In January of 2017, Dr. Stephen Schuster passed his refractive laser practice to the Southwest Eye Institute. Dr. Schuster began private practice in 1971, but his family has been practicing medicine in El Paso since the late 1800s. During his career, Dr. Schuster granted better vision through LASIK laser eye surgery to thousands of patients. It is a true honor for all of us at the Southwest Eye Institute to be entrusted by Dr. Schuster to continue his refractive legacy.
Passing the Baton: Dr. De la Torre and Dr. Schuster after the first day Dr. De la Torre took over performing LASIK
Dr. Stephen Schuster began private practice in 1971 and worked diligently in the field until his retirement in 2017 at the age of 79. Dr. Schuster’s father, Stephen Schuster Sr., provided eye care from 1918 until his death in 1972. His father’s father, Dr. Michael Phillip Schuster, started practice in El Paso in 1896 and was the first doctor in the southwest to specialist in eye, ear, nose, and throat medicine.
Although Dr. Schuster was a comprehensive ophthalmologist, his specialty was in LASIK and PRK laser eye vision correction, which he performed on thousands of patients from El Paso and beyond. He created a laser center right next to his office near Sierra Medical Center.
Dr. Schuster also spent some time in the military. He served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971. He left the Army with the rank of Major, last working at Fort Rucker in Alabama.
Dr. Schuster has an avid interest in boxing, running the “El Paso Fight Club” near his home in the Upper Valley of El Paso. He first became involved in boxing while he was at the New Mexico Military Institute, but before that has fond memories of listening to boxing matches on the radio together with his father. Now that he is retired, he plans to spend even more time in the ring.
