Dr. Colin McCannel
Retinal Surgery
Los Angeles, CA
31 years experience male
Locations
Office
Los Angeles, CA
About
Bio
Colin A. McCannel, M.D., Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology, Jules
Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, United States of
America. He received his title of doctor of medicine in 1991 from Mayo Medical
School in Rochester, Minnesota. He
completed a Medical Internship from 1991 to 1992 at the Mayo Graduate School of
Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, and went on to train in ophthalmology at the
Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA and Jules Stein Eye Institute in Los
Angeles, California. Between 1996 to
1998 he returned to the Jules Stein Eye Institute for a vitreoretinal
fellowship. Between 1998 and 2008 Dr.
McCannel has worked in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota as a vitreoretinal specialist. In the fall of 2008, he joined the Jules
Stein Eye Institute.
He is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners since July
1991 and the American Board of Ophthalmology since October 1996. He is licensed to practice medicine in
California and Minnesota.
Dr. McCannel has received several honors beginning during his
undergraduate years. He was part of the University Honors Program at his
undergraduate college of California State University Northridge. He was the Outstanding Graduating Senior in
the Department of Biology and the year previously was awarded the Outstanding
Junior in the School of Science and Mathematics. He was listed in Who’s Who in American
College and Universities in 1987. During
his training he was co-winner of the Henry and Lillian Nesburn award for best
research paper at the Jules Stein Eye Institute in 1995. He received the Teacher of the Year Award
awarded by residents in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in
1996. He was a Heed Fellow in 1996-1997,
and received a Paul Kayser Scholar Travel Fellowship awarded by the
Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology in 1998. In 2008, he received the “Innovation in
Teaching” award from the Mayo Clinic School of Continuing Medical Education.
He is member of several organizations including the American and
Minnesota Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, the
Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retina Surgeons,
the Retina Society, and the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology. At the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology he
has been a member of the Board of Directors since the year 2000 and served as
the President of the organization in 2006/7 academic year.
He has given many lectures throughout the world and has done book
chapters and research papers. His
specific interests include uveitis, digital imaging and clinical research
trials. He is a reviewer for several
prestigious journals including Archives of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology and
American Journal of Ophthalmology.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Retinal Surgery
Ophthalmology
Doctor Q&A
244 Answers
49 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 47-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Difficult: It is difficult to tell whether there is a retinal detachment by the patient him/her self. Flashes and floaters are warning signs, but very non-speci... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Unclear: It is unclear what the question is. However, I suggest you get an eye exam, as new symptoms that affect vision should be evaluated. There are so man... Read More
3.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Yes, but!: Flying will not affect an eye infection. However, if you have bacterial pink eye, you are very contagious. If the infection is bacterial, it should ... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 55-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No cure: Dry eye is very common, and may be decided into subtypes. However, all dry eye has in common that it is difficult to control the symptoms. Artificia... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Get treated: That is a fairly common combination. Intermediate uveitis is an inflammatory condition, and can cause macualr edema as a secondary problem. When the... Read More
4.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 66-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Get 2nd opinion : Patients with neovascularization and central retinal vein occlusion are usually treated with prp. However, neovascularization of the retina is actual... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
go with majority: Lattice degeneration may or may not be a significant risk factor for retinal tears and detachment. Since lattice is very common in myopia, and myopia... Read More
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No: Floaters in the eye have several causes, but not astigmatism. The most common cause is degeneration of the vitreous fluid. The floaters gradually get ... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed Sep 30, 2020
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No: Pink eye is caused by respiratory infection viruses, and is very contagious. A stye is an infected hair follicle, and a bacterial infection. A stye ... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 66-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Not unusual: It may be of benefit to treat the area even in the absence of neovascularization. Details of your situation would be necessary to give an exact answe... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Common : Opacities in the vitreous gel that fills the eye are enhanced when the light is bright and diffuse, and are called floaters. Patients who notice floa... Read More
4.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Not really: The amount of vitreous liquification does not correlate with the risk of retinal tears. The vitreous liquified in or near the center and the collapse... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No: There is no association between blepharitis or conjunctivitis and blood calcium levels.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 16-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
What's the problem?: Whether or not a problem can be cured or corrected 100% really depends on the problem. Even with a single disease, such as diabetic retinopathy, ther... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Depends on antibioti: It is safe to put a mild antibiotic ointment formulated for the eye (e.g. Erythromycin, gentamycin ophthalmic ointment) on the eye lid. Combination a... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Surgery helpful: The term epiretinal membrane or macular pucker refers to "scar tissue on macula." vision can be affected in two ways: blurring and distortion. Surg... Read More
3.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Dry eye syndrome: Dry eye syndrome (des) has many symptoms, stinging is one of the most common. Des can be managed with artificial tears. They are most useful when pl... Read More
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Possible: Rathke's cleft cysts (pituitary gland cyst) are rare, and visual changes are common. Thus, it is not entirely likely that the visual changes you noti... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Urgently evaluate: It is difficult to diagnose from such little information! however, a number of the signs and symptoms suggest that diabetes needs to be excluded. Ty... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Not likely at 17: amblyopia occurs when the picture entering the eye is blurred or absent, so the brain can't make much sense out of it. The brain development required... Read More
3.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 51-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Effective: Brimonidine is a commonly used eye drop to lower eye pressure, which in turn treats glaucoma. While it is effective in many patients, it is not neces... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Same thing: A PVD is a posterior vitreous detachment. Vitreous detachment can be partial or complete, but it is nearly impossible to tell on examination. Thus, ... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Could be floaters: Opacities in the vitreous gel that fills the eye are enhanced when the light is bright and diffuse, and are called floaters. Patients who notice floa... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 29-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
There is little: Proof that smoking alone affects the retina or vitreous, other than making macular degeneration worse or causing optic nerve problems (rare). Smoking... Read More
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No: Wearing such a 'small' or minimal prescription may improve the vision only slightly, but will definitely not cause any harm.
