Dr. William Deegan, MD
Practice: Spectrum Retina & Ocular Oncology
Location: McLean, Virginia
Website: https://www.spectrumretina.com/about-us
Phone: 703-643-9328
Dr. William Deegan, a native of New Jersey, received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Tufts University in Boston. After an internship in medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, he took his residency in ophthalmology at the New England Eye Center (NEEC) at Tuft-New England Medical Center (now Tufts Medical Center), followed by a year as Chief Resident in Ophthalmology. As Chief Resident, he was responsible for resident teaching and served as co-director of the Ocular Trauma Service.
After a fellowship in vitreo-retinal diseases and surgery at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, Dr. Deegan completed a fellowship in ocular oncology and pediatric retinal surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and the Doheny Eye Institute, major affiliates of the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles. While at CHLA, he was a member of the team that was the first in the United States to employ chemotherapy for retinoblastoma.
After Los Angeles, Dr. Deegan returned to the greater Washington, DC, area and established the region’s first and only ocular oncology and pediatric retinal practices. He has served on the Retina Service at Childrens National Medical Center in Washington and was the director of the Service until 2018.
Dr. Deegan has published articles in peer-reviewed journals, authored book chapters on retinoblastoma and retinopathy of prematurity, and been actively engaged in teaching medical students and residents at the three academic ophthalmology programs in the area. He is a charter member of the Association of Pediatric Retinal Surgeons, and has delivered research presentations and lectures at national and international meetings. He delivered the 2019 Moshe Lahav, MD, Memorial Lecture at Tufts Medical Center in 2019, and was named to the Richard D. Richards Lectureship at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2009.
His clinical interests include adult and pediatric retinal detachment, ocular melanoma, retinoblastoma, X-linked retinoschisis, ocular surface neoplasia, and ocular trauma.
FAQ
At the Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation, we are often contacted by anxious parents or patients who are seeking information after receiving a diagnosis of Coats’ Disease. The questions below are provided as a resource to assist you as you and your doctor decide the best approach for treatment. These questions do not constitute any form of medical advice or diagnosis. Each patient is unique. An experienced retinal specialist who has examined the patient is the best source of information for diagnosis and treatment. We always recommend getting a second opinion.
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Ahead of any treatments or procedures, it is important to ask yourself and the doctor the following questions:
How do you know that this is Coats’ Disease?
Has your doctor treated other patients with Coats’ Disease?
Have you sought a second opinion? If not, please consult our Doctor Directory for knowledgeable doctors in your area.
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What Stage of Coats’ Disease is he/she in?
Will his/her vision get worse over time?
Will the eye have pain?
Will his/her eye start to turn out? Is muscle corrective surgery an option?
Are cataracts likely?
How likely is glaucoma? (due to retinal detachment)
Is there calcification?
What is the anticipated disease progression?
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Is there a thorough vision exam available?
Where is the vision affected? (central/peripheral/distance)
Does he/she have depth perception? (3D visibility)
What about the non-Coats’ eye?
To what extent is his/her vision affected?
Will we be able to use this as a baseline to measure progress/decline?
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