Drew Dickson, MD, PCEO
LASIK and Cataract Refractive Surgeon in Des Moines
Drew Dickson, MD, PCEO, is a board-certified Cataract & Refractive surgeon who practices at Modern Vision Centers. He is the only World College of Refractive Surgery and Visual Sciences certified vision correction specialist in the state of Iowa. A native of Clear Lake, Dr. Dickson is excited to bring his expertise in vision correction to his home state. Dr. Dickson developed an interest in vision correction surgery during his ophthalmology residency, where he was first exposed to the joy of improving the lives of his patients through these procedures.
Dr. Dickson enjoys partnering with his patients to develop customized plans to improve their vision and lives. He takes a patient-centered approach to focus on the individual needs of each of his patients while utilizing state-of-the-art technology to achieve his patients’ goals. Dr. Dickson is motivated to help each of his patients achieve their best vision possible, and he loves to see his patients’ lives improved dramatically through vision correction surgery. He is active in clinical and surgical care of patients, training fellows and students, and clinical research.
Dr. Dickson is originally from Clear Lake, IA. He attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Biology. He then received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine in Omaha, NE, where he received membership to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. After graduating from medical school, Dr. Dickson completed his internship at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, SD. He then went on to complete his ophthalmology residency training at the Storm Eye Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, a top 10 residency program. Dr. Dickson went on to complete a refractive surgery fellowship through the Refractive Surgery Alliance with Lance Kugler at Kugler Vision in Omaha, NE. During this time, he also completed the Physician CEO program through the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Due to his extensive training and demonstrated expertise, Dr. Dickson was inducted as Fellow of the World College of Refractive Surgery and Visual Sciences.
Outside of ophthalmology, Dr. Dickson enjoys spending time with his wife and children. He enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, and sporting events.
Education and Experience
Positions
- June 2025- Present: Modern Vision Centers (Des Moines) Refractive Surgeon
- July 2022- Present: Kugler Vision (Omaha) Refractive Surgeon
Education
- Undergraduate: Liberty University – B.S., Biology: Pre-Med, Summa Cum Laude (Aug. 2009 – May 2013)
- Medical School: University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Medicine – Doctor of Medicine (Aug. 2013 – May 2017)
- Internship: University of South Dakota – Internal Medicine Preliminary Year (July 2017 – June 2018)
- Residency: Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Storm Eye Institute – Ophthalmology Residency (July 2018 – June 2021)
- Fellowship: Kugler Vision – Cataract and Refractive Surgery Fellowship (July 2021 – June 2022)
- Executive Education: Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management – Physician CEO Program (Feb. 2022 – Sep. 2022)
Honors/Awards
- Fellow of the World College of Refractive Surgery and Visual Sciences
- AECOS and Cedars Aspens Young Ophthalmic Leaders Award
- Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
- Tuition Scholarship Awardee, UNMC
- Pre-Med Honors Society President, Liberty University
- Honors Program Member/Graduate, Liberty University
Professional Groups
I am involved in several different ophthalmology and refractive surgery organizations as a member and speaker. These include the:
- American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
- World College of Refractive Surgery and Visual Sciences (WCRS)
- the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS)
- Refractive Surgery Alliance (RSA)
- Cure Blindness Project to help train ophthalmologists around the world.
Getting to Know Dr. Dickson
Why Refractive Surgery and Ophthalmology?
I initially became interested in ophthalmology after watching a 10-minute cataract surgery dramatically improve a patient’s life. To restore someone’s vision with a short surgery was inspiring. By further sub-specializing in refractive surgery, I not only can help patients with cataracts, but patients with all different types of vision problems, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and near-vision issues. As a comprehensive vision correction surgeon, I can perform seven different vision correction surgeries, which means there is usually a safe and effective way to fix patients’ vision. Patients’ reactions when they can see clearly after a short surgery never gets old for me and makes me love what I do!
A monumental moment for me was being accepted into an ophthalmology residency program at the Storm Eye Institute, which is consistently rated as a top-10 residency program, Additionally, I had the privilege of becoming one of the first Refractive Surgery Alliance (RSA) fellows in the country This is the only fellowship training that is solely focused on providing comprehensive refractive surgery training led by discussions from world-leaders in their respective subject matter. Due to this training and my demonstrated expertise, I was inducted as a Fellow in the World College of Refractive Surgery and Visual Sciences. I was also recently awarded the Young Ophthalmic Leaders Award by AECOS and Cedars Aspens. I was honored to be acknowledged as a young leader in my field.
I am genuinely excited to go to work each day knowing that I can change peoples’ lives through vision correction surgery. I approach each patient as if they were a friend or family member to make the best long-term vision decision for them. I am notoriously meticulous and detail-oriented, so I first and foremost want to make sure that patients are good candidates for vision correction surgery and then make the best custom plan to achieve their vision goals.
What are your hobbies?
What are some unique facts about you?
