Montana Retina Consultants was founded in 2013 by Dr. Mark Comaratta to bring highly specialized medical and surgical retina care to Southwest Montana and the Gallatin Valley after practicing for 20 years in New York. In 2018, Dr. Comaratta was joined by his son, Dr. Marc Comaratta, to meet the needs of a growing patient population.
Dr. Marc Comaratta
Dr. Marc Comaratta arrived in Bozeman in August of 2018 to join his father in providing vitreoretinal surgical and medical care for the Gallatin Valley, southwest Montana and beyond.
Dr. Comaratta was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. He received his B.S. in History from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna cum laude. He received his M.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, where he graduated with commendation from the dean, cum laude, and with research honors. He was elected to the Epsilon chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical School Honor Society, and was awarded the E.J. Weisenheimer Award by the department of Ophthalmology at the University at Buffalo for excellence in scholarship and patient care in Ophthalmology.
He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He performed his two year fellowship in Vitreoretinal Medicine and Surgery with Associated Retina Consultants in Phoenix, Arizona, in affiliation with the Maricopa County Hospital in Phoenix and the University of Arizona.
Dr. Comaratta is certified with the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retinal Specialists. He has written a number of book chapters and peer reviewed articles on vitreoretinal medicine and surgery. He has presented his research and given academic presentations at forums around the country.
Dr Comaratta's main surgical practice includes the treatment of retinal tears, detachments, epiretinal membranes, macular holes, diabetic retinopathy, complications of cataract surgery, eye trauma and visually significant floaters. His medical practice focuses on common entities including age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion and eye tumors. He also specializes in more uncommon diseases including genetic eye diseases and eye infections/inflammation.
Dr Comaratta has surgical and admitting privileges at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital. In his free time, he enjoys exploring southwest Montana with his wife, Hannah, and taking in the views from the tops of mountains on his bike or skis, weather permitting.
Dr. Mark Comaratta
Dr. Comaratta joins the Bozeman community after practicing vitreoretinal surgery in Buffalo, New York since 1991. He was the founding member and managing partner of Buffalo Niagara Retina Associates. He is certified with the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of: the American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society Of Retinal Specialists, and the Montana Academy of Ophthalmology. He is past president of the Buffalo Ophthalmologic Society.
Dr. Comaratta received his B.S. in Psychology from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna cum laude. He received his M.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. His Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship was performed at the Cornell University Medical College and New York Hospital.
Dr. Comaratta had the privilege of completing his fellowship under the direction of world-renowned vitreoretinal surgeon, Dr. Stanley Chang. Dr. Chang has developed and pioneered several revolutionary surgical approaches to treat complicated forms of retinal detachment, improving outcomes for patients worldwide.
Additional mentors during his fellowship included Lawrence Yannuzzi, a world renowned expert on macular diseases and Harvey Lincoff, one of the founders of modern day retinal detachment surgery. Dr. Comaratta is a firm believer in the three A’s of a successful medical practice – being available to your patients, being affable with them, and having the ability to successfully treat their disease. He is excited to bring state of the art vitreoretinal surgery to southwest Montana.
Dr. Kyle Piwonka
Dr. Piwonka is a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist specializing in conditions affecting the retina and vitreous, including the diagnosis and management of dry and wet macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, inflammation of the eye (uveitis), repair of retinal tears and detachment, ocular trauma, epiretinal membranes and macular holes.
Dr. Piwonka grew up in the western Texas city of San Angelo. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at Texas A&M University where he graduated Magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth where he graduated with honors.
After medical school, he completed a Transitional Year Internship at St. John Providence Health System in Detroit. He then went on to train in Ophthalmology at Michigan State University, where he was selected to serve as Clinical Chief Resident.
Following residency, Dr. Piwonka went on to complete a two-year Vitreoretinal Medicine and Surgical fellowship at Valley Retina Institute in southern Texas. While there he actively participated in clinical studies investigating therapeutic interventions for wet and dry macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, and retinal vein occlusion.
Dr. Piwonka is certified with American Osteopathic Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and fellow of the American Society of Retina Specialists. He has given academic presentations at forums around the country and published an article with Retina Today.
Outside of work, Dr. Piwonka enjoys quality time spent in the outdoors with his family and friends while hiking, backpacking, and running. Live music, college football, and grilling are also some of his passions.