Meet Dr. Goyal
A Five-Star World-Class Surgeon. A Higher Standard of Care.
One Patient at a Time. The Doctor Other Doctors Trust.
Dr. Sunali Goyal is a Harvard-trained, board-certified ophthalmologist and internationally recognized specialist in cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery. Her philosophy “I (eye) care with care” reflects a simple belief: every patient deserves to be heard, understood, and treated as an individual.
That belief was shaped by where she trained. Dr. Goyal completed her ophthalmology residency at the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, followed by fellowship training in Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School , where she cared for patients at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital , and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In addition, she completed a two-year fellowship in Corneal Immunology at Harvard’s Schepens Eye Research Institute.
The result is a practice that spans the full spectrum of anterior segment care: advanced cataract surgery, premium lens technology, keratoconus, corneal transplantation, ocular surface disorders, and complex procedures other surgeons often refer out. But expertise at that level is only useful when it’s applied to the right patient, in the right way, which is where her approach begins.
No two eyes are alike, and no two lives are either. The golfer who needs to track a ball against a bright sky, the CEO moving between a laptop and a boardroom all day, the retired teacher who reads for hours, the contractor who works outdoors, each one has different demands on their vision, and each one deserves a different plan. Dr. Goyal designs every treatment around how you actually use your eyes, your work, your hobbies, your daily routine, rather than a standard protocol. She explains what she’s seeing in language that makes sense, walks through the tradeoffs, and makes sure you understand why she’s recommending what she recommends before you decide.
Patients notice the difference. Thousands of five-star reviews point to the same qualities: surgical precision, meticulous attention to detail, clear communication, and the sense that she was fully present in the room. Referring physicians send her their most complex cases; patients come to her for everything from routine vision correction to conditions that need a second opinion.
Today, Dr. Goyal brings that expertise to Orlando and Central Florida, world-class training delivered through personal, physician-led care. Her goal isn’t simply to perform surgery. It’s to deliver the right treatment for the right patient, with precision, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the best possible visual outcome.
Clinical Interests
Her clinical interests include comprehensive ophthalmology, refractive surgery, refractive errors-myopia and hyperopia, blepharitis, red eye, cornea and external diseases, cataract surgery, keratoconus, limbal epithelial stem cell deficiency, endothelial dysfunction, Fuchs dystrophy, corneal infections, corneal dystrophies, Stevens-Johnson, dry eye, corneal ulcers, severe viral disease, corneal transplant rejections, corneal transplant failure. She performs cataract surgeries, corneal transplants, anterior segment surgery, LASIK/PRK as well as cutting-edge surgeries, including ocular surface reconstruction, lamellar and selective endothelial transplantation, and keratoprostheses (artificial cornea). She was the first provider in the state of Arkansas to performartificial cornea (Keratoprosthesis surgery). In addition she does minimally invasive corneal transplantations surgery called DSAEK/DMEK for corneal edema and Fuchs dystrophy. She also has keen interest in treating severe dry eye and corneal pain patients and performs procedures like Meibomian Gland Probing.
Previous Experience
Assistant Professor (Tenure track), Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Jones Eye Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock
Director of Pediatric Cornea, Department of Ophthalmology, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
Director of Refractive Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, Jones Eye Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
Attending Faculty Physician, Department of Ophthalmology, John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas
Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Texas
Honors, Awards & Fellowships
Academic Achievement Award at Jones Eye Institute (awarded for three years in a row)
The Raymond and Mary Morris Research Award at Jones Eye Institute
Best paper award at Annual Table Rock Regional Ophthalmology Roundup for two years- Chosen amongst peers from four states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma).
Research Contributions
Dr. Goyal’s research investigates the molecular, cellular, and neural mechanisms underlying corneal disease, with particular focus on corneal pain, neuro-immunology and inflammation, dry eye disease, and ocular surface regeneration. Using advanced live-imaging techniques, her work examines how corneal nerves, immune cells, and inflammatory pathways interact, the biology that determines why some eyes heal and others don’t. She has also studied stem-cell–based approaches to ocular surface reconstruction, a frontier in treating patients whose corneas can no longer repair themselves.
With more than 75 peer-reviewed publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international conferences, Dr. Goyal has built her career at the intersection of laboratory science and surgical practice. That translation is visible in her clinical work: she established the first pediatric cornea service in Arkansas, helped standardize ocular care for burn and Stevens-Johnson syndrome patients, and is among the few surgeons offering the Boston Keratoprosthesis, an artificial cornea for patients who have exhausted every other option. For patients with complex corneal and ocular surface disease, that combination of research depth and surgical experience translates into treatment options that many practices simply cannot offer.
