Today we’d like to introduce you to Niraj Desai.
Niraj, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Houston, Texas to Indian immigrants – an Engineer and a Pharmacist. My younger brother and I were budding Texan cowboys. I have vivid memories of rodeos in town and Cub Scout activities on the weekends! At the age of 9, my parents made a decision to move to India. At a time when most Indians were clamoring to get to the U.S, we ‘reverse migrated’. Eventually, we moved back to the U.S in my late teens, but the time spent there left an indelible impression on me and shaped a large part of who I am today. I am thankful for my parent’s decision to buck the trend and show us a culture that, though we were part of, was foreign to us as children.
I traded my cowboy boots for a cricket bat and absorbed much of my new environs in little time. From learning two languages to picking up the rules of cricket and ‘kabaddi’, I was immersed completely. The colors of India painted my ethos and the sounds and smells tied strong knots for thready memories in the future. As we grew up, it became clear that it was time to return to America, the land of our birth and a place we had never quite forgotten. Though we didn’t yearn to come back, a part of us always knew we would. After finishing up most of the secondary school, as they call it in India, we returned – this time to Atlanta.
Circling back was not as easy as I had, perhaps, imagined. If moving to India was a breeze as a child, I had gale force winds ahead of me coming back. Adapting to a new home and new culture would not be easy. Something happens as you grow older, perhaps. One becomes less open to differences in appearance, cultures and customs at times. Having grown up in a secular, multi-religious society, I hadn’t anticipated some of the challenges that come my way when I moved back to a less diverse place where I found myself a minority. Overall, however, folks were very welcoming and genuinely curious about my upbringing and home for the past decade, India.
After wrapping up my senior year, I soon found myself immersed at Kennesaw State University and all that it had to offer. I found myself on a bit of a mission. I felt that I had some lost time to make up in my transition from India back to the U.S. This combined with my discovery that you could take as many credit hours as you wanted (who knew!) propelled me to finish college in just about 2 years. Folks thought I was some sort of genius. Nope! Just bull-headed really. Having graduated early, I had time on my hands I didn’t think I would. I couldn’t separate from my campus so easily. I went right back and took on a role as a research fellow of sorts and even did a stint at Macy’s! But, mostly I took the bulk of my saved time and did something unexpected- I backpacked around Europe with a good friend of mine! In retrospect, I should have traveled even longer I think.
I suppose alongside traveling, I did do something useful. I had submitted applications to medical school and was fortunate to get admitted to the Medical College of Georgia (MCG). I don’t know if I was bone-headed or too frugal, but because MCG was the only state medical school with reasonable tuition, it was the only medical school I applied to. This wouldn’t be the first time I got lucky. During medical school, I happened on an acquaintance who shone a light on Ophthalmology as a potential career track. As it would be, I chose Ophthalmology as my first medical school rotation in a lottery and lucked into it.
My luck continued after medical school when I matched in Hawaii for my internship year and then again matched in a residency in the competitive field of Ophthalmology. There is no other way to describe how I got to Southern California for my Fellowship in Cornea and Refractive surgery than luck. Once my formal training was complete, I joined a practice in Southern California. It wasn’t long before Lady Luck knocked again and on the same week we found that we were expecting our first child, I connected with an old friend and mentor who invited me to join him in Atlanta as a surgeon at Milan Eye Center. This person was none other than the ‘acquaintance’ who introduced me to Ophthalmology more than a decade prior.
Luck, then, has been the singular, largest part of my success and where I am today. I have come across far more intelligent, far more motivated and far more deserving people along the way and sometimes question how I got here. I have not seen obstacles, only opportunities. I have never seen ceilings, only heights I hadn’t reached yet. I do believe that such a mindset has played some role.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Milan Eye Center – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am an Ophthalmologist (eye surgeon) at Milan Eye Center. Milan Eye Center provides medical and surgical eye care across several locations in North Atlanta. Presently, we have offices in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Marietta, Cumming, Canton, Buford and Snellville. Our practice specializes in the patient experience above all. Uniquely, we are the only practice that I know of in Atlanta that has accredited, private surgery centers on-site at each of our centers, except Johns Creek.
Though I specialize in cataract surgery and LASIK, we also provide glaucoma, eyelid, facial and cornea services. We are constantly expanding our surgical horizons and have recently incorporated ‘Collagen Crosslinking’ into our wheelhouse to help those with keratoconus, a deforming eye disease.
Our practice abides by a ‘patient first’ philosophy and from the moment you walk into one of our beautiful offices to the moment you leave, we strive to make it a safe, informative and fulfilling experience. Much credit goes to our founder, Dr. Milan Patel, who is at the helm and has achieved soaring heights in a very short span of time!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We look to the future always. Ophthalmology is a highly innovative space. We, however, are quite discerning in what we offer our patient base and take a ‘tried and trusted’ approach. Two technologies that have been just this are ‘Collagen Crosslinking’ and the ‘Halo’ laser.
Collagen Crosslinking is an FDA approved technology to treat those patients with keratoconus. Without getting too boring, keratoconus is when the window of our eyes called the cornea, begins deforming and bowing forward. This 30-minute procedure arrests this process and is a boon to our patients with this disease.
Halo is a laser with broad applications. Our Fellowship trained Oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Kiran Sajja, will be offering this to our patients. Patients who receive this treatment will see improvements in overall facial skin tone and texture in addition to significant removal of discoloration, reduction in fine lines, reduced pore size, and an overall brighter glow to the skin.
In addition to these brilliant technologies, we will be opening a new office in the Snellville area this Summer. We are excited to offer our services to a new population on the East side!
Contact Info:
- Address: 2555 Westside Parkway, Suite 300, Alpharetta, GA 30004
- Website: www.milaneyecenter.com
- Phone: 678-381-2020
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milaneyecenter/
- Twitter: @MilanEyeCenter
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