4.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Yes: The best science is for patients that have moderate age related macular degeneration. Taking vitamins (areds formula) reduces the risk of vision loss... Read More
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No: Looking at a computer does not damage the eyes!
4.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Dermatologist?: How about seeing a dermatologist, they can be very helpful for a skin lesion that needs sorting out.
4.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 20-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Skin pigmentation: Changes can be part of healing. A stye and a chalazion are inflammatory lesions. This can cause the pigment cells in the skin to increase pigment, r... Read More
4.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Hasrd to say: There are so many ways vision can be lost from macular "damage." if the macula is damages from trauma or there is severe scarring, teh prognosis is g... Read More
4.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Rarely: Retinal re-attachemnt surgery is aimed at preserving vision. Loosing vision is not usual. Discuss with your surgeon, and perhaps a second opinion is... Read More
4.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Many causes: Central serous chorioretinopathy certainly is a common cause of fluid under the retina, but there are others, most are more serious. Make sure you ge... Read More
4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
You see blood cells: The blue field entoptic phenomenon occurs when one looks at a uniform blue background. Near the central vision, one sees light dots wiz around and by... Read More
3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Unusual: Most retinal detachments are preceded by a vitreous detachment. There are some exception, however those are uncommon or rare. As such, it is unlikel... Read More
4.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Possibly Serious: When there is as much discharge as described, it can be a very serious eye infection. I suggest an emergent evaluation by a pediatric ophthalmologist... Read More
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Several options: Redness and itchiness are most commonly symptoms of dry eye, blepharitis and ocular allergies. Lubricating eye drops may help, otherwise there are li... Read More
4.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Possibly yes: One sign of liver metastasis of cancer is indeed jaundice (yellowing of the skin) which may include the whites of the eyes turing yellow. Time to see... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Not common, fixable: Minor to moderate trauma to the eye rarely causes retinal tears and detachment. When it occurs, retinal reattachment surgery with vitrectomy or scler... Read More
4.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Yes, URGENT: If you have temporary blindness from graves disease, you may have compressive optic neuropathy. This is a very urgent problem, seek evaluation immedi... Read More
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Warm compresses: Apply warm compresses several times per day, it will heal fairly quickly if it is indeed a "pimple".
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No limit: There are many viruses and strains of viruses that cause pink eye. Thus you can contract it more than once, or even many times.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Wash it out: Wash out your eye with lots and lots of water. A small to moderate amount of rubbing alcohol should not cause any damage.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Be patient : The most common cause is degeneration of the vitreous fluid. The floaters gradually get worse, and more or less persist. Sudden increase in floaters... Read More
4.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Yes: If the white areas of the eyes are yellow or the skin is yellow, you need to urgently see a gastroenterologist. You may have hepatitis, alcoholic or ... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Yes: The natural history of macular holes is that of continued enlargement, to a point, and associated progressive decline in visual acuity. Additionally,... Read More
2.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
No simple answer: High myopes always have a higher risk of retinal detachment (rd) than non-myopes. The risk is greatest while there are acute PVD symptoms (flashes, n... Read More
4.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Unclear : The term "dilated" is not usually applied to the conditions of the retina per se. Perhaps you can clarify with your doctor....
3.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Genetics: The predisposition for macular degeneration is inherited. It is a very complex disease with several, if not many genetic mutations contributing to ri... Read More
4.6k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A 38-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Days to weeks: Blood settled on on the bottom of the eye and gets absorbed. If there is only a small amount, it should be unnoticeable within days to a few weeks. ... Read More
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:

Dr. Colin McCannelanswered
Retinal Surgery 31 years experience
Macular hole: is a rare condition that involves the fovea (area of center vision) opening into a hole. it is most common in women in their 50's and 60's, but can oc... Read More
3.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
4
Recommendations
174
Thank you notes
Jan 2, 2014
Thank so much for being a part of the Health Tap community for the benefit of both the patients and the doctors!
Dec 23, 2013
an excellent retina surgeon
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. McCannel is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Thank you! I am on my 2nd surgery after detachment as the small hole didn't seal after my first where gas was used. This time I got the buckle and oil and so I am just r...Read More
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Thnanks much for your time.I see ophthalmologist colleague q.3mos.I
appreciate your opinion.
Mike Michaels(also HT MD)
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! I read side effects for xepanicol is that people with kidney disease should not use it. Is that true?
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, MN
Graduated 1991MD
Residency
Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA
Awards
Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology
Senior Honor Award, American Society of Retina Specialists
Honor Award, American Society of Retina Specialists
Affiliations
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
American Society of Retina Specialists
Macula Society
Publications
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions, provide medical advice, write prescriptions, and more.
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