane

What is your favorite condition to treat?

Fuch’s dystrophy. It’s a condition where the cornea will slowly swell and take on water over time; we call that “corneal edema.” The reason this happens has to do with specialized pump cells that live on the inside of the cornea. Over time they can slow down or stop working as a natural consequence of getting older. In someone with Fuch’s dystrophy, this process happens at an accelerated rate. The typical story of Fuch’s dystrophy is someone in their 40s or 50s who notices blurry vision worse in the morning. It may take an hour or two after waking until the vision clears. In later stages, the vision may stay blurry for the whole day. The treatment options for Fuch’s dystrophy have really exploded in the last 10 years. We can catch the condition much earlier and treat it before people develop end-stage disease. Just a few decades ago the only way to treat this condition was with a full-thickness cornea transplant. The techniques we have today allow for quicker recovery and a better chance at restoring near-perfect vision. The treatment options can be technically challenging, but that’s part of the reward. It’s really fun to give people their life back.

How did you choose Venice, Florida?

Venice was an easy pick for me. Venice is my hometown; I grew up here. The pace of things here is more my style compared to other parts of Florida. I think there is a relative lack of surgical cornea specialists between Naples and Tampa. I am excited to bring my comprehensive cornea transplant and cataract surgery skillset to the Venice community.

Why did you choose Ophthalmology and specifically Cornea?

That was a really hard decision. I really liked both Ophthalmology and Ob-Gyn when I was a medical student. Ultimately it was the fine detail, the fine motor skills, and the delicate procedures that drew me to Ophthalmology. I am fascinated with the eye, it’s really beautiful. The ability to impact someone’s life by restoring vision is really exciting. I picked Cornea because I wanted to be a master of something. It’s hard to be a master of everything within General Ophthalmology. My cornea fellowship allowed me to really focus on the anterior segment of the eye and gain a level of expertise beyond my residency training. You can take someone who may not be able to see very well, give them a new cornea, and help them see again. There are also tons of options short of doing a cornea transplant to maximize someone’s vision potential, like rehabilitating the surface of the eye, advanced treatments for dry eye, and cataract surgery. There are all kinds of things we can do to help people see better. As a cornea specialist, that’s my wheelhouse; maximizing the visual potential from the front of the eye.

Tell me a surprising fact about you.

I used to play professional tennis. When I was 12 years old I switched from traditional school to an at-home independent study program so I could start playing tennis full time. I traveled around the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America competing on the professional circuit. I played professionally until age 27. I also am a classically trained violinist and played the violin in my own wedding ceremony.

What lies ahead for you in the coming year?

I am really excited about a new DSAEK (partial thickness cornea transplant) injector system that I’ve been working on for the past two years with Lion’s Eye Institute for Transplant and Research. They selected me to be their lead cornea surgeon on this project, and I am very grateful for that opportunity. This injector system is a revolutionary way of doing DSAEK cornea surgery, with smaller wounds and a brand new “no-touch” technique. The system delivers the cornea transplant tissue into the eye without disturbing or damaging the graft. It’s really exciting to be able to develop this new device and bring this technology to other cornea surgeons.

Explore All About Eye Conditions

For information about cataracts, dry eye disease, Fuchs’ corneal dystrophy and many other conditions click the link below.

Learn More About Eye Conditions

New Patient?

Fill out your intake forms now.

Fill Out Forms