About Us

Dr. Benjamin V. Guidry, MD

Dr. Benjamin Guidry completed his medical training at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Luis Perez memorial award as the most outstanding student in ophthalmology. He completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, MS where he also completed his ophthalmology residency as Chief Resident. Awards earned during residency include individual awards for ophthalmology research, departmental employee of the month, as well the highest score on the annual inservice exam, scoring higher than 99% of all test-takers nationwide.

Dr. Guidry then returned home to New Orleans for a two year fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at Tulane University and the Veterans Affairs hospital. Dr. Guidry maintains an active teaching role and clinic with the Tulane Ophthalmology department as Clinical Assistant Professor.

Dr. Guidry is active in local and nationwide ophthalmologic societies. He twice served as representative for the mid-year forum in Washington, D.C. promoting the causes of local ophthalmologists with our elected leaders. He was also selected for media training sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has participated in multiple radio safety campaigns regarding firework safety. He is an active member of the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmologists, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is a board-certified ophthalmologist.

Born in Covington, Dr. Guidry is proud to call Louisiana home and is honored to care for the community he loves. He and his wife Laura are the proud parents of two boys (Jules, Charles) and a daughter (Valerie).

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Blake J. Matherne, M.D.

Board Certified Ophthalmologist

Dr. Matherne earned his Bachelor of Science at Southeastern Louisiana University and his Doctor of Medicine at Louisiana State University in New Orleans, LA, where he was active in civic outreach and mentorship in the community.

He went on to complete his residency training in ophthalmology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS. While at the Medical Center, Dr. Matherne served as chief resident and participated in ophthalmic research, publishing his findings in various medical journals as well as presenting his research to colleagues at ophthalmic meetings.

Dr. Matherne is passionate about precision eye surgery as well as the most advanced techniques available in in-patient care, including refractive cataract surgery and the latest procedures for minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS).

He is excited to bring his skills to south Mississippi, as well as to put down roots and become part of the community of the Gulf Coast.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Joshua Ford

Dr. Joshua Ford is a board-certified Ophthalmologist who received advanced fellowship training in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Orbital Oncology. He was born on a peanut farm in Sylvester, Georgia and was raised by his eldest brother and sister in a single-wide trailer for many of his formative years. He persevered and earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Yale University and his Medical Doctorate from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He then completed his Ophthalmology residency at Tulane University. While there, he found the love of his life in New Orleans and fell in love with the food and culture of Louisiana. He is proud to call New Orleans his home. 

Dr. Ford later did a fellowship in oculoplastic surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center, with niche training in eyelid and orbital oncology.

Dr. Ford is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. In addition to passionately caring for patients, he is dedicated to research, medical education, and community service. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and has won many awards at domestic and international conferences for his research.

Based on peer recommendations, Dr. Ford was selected as a Top Ophthalmologist by Newsweek Magazine in 2021 and as a Castle Connolly “Rising Star” in 2023 and “Top Doctor” in 2024. He was also featured in the New Orleans Magazine as a Top Doctor in 2023 and 2024.

Dr. Ford is also very proud to serve our nation’s Veterans. As the Chief of Ophthalmology at the VA in Alexandria, Louisiana, he directs the medical and surgical education of the Tulane Ophthalmology residents. 

In his free time, Dr. Ford loves college football, hiking, kayaking, traveling internationally, and gorging on local cuisine.

 

 

Dr. Leslie Estrada

 

Leslie Nass Estrada is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.  She is a native New Orleanian who graduated from Isidore Newman School in 1990 and received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University in the city of NY.  She returned home after college to teach high school Chemistry before starting her medical studies at Tulane University School of Medicine.  After graduating from Tulane, she moved to Birmingham, AL to complete her surgical training at the UAB Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital.  Dr Estrada is dual licensed in the states of Louisiana and Alabama.  She is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology where she currently serves on the Board.  She was previously on the

Board of Lighthouse Louisiana and attends their annual fundraiser Soiree du Lumiere.

Dr Estrada has been in private practice in Louisiana since 2015.  Prior to private practice, she spent over 10 years at the New Orleans VA Hospital where she enjoyed serving Veterans and teaching resident physicians.  She served as one of the Lead Clinical Instructors of Ophthalmology for both Tulane and LSU medical schools from 2004-2015.  In her free time, she volunteers at Luke House to provide eye exams to the Spanish speaking community of New Orleans.  Additionally, she and her husband volunteer on medical mission trips with New Orleans Medical Mission Services (NOMMS) in Central America. 

Dr Estrada treats all diseases of the eye including patients who have glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, macular degeneration and prior history of Laser Vision Correction. 

Dr Estrada is available for appointments in Metairie and Gretna.

 

Dr. Clayton A. Patrick 

Dr. Clayton Patrick was born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, where he attended the University Laboratory School and graduated as Valedictorian. He went on to Vanderbilt University on the prestigious Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, earning a double major in Neuroscience and Philosophy.

He returned home for medical school at LSU–New Orleans, and upon graduation was awarded the Luis Perez Memorial Award in Ophthalmology for outstanding academic and clinical achievement. He then completed his residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he served as Chief Resident. Following graduation, he remained on faculty as a Comprehensive Ophthalmologist and Cataract Surgeon, where he was subsequently honored with the department’s Teacher of the Year award for excellence in clinical and surgical instruction.

Dr. Patrick then returned home to Louisiana and quickly developed a thriving and busy practice as a Cataract and Refractive Surgeon at Williamson Eye Center in Baton Rouge, an internationally regarded practice. During this time, he was consistently one of the region’s highest volume cataract and glaucoma surgeons, developing expertise in Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery, Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, Refractive Lens Exchange, LASIK, and EVO ICL. He is a region leader in Refractive Lens Exchange and EVO ICL implantation, becoming one of the South’s first patients and doctors to receive EVO ICL in his own eyes following FDA approval, and has lectured about EVO ICL on behalf of Staar due to his professional and personal experience. He is a leader in premium lens technology in Louisiana, and is consistently among the region’s first surgeons to utilize the newest and most advanced lens implants for both cataract and refractive lens surgery.

Dr. Patrick is a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. He is also a Board-Certified Fellow of Refractive Surgery with the World College of Refractive Surgery & Visual Sciences, and has contributed to numerous research projects and presentations in the field. He has also served as a speaker and consultant for several industry companies in the field of ophthalmology.

Dr. Patrick is excited to bring his expertise and knowledge back to the Greater New Orleans area. Outside the clinic, Dr. Patrick enjoys life in New Orleans with his wife, Paige, a Pediatric Anesthesiologist at Ochsner Medical Center, and their two sons, Hardy and Thomas.