Richard Lasonde, M.D.

Having performed over 3,000 LASIK procedures and thousands of cataract surgeries, Medical Director and Chief Surgeon
Richard J. Lasonde, M.D. has the experience and the expertise you can trust. LASIK is a Corneal Procedure, and Dr. Lasonde is one of only a select few fellowship-trained Corneal Specialists in New England.

Dr. Lasonde also brings his unique skills as a refractive surgeon to his cataract surgery helping patients to achieve their personal best vision.

Dr. Lasonde is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Dartmouth and Brown Medical Schools.  He received his fellowship training in Corneal Surgery and External Diseases of the Eye at the University of Pittsburgh. He began his private practice in New Hampshire and Maine in 1994. Dr. Lasonde specializes in Cataract Surgery, LASIK-Laser Vision Correction, and the treatments of Glaucoma, Diabetic Eye Conditions and Macular Degeneration.

Karen S. Nipper, M.D.

Excellent Vision Eye and Laser Centers is pleased to welcome Karen S. Nipper, M.D.

Dr. Nipper is an Ophthalmologist and Eye Plastic Surgeon, a specialty commonly referred to as Oculoplastic Surgery. Having completed training in both ophthalmology and cosmetic plastic surgery as it relates to the eyes and their surrounding structures, she is a surgeon who specializes in reconstructive and cosmetic eyelid surgery but knows how to maintain and protect your patients’ vision.

As a comprehensive ophthalmologist, Dr. Nipper specializes in both medical and surgical diseases of the eye with special interests in cataract surgery, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration.

As an oculoplastic surgeon, she deals primarily with the external structures of the eye: the eyelids, the lacrimal (tear) system, the orbit (bony cavity surrounding the eye), and the adjacent face. If any of these are damaged during trauma or altered by aging or disease, eye plastic surgery can restore their functional integrity. Drooping lids, eyelid malpositions such as entropion and ectropion, and excessive tearing are common complaints brought to Dr. Nipper. She also offers a range of cosmetic procedures using BOTOX, Restylane and the Obagi skin care line.

Dr. Nipper is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia where she received numerous awards and honors during her academic training.

Dr. Nipper received her fellowship training in Eye Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery in Philadelphia. She is a published author in a variety of journals including, Archives of Ophthalmology, and most recently the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Dr. Nipper is the newest member of the Excellent Vision Eye and Laser Center team, joining Richard J. Lasonde, M.D., Dana Graichen, M.D., and Naila Aslam, O.D., in their practice in August 2005. She is accepting new patients at their offices in Portsmouth and Rochester, New Hampshire, as well as Biddeford, Maine.

Dana Graichen, M.D.

Dr. Dana Graichen is a board-certified and fellowship-trained Retinal Surgeon who specializes in the diagnosis and medical and surgical treatments of retinal diseases.

Dr. Graichen received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts, and he obtained his medical degree at Tufts University.  He completed his ophthalmology residency at USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, and received fellowship training in Ophthalmic Pathology at Baylor College and Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Graichen moved to New England in 1994.  He began and maintains a private practice in Sanford, Maine.

Dr. Graichen joined the Excellent Vision Eye and Laser Center in Portsmouth in 2003.  At the center, he utilizes state-of–the-art diagnostic and laser technologies to diagnose and treat retinal problems including Diabetic Eye Complications and Macular Degeneration.  He is accepting new patients.

Naila Aslam , O.D.

An honors graduate of the New England College of Optometry, Dr. Naila Aslam brings her extensive clinical experience to the Excellent Vision Eye and Laser Center. 

Dr. Aslam received her undergraduate biology degree from Rutger’s University. After her Optometric training, she joined practices in Brooklyn, New York and subsequently Phoenix, Arizona where she was involved in laser treatment clinical trials and tertiary emergency eye care. Dr. Aslam joined Excellent Vision in 2001. She is board-certified by the National Board of Optometry, and is a member of the New Hampshire Optometric Society.

Her specialty interests include LASIK, LASEK, PRK, Cataract Surgery, and complicated contact lens consultations. Dr. Aslam is currently accepting new patients for Complete Eye Examinations, Contact Lens Fittings, and Complex Contact Lens Care.