Timothy S. Fuller, MD, is one of three Dr. Fullers at Texas Retina Associates. In August 2016, he joined his father Dwain Fuller, MD, and older brother Christopher Fuller, MD, at our practice and serves patients at our Dallas Main and Denton offices.
Born, raised and trained in Texas and fluent in both English and Spanish, Dr. Timothy Fuller specializes in medical retina and ocular oncology. He trained under international eye cancer research and treatment leaders Jerry A. Shields, MD, and Carol Shields, MD, at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With a passion for travel and mission work, Dr. Timothy Fuller has participated in medical mission trips to Guatemala and Kenya, and spent a week in Panama with ORBIS International, an international non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to saving sight through programs focused on the prevention of blindness and the treatment of blinding eye diseases in developing countries. He has also traveled to Haiti on a medical mission trip with Texas Retina Associates colleague Gary Edd Fish, MD.
Why did you choose to become a retina specialist? What inspired you? With a mother, father and brother in the medical field, I grew up considering becoming a physician. However, it wasn’t until I spent time volunteering at a charity clinic at the encouragement of Jeanie Laube — the community service director at my high school and also one of my early role models — that I realized I wanted to become a doctor. Interpreting for doctors, nurses and staff allowed me to see the humanistic side of the profession, and that is what truly drew me in.
What is it like working with both your father and brother? I earned my medical degree and completed my ophthalmology training at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, the same community where my brother Chris was in private practice at the time before he came to Texas Retina. We ended up living in the same building, and I was even able to do one of my clinical rotations in his office. Like all brothers, we frustrated each other growing up, but I always looked up to Chris. I still remember the very first night I was on call as an ophthalmology resident. I had what I considered at the time to be a challenging retinal detachment case, and Chris was the first person I called to consult.
I completed my medical retina fellowship at Texas Retina Associates with my dad and his partners before I went on to pursue a fellowship in ocular oncology. I was thrilled when Texas Retina Associates asked me to join the practice afterward. There is something special about being trained by and working alongside your father — you experience a different type of partnership, and the feedback is invaluable.
What do you enjoy most about your work caring for patients? What I enjoy most is providing patients with hope, especially those with eye cancer which can be a scary and misunderstood disease. We have come such a long way with treatments, and it is very rewarding when we can provide patients with more life and a better quality of life. I believe clearly explaining their condition and including them in the treatment decision-making process is important.
Learn more about Dr. Timothy S. Fuller.