Dr. Srinivas Iyengar

Dr. Iyengar is a board-certified, fellowship-trained oculoplastic surgeon acclaimed worldwide for his expertise in cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery. He is known for delivering individualized care that blends precision, artistry, and a bespoke understanding of each patient’s aesthetic vision.

Meet Dr. Srinivas Iyengar

As the founder of San Diego Eyelid Specialists, Dr. Iyengar has built a practice centered on thoughtful, individualized care for both cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery. Nearly twenty years of global surgical experience have shaped his refined approach and deep understanding of eyelid anatomy. Consistently honored as a Top Doctor in San Diego, he is relied upon by physicians, professional athletes, and public figures for his meticulous technique and beautifully natural outcomes.

Background and Education

A San Diego native, Dr. Iyengar graduated at the top of his class from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he also served as Class President. He went on to complete his surgical internship at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and his ophthalmology residency at the University of Kansas, where he achieved the highest in-training exam scores and was named a Paul Kayser International Scholar by the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology. Deeply focused on perfecting his surgical technique, Dr. Iyengar had the chance to work alongside the top eyelid surgeons in the world when he was selected to join ORBIS International's Flying Eye Hospital—the world’s only DC-10 aircraft with a fully equipped operating room—where he spent a year teaching and performing eyelid surgery across multiple countries.

Fellowship and Professional Achievements

As the most experienced eyelid surgeon in North County San Diego, Dr. Iyengar finished his highly-competitive ASOPRS fellowship in 2011. Consistently focused on clinical medicine and surgical excellence, he is the only oculoplastic surgeon in the San Diego area to have also spent an additional year operating with some of the top oculoplastic surgeons in the world. Dr. Iyengar completed his fellowship in oculoplastic surgery through the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) in Los Angeles. He went on to serve as Chief of Ophthalmology at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Central Florida before returning home to San Diego to establish San Diego Eyelid Specialists. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of ASOPRS, as well as the San Diego County Medical Society. In addition to leading his private practice, Dr. Iyengar serves as a board examiner for oculoplastic surgeons completing their training and frequently hosts visiting surgeons at his practice for advanced instruction.

Awards and Recognition

Since 2016, Dr. Iyengar has consistently been named a Top Doctor as selected by physician peers in San Diego Magazine in both Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery—a rare dual honor. He has also received the Outstanding Volunteer Faculty Award from the UC San Diego Shiley Eye Institute for his dedication to resident education and mentorship.

His academic contributions include authoring numerous articles and book chapters in the field of oculoplastic surgery. In 2020, he co-authored a landmark publication describing a newly identified hereditary eyelid syndrome in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Iyengar also developed a quantitative method of evaluating patients with eyelid laxity.

Specialties and Philosophy

Dr. Iyengar’s practice is devoted exclusively to cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery, encompassing complex trauma repair, revision procedures, skin cancer reconstruction, and advanced aesthetic treatments. Known for his meticulous technique and thoughtful surgical planning, he creates outcomes that appear naturally refined while restoring and preserving eyelid function.

His philosophy is rooted in safety, precision, and a bespoke, highly personalized approach. Whether caring for physicians, athletes, entertainers, or local families, Dr. Iyengar offers each patient the same level of expertise, attentiveness, and compassion, ensuring every treatment plan is tailored to their unique anatomy, goals, and lifestyle.

Leadership and Service

Dr. Iyengar serves as Chief of Ophthalmology at Scripps Encinitas Hospital and is frequently consulted for complex eyelid and orbital trauma cases. He has also provided care for several professional sports teams, including the San Diego Chargers, San Diego State Aztecs, San Diego Legion, and Detroit Tigers. Internationally, he contributes to reducing preventable blindness through his role as Volunteer Faculty with ORBIS International, teaching eyelid surgery to physicians worldwide.

