
Focused on the Future
Tri-Century Eye Care, which grew out of a partnership between two renowned practices, fields a team of skilled medical and surgical ophthalmologists and optometrists who provide all facets of eye care, from routine exams to complex disease treatment to rejuvenation procedures.
Prior to their merger in 2019, Tri-County Eye Physicians & Surgeons and Century Eye Care each had a highly qualified team of physicians and a rich history of providing top-notch treatment to patients in the region. Since joining forces three years ago, the results have been nothing short of spectacular.
Now known as Tri-Century Eye Care P.C., the combined practice has 18 doctors focusing on a broad range of specialties and includes both ophthalmologists and optometrists covering every aspect of eye care. Those experienced practitioners see patients at five different locations—with surgical centers—allowing area residents to receive convenient care in their own communities rather than travel to Philadelphia or even a local hospital.
“We realized there could be synergy working together,” says Scott M. Goldstein, M.D., a board-certified surgeon at Tri-Century Eye Care with specialized training in ophthalmology and oculofacial plastic surgery. “Because of the partnership, we’ve been able to become one of the biggest independently owned eye-care practices in the Delaware Valley. We provide all facets of eye care, from complex eye diseases to routine eyeglass exams and contact lenses, and everything in between.”
One of the organization’s most important distinctions is the fact that it is physician-owned. As a comprehensive, multispecialty practice, its doctors work hand in hand with medical colleagues across Montgomery and Bucks counties to treat complex issues through services such as refractive cataract surgery, treatment for retinal diseases, glaucoma and macular degeneration, LASIK surgery, plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, and diabetic eye care.
“The small, independent practice is becoming more and more rare, really,” Dr. Goldstein says. “These days, they’re either aligned with a big hospital system or a private equity group, and you have non-medical businesspeople making all the decisions and less physician involvement, which sometimes results in competing directives when it comes to patient care. Our physicians are affiliated with all of the major medical centers in Philadelphia, but uniquely positioned because we’re independently owned to make decisions that best serve our patients.”
Dr. Goldstein’s impeccable credentials epitomize the kind of expertise patients can expect at Tri-Century Eye Care. A graduate of Cornell University and Boston University School of Medicine, he completed his general medical training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, a three-year residency at the University of Pennsylvania’s Scheie Eye Institute, and additional plastic surgical training at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
He participates in a number of influential organizations at the national, state, and local levels, is a distinguished author, and an in-demand lecturer. He is the treasurer of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the president-elect of the Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology, and is on the teaching faculty at the University of Pennsylvania; he was on the faculty at Wills Eye Hospital for 15 years. Yet his greatest reward comes from treating patients for potentially debilitating diseases and/or age-related problems that impair their vision or appearance, including droopy eyelids, puffy lids, congenital disease, aging changes, tearing issues, facial injuries, skin cancer that affects the eye area, and other cancers of the eye region.
“I see babies as young as one day old to people who are 105,” Dr. Goldstein says. “I love seeing people of all different ages with all sorts of problems. I’m always seeing something different, and it allows me to utilize my high level of surgical training as well as my comprehensive medical training to sort through some of the complex problems that affect the eye and eye area.
“Sometimes people have some kind of systemic disease and they come to see me to put together the puzzle,” he continues. “For example, I had a patient who had seen a few other doctors for swelling around her eye and nobody could figure out what was going on. I actually diagnosed her with cancer deep in her cheek that we are now treating.”
The other major part of Dr. Goldstein’s practice involves cosmetic procedures. Because of his ophthalmology training, he is intimately knowledgeable of the detailed anatomy around the eye area, which makes him more qualified than many other medical professionals offering these services.
“We can provide Botox injections, facial sculpting with fillers, and cosmetic surgery around the eye to help people look younger, feel refreshed, and feel good about themselves,” he says. “My perspective with the cosmetic side of my practice is that I like people to look like a refreshed, natural version of themselves. I don’t like to push it, I don’t like to overdo it, and I don’t like for them to look like someone completely different. I hope when they’re walking down the street, people can’t tell what they had done, but they can just tell that they look great.”
No matter the patient’s needs, Dr. Goldstein has no doubts that he has chosen the perfect career for his talents, even if it’s not the path he originally envisioned.
“It’s funny, when I went to medical school I thought I’d be a pediatrician because I love working with children,” he says. “But as I progressed through medical school, I really liked surgery, and I’m the kind of guy who likes fixing things and putting together puzzles. I thought this was the one field that would combine all of those things. It sometimes requires complex analysis, and trying to think through the logistics is something I find challenging and enjoyable.”
For more information on Tri-Century Eye Care P.C., including details on each of its five locations throughout Bucks County, visit TriCenturyEye.com.
Photo by Gabriela Barrantes
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, August 2022.