Dr. Drew Sommerville has been a vitreoretinal specialist at Talley Eye Institute since 2009. Dr. Sommerville focuses on the management of medical and surgical diseases of the retina. His clinical interests include the management of macular degeneration, ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, diabetic retinopathy, and vascular occlusions with the use of lasers and/or injections. His surgical interests include the repair of retinal detachments, the treatment of retinal surface disease (such as epiretinal membranes and macular holes), removal of symptomatic floaters, removal of subretinal blood, and surgical treatment of diabetic retinopathy, among others. Dr. Sommerville enjoys being on the cutting edge of technology, whether that is via utilizing ultrawide field imaging in clinic to ensure the correct diagnosis, administering the latest anti-VEGF medicine to treat retinal diseases, or helping develop new and innovative surgical instruments in the operating room.

Dr. Sommerville grew up in Beardstown, Illinois, and became interested in ophthalmology while observing the work of his father, an optometrist, who practiced in Beardstown for 30 years. Drew graduated from Illinois State University summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He then completed both his medical internship and residency in ophthalmology at the University of Missouri. Dr. Sommerville finished his training by completing a two-year vitreoretinal fellowship at the University of Kentucky and Retina Associates of Kentucky, which is regarded as one of the best retina fellowship programs in the country.

Dr. Sommerville has written articles and given presentations on diverse topics ranging from the initial development and use of 25-gauge sutureless vitrectomy to studying the effects of anti-VEGF injections on the retinal nerve fiber layer. He authored one of the definitive journal articles on small gauge vitrectomy for symptomatic floater removal. His articles have been published in Ophthalmology, Retina, Clinical Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. Dr. Sommerville has presented his research and given talks at several major conferences, including the Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American College of Eye Surgeons, Ocular Imaging Conference, Hawaiian Eye, and the American Society of Retinal Specialists annual meetings.

Dr. Sommerville has been a speaker and/or a consultant for several ophthalmic companies over the years, including McKesson Corporation, Bausch & Lomb, Covenant Surgical Partners, Synergetics, Carl Zeiss Meditec, and Vortex Surgical. Furthermore, he is proud to be the president of Talley Eye Institute and the medical director of our adjacent surgery center, Valley Surgery Center. Additionally, Dr. Sommerville is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and has received many accolades over the years, including being named one of the top ophthalmologists in Evansville, Indiana. In 2021, Dr. Sommerville was ranked as one of the top 150 ophthalmologists in the United States by Newsweek Magazine.

Drew’s outside interests include cycling, exercising, cooking, and traveling. However, Drew states, “My greatest joy comes with spending time with my wife, Heather, and our two children.” Drew and his family enjoy residing in Newburgh.