Dr. A. Sydney Williams

A. Sydney Williams, M.D.

Dr. A. Sydney Williams, a San Francisco native and son of the late Fred C. Williams, MD (also an ophthalmologist), has been in private practice since 1992.He has been a board certified ophthalmologist since 1989 and specializes in glaucoma diagnosis and treatment and surgery for glaucoma and cataracts.He graduated from Howard Medical School in Washington, DC, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society for academic achievement.Residency in Ophthalmology was undertaken at the University of California in San Francisco.Following residency he trained in the subspecialty of glaucoma at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School in Boston.After training, he accepted an academic appointment at the Stanford University Medical School Department of Ophthalmology, where he became director of the glaucoma program and also directed the residency program.He left Stanford in 1992 to open his private practice in San Mateo and Mountain View, California.In 2000, he left Mountain View for a practice in San Francisco while continuing in the San Mateo practice.He is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California in San Francisco in the Department of Ophthalmology.He is one of the premier glaucoma surgeons in the Bay Area.Dr. Williams is fluent in Spanish and conversational in French.He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Glaucoma Society, and past president of the Cordes Eye Society.

Ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist A. Sydney Williams gives Rickey A. Morris a checkup.
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Adults age 60 and older should be screened every two years, according to A. Sydney Williams, ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist.

"It's a preventable blindness," he said."If caught in early stages -- when you really can't tell there's anything wrong -- the nerve damage that results in vision loss can be prevented."

Only in the mid to late stages do people notice they can't see as well, Dr. Williams said."At that point, the nerve damage cannot be reversed."

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"Glaucoma can be difficult to detect at the earliest stages," Dr. Williams said."Visual field screenings and pressure checks are about 75 percent effective at picking up more advanced cases.A comprehensive exam by an ophthalmologist is the most effective tool for discovering glaucoma."