Why Patients Choose Dr. Iyengar for Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

Over 15 Years of Exclusively Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

Dr. Srinivas Iyengar completed his fellowship training in 2011. In the fifteen-plus years since, he has built a career around a single, unwavering focus: the eyelids. While cosmetic and oculoplastic practices have opened across San Diego in just the last few years, Dr. Iyengar has spent over a decade refining his technique, building a reputation, and delivering consistent results for thousands of patients. Experience isn't a marketing claim here. It's a timeline you can trace back to 2011. Volumetric Harmony is a surgical philosophy that has real substance, as it is defined by the preservation of the orbicularis oculi muscle in upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty. This approach avoids the all-too-common hollowing seen after cosmetic eyelid surgery and preserves a natural blink, which is critical for aesthetic safety.

The Surgeon Other Surgeons Call When Something Goes Wrong

When eyelid surgery performed elsewhere doesn't go as planned, San Diego turns to Dr. Iyengar. He is regularly referred complex complications and revision cases from other plastic surgeons and oculoplastic surgeons. This is the kind of referral pattern that only develops when a surgeon has demonstrated, case after case, that he can fix what others couldn't. If you want it done right the first time, it makes sense to start with the surgeon everyone else turns to when it isn't.

Trusted by Over 100 Physicians With Their Own Eyelids

Dr. Iyengar has personally performed eyelid surgery on more than 100 physicians. Doctors are, by nature, the most discerning patients there are. They know exactly what to look for in a surgeon, and they have access to any specialist they want. More than 100 of them have chosen Dr. Iyengar for their own eyes.

Voted Top Doctor in Eyelid Surgery by His Peers Since 2016

Dr. Iyengar has been recognized as a Top Doctor by San Diego Magazine since 2016 in both Ophthalmology and Plastic Surgery, a dual distinction few surgeons in the region hold at all, let alone consistently for a decade. This isn't a paid directory listing or a patient review score. It's other physicians voting on who they'd trust with their own patients and their own eyes.

Surgical Experience Spanning Over 20 Countries

Through ORBIS International and the Flying Eye Hospital, Dr. Iyengar has operated and taught in more than 20 countries, bringing advanced eyelid and oculoplastic techniques to surgeons around the world. That is surgical range built across dramatically different patients, conditions, and cases, not just a single training program, PhD degree, or local practice. Physicians also choose Dr. Iyengar for their own eyelid surgery because they know the difference between surgeons who market their research degrees and surgeons who have focused surgical experience.

The Surgeon Who Examines Other Eyelid Surgeons

Dr. Iyengar doesn't just meet the bar for oculoplastic surgery. As an ASOPRS board examiner, he's one of the people who sets it, personally evaluating the surgical competency of oculoplastic surgeons seeking board certification, including surgeons much earlier in their careers.

Ask How Long Your Eyelid Surgeon Has Been Practicing

Before choosing a surgeon for a procedure this personal, it's worth asking a simple question: How many years and how many cases do they have behind them? Dr. Iyengar's answer is fifteen years and counting, entirely focused on the eyes.

Outside the Practice

Beyond his clinical and academic work, Dr. Iyengar is passionate about giving back through international volunteerism and has been recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Society, serving on both their International Subcommittees for Global Work.

International Contributions

Focused on sustainable improvements in surgical techniques for eyelid surgery in low-middle income countries, Dr. Iyengar has performed surgery and taught eyelid surgery in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia, Peru, India, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Laos, Argentina, China, Syria, and most recently Palestine. He continues to partner with organizations like ORBIS International, Lōkana, and the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund to bring advanced oculoplastic care to communities in need. ORBIS International only selects globally-recognized surgeons who have excellent surgical and teaching skills to serve as faculty to handle some of the most challenging cases in the world, often in less than optimal conditions. Dr. Iyengar has been honored to serve as Volunteer Faculty with ORBIS in the field of Oculoplastic Surgery.

Around the World and Back Home

Dr. Iyengar feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend time working with top eyelid surgeons around the world, as such he funds a scholarship award for surgeons in low-middle income countries committed to making global health part of their career called the Cherwek Award in Global Ophthalmology. At home in San Diego, he serves as voluntary faculty at the UC San Diego Shiley Eye Institute and mentors residents and medical students at local free clinics and voluntarily cares for patients at Scripps Encinitas Hospital with complex eyelid injuries. Known for his approachable style, dry humor, and generosity with his time, Dr. Iyengar finds purpose not only in treating patients but also in teaching and inspiring the next generation of surgeons.