- Specialty
- Ophthalmology
Dr. Hunkeler is a nationally recognized leader in ophthalmology. He is the founder and medical director of Hunkeler Eye Institute. Specializing in cataract and lens implant surgery, Dr. Hunkeler has maintained a private practice in the metropolitan Kansas City area since 1973.
Dr. Hunkeler has helped educate ophthalmologists throughout the world in the technique of small incision cataract surgery. He was the first surgeon to use the YAG laser in Kansas City in 1984 and the excimer laser in 1988. In October 1996, he was recognized by Ophthalmology Times as one of the top 100 ophthalmologists in the United States.
In 1977, Dr. Hunkeler was the founding director of the Kansas City Eye Bank and served as its medical director for the next 10 years. He also served as a medical monitor for the laser photorefractive keratectomy study for nearsightedness. Additionally, Dr. Hunkeler has facilitated the use of Hunkeler Eye Institute as the national training facility for physicians interested in learning about excimer laser procedures in refractive surgery procedures.
As chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Dr. Hunkeler oversees the training of ophthalmology residents at the school. Dr. Hunkeler earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas and continued his medical training with an internship at the Los Angeles County Hospital and subsequent ophthalmic residency at the University of Kansas. Also, he has held leadership roles in many ophthalmic organizations and served on the boards of the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society, the American Board of Eye Surgery, and the Eye Bank Association of America. Dr. Hunkeler is a board-certified ophthalmologist and past president of the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
