Well-known cataract, refractive surgeon remembered for his passion

Joel K. Shugar, MD, MSEE, a well-known cataract and refractive surgeon, died May 26 in a skydiving accident. He was 49.

Joel K. Shugar

Dr. Shugar established and practiced at Nature Coast EyeCare Institute & Regional Surgery Center in Perry, Fla. He was a devoted father, dedicated surgeon and avid skydiver, according to Scott Keeler, a longtime friend and Nature Coast administrator.

Dr. Shugar and his wife, Lindsey W. Shugar, had one son, Adam.

"You could say there were probably three passions in [Dr. Shugar's] life: his son, skydiving and ophthalmology," Mr. Keeler told Ocular Surgery News. It was this unwavering passion — in his ophthalmic work and in life in general — that Dr. Shugar will be remembered for, he said.

"He was just unbelievable in that respect," he said.

Dr. Shugar graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1979, earned his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1985, and completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of Florida in 1989. Over the years, he was active in a number of ophthalmology groups, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College of Eye Surgery and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Mr. Keeler said that e-mails from Dr. Shugar's ASCRS colleagues poured in the days after his death.

"Everyone had something kind to say about his interest in handing out his knowledge to anyone who sent him an e-mail with a question from that group," he said. "He was very forthcoming with information with the latest technique or his new concoction, such as epi-Shugarcaine. He was happy to share all that information."

Epi-Shugarcaine, an intracameral solution used widely in floppy iris syndrome, was developed by Dr. Shugar in 2006, according to his obituary, which was provided by his office.

On the Nature Coast Web site, friends and neighbors left messages of condolence, while past patients spoke of Dr. Shugar's effect on their lives. He was "very down to earth with his patients," Mr. Keeler said. "It didn't matter who you were, you got treated the same."

Dr. Shugar was also well-known for his generosity. Every year before Thanksgiving, he ran a 1-day program called the Gift of Sight. Throughout the day, he would perform free cataract surgeries for people without insurance. Mr. Keeler said he would do as many as 40 cases in a day.

"The staff here — he created an incredible facility and staff — we're all going to miss him," Mr. Keeler said.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be sent to Big Bend Hospice in Taylor County, Fla.