About Our Doctors
What’s with all the “O’s”? To learn about the different roles of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Orthoptists, and Opticians, see bottom of this page.
Meet Our Ophthalmologists
Dean L. Fiergang, MD, FAAP, FACS is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Dr. Fiergang is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the American College of Surgeons and has also served on the Executive Board of the Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Fiergang teaches resident physicians at both University of Maryland and Sinai Hospitals.
Dr. Fiergang specializes in Pediatric and Adolescent Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus. He practices in Baltimore, Westminster, and Clarksville, and is on staff at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Sinai Hospital, Carroll County General Hospital, University of Maryland Midtown Hospital, Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital where he provides ophthalmic care to the Neonatal intensive care unit.
Samuel P. Andorsky, MD, FAAP, FACS is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Dr.Andorsky is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the American College of Surgeons. A native of Baltimore, Dr. Andorsky received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and his M.D. from Brown Medical School. After an internship in Internal Medicine at Sinai Hospital, he completed his Ophthalmology residency at Maryland General Hospital, followed by a Fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Andorsky is a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He specializes in Pediatric and Adolescent Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus and is on staff at several hospitals in the Baltimore area.
Stuart R. Dankner, MD is the founding partner of our practice. He opened the practice in 1978 and retired in 2018, helping thousands and thousands of children in Maryland see better over his illustrious four-decade career.
The doctors have been recognized locally and nationally by serving as authors and consultants for various local and national publications and news bureaus. The doctors at Pediatric Eye Care of Maryland have been awarded “Top Doc” by Baltimore Magazine and “Best Ophthalmology Practice in Howard County” by Family Magazine.
Meet Our Optometrists
Lisa A. Thomas, O.D.
Dr. Thomas is certified by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Biology at Western Maryland College, now McDaniel College. Dr. Thomas earned her optometric degree, as well as a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Vision Sciences, at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Dr. Thomas joined Pediatric Eye Care of Maryland over 15 years ago and has extensive experience in fitting contact lenses in adults, teens and even newborns with congenital cataracts. She holds a therapeutic license in the State of Maryland and enjoys examining younger children and adults as well as treating eye infections and injuries.
Jill M. Vocci, OD
Dr. Vocci is certified by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry and received her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from North Carolina State University. Dr Vocci earned her degree in optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry where she also earned clinical honors in pediatrics. After practicing in Pennsylvania, Dr. Vocci returned to her native Maryland and joined our practice in 2006. She appreciates working with children and adults and has a special interest in contact lenses.
Meet Our Orthoptists
Linda Klitenic, CO
Linda Klitenic has been with Pediatric Eye Care of Maryland since 1993. She received her B.A. degree from George Washington University. Following graduation, she entered the Orthoptic Training program at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Linda loves what she does. She says it is so rewarding to be able to be part of the process of helping a patient.
Dana Whitener, CO
Dana Whitener is a certified orthoptist who has been in the eye care field since 2011, joining Pediatric Eye Care of Maryland in 2021. She earned her BA in Biology at Towson University and her Orthoptic certification from GBMC. Helping children achieve their best possible vision and helping adults find relief from their double vision are her two favorite aspects of her job. She was at least partially inspired to go into this field after having been a patient here when she was a young child!
What’s with all the “O’s”?
What is an Ophthalmologist? What is a Pediatric Ophthalmologist?
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who went to medical school and then did residency training in ophthalmology. Ophthalmologists are able to provide medical and surgical treatments for the eye, but also prescribe glasses and non-surgical treatments. Ophthalmologists often do further training to sub-specialize in more specific areas. A pediatric ophthalmologist is an ophthalmologist who did a fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus. A pediatric ophthalmologist sees children for any eye problem, but because he/she has extra expertise in strabismus (eye misalignment problems), a “pediatric ophthalmologist” also is the one to treat an adult with strabismus.
What is an Optometrist?
An optometrist is an eye doctor who went to optometry school. There is a lot of overlap between what an ophthalmologist and an optometrist do. Our optometrists evaluate, diagnose, and treat many of the conditions ophthalmologists do, short of medical and surgical treatments. They are also our experts in contact lenses.
What is an Orthoptist?
An orthoptist helps manage strabismus, usually working in conjunction with a pediatric ophthalmologist. Many patients with strabismus can benefit from various eye exercises or require prisms in their glasses, and our orthoptists specialize in these issues. You could think of an orthoptist as a sort of “physical therapist” for the eyes. Our orthoptists also are skilled in many other vision related issues (such as amblyopia) and on a given visit you may see one of our orthoptists even if you do not have strabismus.
What is an Optician?
An optician helps fit and craft a pair of eyeglasses. Please see here to learn more about our optical shop, Young Eyes. Our opticians can help any child or adult find a great, stylish pair of glasses. But what makes them so impressive is their ability to get a proper pair of glasses on a 2 year old, on a child with strabismus that may need a bifocal, on a child who may have a slightly different nasal bridge (such as in Down syndrome), or even an older child who may just be upset about needing glasses.