William Lahners, M.D. (TY ’97)

William Joseph Lahners M.D. Obituary – Herald Tribune

On Friday, December 10th, 2021, William Joseph Lahners, M.D., beloved husband and father passed away suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 53. Dr. Lahners, known to friends and family as Bill, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 12, 1968 to MaryAnn and Louis Lahners.

After graduating Jesuit High School in New Orleans, in 1986, Bill earned a National Merit Scholarship to the University of Texas, and his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine with honors. Bill continued his education with a combined Internship in Medicine and Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Residency in Ophthalmology at Emory University, and a Cornea and Glaucoma Fellowship at the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis.

Bill is survived by his wife of 21 years, Crystal, his two children, William and Ella, his mom, MaryAnn Lahners, and sisters, Rebecca Wilson and Tracy Callihan. Bill was preceded in death by his father, Louis Lahners.

Dr. Lahners was the Medical Director at Center For Sight in Sarasota and a specialist in LASIK and Cataract surgery. He was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of South Florida, and a principal investigator in several FDA trials. He contributed to the AAO’s interactive textbook on femtosecond laser technology and served on the editorial board of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today.

Bill loved to live life, he always gave 110% to every endeavor. He was passionate about aviation and his family shared that passion with him. He was a proficient pilot with a single pilot rating for a multi-engine jet. Bill also loved playing tennis, reading about aviation, scuba diving, and traveling. Bill’s most recent passion was race car driving.

A Celebration of Life was held on January 9th, 2022. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Center For Sight Foundation in Dr. Lahners’ memory in further support of Mission Cataract, a day that provides the gift of sight to patients in need.

Bill will be sorely missed by his family, friends and patients.