Meet Our Doctors
Meet the experienced ophthalmologists and retina specialists leading clinical research and advancing innovative vision treatments at Valley Retina Institute.
Dr. Victor Gonzalez
Dr. Victor Gonzalez graduated with a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Completed his residency at Doheny Eye Institute at Los Angeles County Hospital in Los Angeles, California, and completed a rigorous vitreoretinal fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Gonzalez has been in practice since 1995, founded Gulf Coast Eye Institute in 2007, which serves the Rio Grande Valley region, here in Texas. Dr. Gonzalez specializes in ophthalmologic diseases of the eye and specializes in the surgery of the vitreous body of the retina. This subspecialty is sometimes known as vitreoretinal medicine and includes the diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Gonzalez is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Is a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and is an active researcher in blindness prevention.
Dr. Gonzalez has worked closely with the under-served population within Mexico as well as consulting with Mexican Public Officials to enhance and provide quality care to those so greatly in need. Dr. Gonzalez has established a comprehensive retinal fellowship program for the training of international retina specialists. His surgical team has trained nine retina fellows, successfully from Latin American countries, who are today, serving patients in their countries of origin.
Dr. Gonzalez and family reside in the Rio Grande Valley area. Is a beacon for continuing education by advocating, and being involved with the local ISD’s, technical schools , as well as universities. Including being a faculty member of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Gonzalez maintains a healthy lifestyle which supports his joy of running half marathons.
Dr. Nehal Patel
Dr. Patel grew up in Western India, completed early medical training in India before moving to the United States. Once stateside, Dr. Patel took on an intensive glaucoma fellow internship in general surgery, as well as an ophthalmology residency in vitreoretinal at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Today, Dr. Patel’s focus is in retina, glaucoma and refractive surgery at Gulf Coast Eye Institute, using all the latest laser technology, where in he has been practicing over 13 years. Dr. Patel comes from a long line of physicians. His grandfather was a Cardiologist, and his father is an Ophthalmologist. Growing up in Western India, Dr. Patel recalls joining his dad for what he called “eye camps”. They would travel to small villages once a year to provide much-needed care to individuals who had no access to healthcare, let alone eye care.
Dr. Patel is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Patel currently resides in the Rio Grande Valley area. Dr. Patel’s area of expertise and practice is Retina/Vitreous medically and surgically.
Dr. Sanjeeb Bhandari
Dr. Bhandari is an ophthalmic surgeon at the Gulf Coast Eye Institute who specializes in vitreo-retinal disease, its surgery, and research. The subspecialty, to name a few, includes diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy – common causes of blindness, as well as flashes/floaters, retinal detachments, and inherited retinal diseases. He enjoys caring for patients with diseases of the vitreo-retina, performing cataract surgeries, including complicated cataracts, and helping patients with other eye conditions.
Dr. Bhandari has an accomplished educational and professional background. He received his medical degree from B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, Nepal, and completed his residency in ophthalmology at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu, Nepal. He completed further training in clinical ophthalmology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, the United Kingdom. He undertook clinical research training at the University of Sydney in Australia and was awarded a PhD for his research in evaluating treatment outcomes of retinal diseases in routine clinical practice. He specialized in retinal diseases and uveitis at the National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Bhandari is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), EURETINA, and the Nepalese Ophthalmic Society. He has contributed to numerous publications and presented his works at the annual meetings of the AAO, ARVO, EURETINA, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.
Dr. Bhandari has current affiliations with the Save Sight Institute of the University of Sydney, Australia. He was a faculty member at the internationally renowned Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, Nepal. He speaks English, Nepali, and Hindi.
When he isn’t working, Dr. Bhandari takes care of his sons, Sachu and Yash, with his wife, Cherina. He enjoys reading books close to real life.
Dr. Alireza Ghaffarieh
Dr. Alireza Ghaffarieh is an ophthalmologist with more than 27 years of medical and surgical experience, specializing in corneal transplantation, refractive surgery, cataract surgery, and external eye disease, with a primary interest in refractive and premium cataract surgery. His cataract surgery experience spans the full spectrum—from routine cases to advanced and complex presentations—allowing surgical planning to be tailored to each patient rather than limited to a single technique.
He completed advanced clinical fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, the teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, and has practiced across multiple U.S. states, including Texas, California, and Illinois, as well as internationally. Dr. Ghaffarieh pursued advanced training in neuro-ophthalmology and ocular pathology through specialized programs and fellowships at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Indiana University, and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles), further strengthening his diagnostic insight and clinical judgment. He graduated in the top 1% of his medical school class and completed ophthalmology residency training in 2002. He pursued advanced international training in keratoprosthetic surgery at the Fyodorov Eye Institute and visual rehabilitation at the Krasnov Vision Center in Moscow.
Dr. Ghaffarieh has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, three book chapters, and holds U.S. patents related to vision science, biomechanics, and biomedical engineering. He believes technology is most effective when guided by sound judgment, experience, and individual patient needs. His research interests include ocular biomechanics, visual performance, and refractive outcomes across routine, extreme, and microgravity environments.
Dr. Ghaffarieh previously served patients in the Rio Grande Valley and is pleased to return to continue caring for individuals and families in the community he has come to know and value. He approaches vision care with responsibility and confidence, applying modern medical science with precision, intelligence, and genuine care. His focus is not volume or sales, but thoughtful evaluation, clear guidance, and achieving the best possible visual outcomes for each patient.
Dr. Ghaffarieh is fluent in English, Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Arabic, and speaks basic Spanish.
Dr. Rageh
Dr. Rageh earned his medical degree from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, in 2006, followed by an internship from March 2006 through February 2007. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the National Eye Center in Cairo from November 2009 through October 2015. Later that year, he relocated to the United States to further advance his training and career.
From July 2019 through July 2021, Dr. Rageh completed a Medical Retina Fellowship at the Joslin Diabetes Center, where he served as senior fellow during his second year. He then pursued an Ocular Oncology Fellowship at the Duke Eye Center from July 2021 through July 2022. After serving patients in Illinois for approximately three years, he made the decision to relocate to the Rio Grande Valley.
Dr. Rageh is passionate about serving the RGV community and is deeply aware of the growing need for specialized retinal care in the region. He is committed to improving access to high-quality ophthalmologic services and providing advanced care to patients who need it most. He has successfully passed all three steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination, holds certification from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, and is fully licensed in multiple states.
In his free time, Dr. Rageh enjoys playing ping pong and video games.
