Dr. John Essepian
Dr. Essepian is a board certified ophthalmologist specializing in the cornea, with 25 years of surgical experience and over 25,000 surgical procedures performed. Educated at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins, and board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, Dr. Essepian was the first to perform topical anesthesia cataract surgery in the Washington DC area and the first to perform partial thickness corneal transplants (DSAEK) and laser-assisted cataract surgery in Northern Virginia. He has authored more than 50 scientific publications and presentations, appeared in Time Magazine for his advancement of LASIK procedures, and consulted the United States Military on refractive surgery.
Dr. Essepian was named one of America's top ophthalmologists in the 2012 "Washington-Baltimore Top Doctors" guide, and was among the select ophthalmologists listed in the "Super Doctors" 2013 edition of the Washington Post magazine. He has also been named one of the Washingtonian's Top Doctors by his peers every year since 2014. He is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is currently the president of the Northern Virginia Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Essepian is an accomplished corneal specialist and surgeon, providing expert eye care you can trust.
Dr. Tarek Khalil
Dr. Khalil was raised in Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania. He attended SUNY Binghamton University where he majored in Integrative Neuroscience and developed an interest in the visual system. He initially pursued a career as an ophthalmic technician and gained valuable clinical experience to help his future aspirations to become an eye doctor. He appreciated how eyecare tangibly improves patients’ lives. To Dr. Khalil, vision is the most important sense.
At the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now Drexel University), Dr. Khalil not only excelled academically. During the pandemic lock down, he unified faculty and students by creating a show for the school dubbed “Salus Spicy Ones.” He was recognized for cultivating a tighter knit environment and increasing student engagement. Dr. Khalil then graduated cum laude from Pennsylvania College of Optometry Class in 2024.
During his training, Dr. Khalil rotated through the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Northeastern Eye Institute in Scranton, PA, Precision Eye Group in Honesdale, PA and The Eye Institute of Philadelphia. He received honors at every rotation and gained valuable experience in ocular disease, contact lenses, pre- and postoperative Lasik/cataract management and dry eye management.
Dr. Khalil will practice full-scope optometry including glaucoma management, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic eye exams, dry eye management, contact lenses/corneal management, and emergency eye care.
Dr. Khalil is fluent in Arabic and English. He is a member of the American Optometric Association. Dr. Khalil and his wife, who is also an optometrist, Dr. Diana Mamoud, love to travel and try different restaurants. In his free time, he likes to exercise and watch sports. Ask him about any sport!