Caplan Eye Clinic was established in 1938 by the late Harry B. Caplan, MD in downtown New Orleans. In 1979, his son Daniel I. Caplan joined the Practice. A year later Caplan Eye Clinic moved to its current location in the heart of Metairie just a block from Lakeside Mall, the regions largest shopping center.
Brendon J. Sumich joined the Caplan Eye Clinic in 2014 and a few years later became a partner-owner of the Clinic. Dr. Sumich is fellowship trained in cornea & cataract surgery.
In the following years optometrist & contact lens specialist, Dr. Stephen M. Welcker joined the staff at Caplan Eye Clinic. In recent years, Caplan Eye Clinic has also added fellowship trained eye specialists in the fields of retina, glaucoma, pediatric eye care.
In 2024, Chad M. Caplan MD joined the Caplan Eye Clinic. He is the grandson of the Founder, Dr. Harry B. Caplan and son of current Managing Partner, Dr. Daniel I. Caplan. Dr. Chad is proud to be the 3rd generation of the Caplan family in ophthalmology.
Our Mandeville suburban office was opened in 1995. In 2018, Caplan Eye Clinic acquired the practice of ophthalmologists Dr. Daniel Long & Dr. Monica Monica in Gretna LA and continued growing that practice after the retirement of Drs. Long & Monica.
Despite being the oldest eye care practice in the State of Louisiana, Caplan Eye Clinic is proud to promote innovation & the early adoption of proven medical technologies.
It was the 1st independent eye center in the region to adopt the Epic Medical Records System – the same used by Ochsner Health and LCMH Health, thus allowing our patients’ primary care physicians the ability to view eye medical records in real time.
In 2022, Caplan Eye Clinic was the 1st eye center in Louisiana to open an Office-Based Cataract Surgery Suite.
In 2023, Caplan Eye Clinic became the 1st & only eye center in Louisiana to participate in an FDA clinical trial study for the Valeda light therapy for dry Macular Degeneration. In 2024, Caplan Eye Clinic became the 1st eye center in the U.S. to offer Valeda treatment for AMD following the FDA clearance.
Drs. Chad Caplan became the 1st physician in the U.S. to treat an AMD patient with Valeda. Drs. Daniel Caplan & Brendon Sumich were 2nd & 3rd physicians in the U.S. to perform Valeda on an AMD patient.
Our commitment is to continue to provide high quality eye care to our patients in a caring environment.
In 2013, we were presented with proclamations by the Jefferson Parish Council and the St. Tammany Parish Council, in honor of our 75th anniversary and in recognition of our status as the oldest eye care practice in the State of Louisiana.