Selected Publications
Gupta P, Tobias JD, Goyal S, Martin MD, De Moor M, Noviski N, Mehta M. Preliminary Experience with a Combination of Dexmedetomidine and Propofol Infusions for Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization in Children, J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2009;14:106–112.
Chauhan SK, El Annan J, Ecoiffier T, Goyal S, Zhang Q, Saban DR, Dana R. Autoimmunity In Dry Eye Is Due To Resistance Of Th17 To Treg Suppression. J Immunol. 2009: 182(3),
1247-52.
Goyal S, Pless M. Isolated Inferior Rectus Palsy: A Case Report And Review Of Literature. Neuro-ophthalmology 2009:33,63-69.
Goyal S, Pless M, Krishnamoorthy K, Butler W, Noviski N, Gupta P. What’s New In Benign Childhood Intracranial Hypertension? Neuro-ophthalmology 2009:33,26-38.
Goyal S, Gupta P, Ryan CM, Kazlas M, Noviski N, Sheridan R. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis In Children: Medical, Surgical And Ophthalmologic Considerations. J Burn Care Res 2009:30,437–449.
Goyal S, Chauhan SK, Zhang Q, Dana R. Amelioration Of Murine Dry Eye Disease By Topical Antagonist To Chemokine Receptor 2. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009:127(7),882-887.
Gupta P, Tobias JD, Goyal S, Miller MD, Melendez E, Noviski N, De Moor MM, Mehta V. Sudden Cardiac Death Under Anesthesia In Pediatric Patient With Williams Syndrome: A Case Report And Review Of Literature. Ann Card Anaesth. 2010:13(1),44-48.
Gupta P, Goyal S, Grant E,Fawaz R, Noviski N, Yager P, Sharma A, Grant E, Lok J, Browning M. Acute Liver Failure And Leukoencephalopathy In A Pediatric Patient With Homocystinuria. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2010;51(5):668-671.
Gupta P, Goyal S, Tobias JD, Prodhan P, Purohit P, Gossett JM, Chow V, Noviski N. Risk Factors Associated with Hospital Admission among Healthy Children with Adenovirus Infection. Turk J Pediatr. 2011;53(6):597-603.
El Annan J, Goyal S, Zhang Q, Freeman GJ, Sharpe AH, Dana R. Regulation Of T-Cell Chemotaxis By Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) In Dry Eye-Associated Corneal Inflammation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010: 5(7),3418-3423.
Goyal S, Chauhan SK, El Annan J, Nallasamy N, Zhang Q, Dana R. Evidence Of Corneal Lymphangiogenesis In Dry Eye Disease: A Potential Link To Adaptive Immunity? Arch Ophthalmol. 2010:128(7),819-824.
Goyal S, Lavalley MP, Subramanian M. Meta-Analysis And Review On Effect Of Avastin In Diabetic Macular Edema. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2011:249(1),15-27.
Chauhan SK, Jin Y, Goyal S, Lee HS, Fuchsluger TA, Lee HK, Dana R. A Novel Pro-Lymphangiogenic Function For Th17/IL-17. Blood. 2011:118(17),4630-4634.
Goyal S, Chauhan SK, Dana R. Blockade Of Prolymphangiogenic Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C In Dry Eye Disease. Arch Ophthalmol. 2012:130(1),84-89.
Uppu SC, Goyal S, Gossett JM, Yan K, Dao DT, Fontenot EE, Imamura M, Gupta P. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Children with Heart Disease and Genetic Syndromes. ASAIO J. 2013;59(1):52-56.
McDonald R, Dodgen A, Goyal S, Gossett JM, Shinkawa T, Uppu SC, Blanco C, Garcia X, Bhutta AT, Imamura M, Gupta P. Impact of 22q11.2 deletion on the Postoperative Course of Children after Cardiac Surgery. Pediatr Cardiol. 2013;34(2):341-347.
Gupta P, McDonald R, Goyal S, Gossett JM, Imamura M, Agrawal A, Butt W, Bhutta AT. Extubation Failure in Infants with Shunt Dependent Pulmonary Blood Flow and Univentricular Physiology. Cardiol Young. 2013;18:1-9.
Goyal S, Warner DB. Roseomonas Keratitis After Remote Penetrating Keratoplasty. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2013:251(3),1025-1027.
Goyal S, Petrovic’ V, Pemberton JD, Uwaydat SH. A Tale Of Two Purtscher’s Retinopathy. J Ark Med Soc. 2013:110(5),86-89.
Goyal S, Nazarian SM, Thayi DR, Hammond F, Petrovic’ V. Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Following Recent Influenza Vaccination. Can J Ophthal. 2013:48(5),e115-116.
Goyal S, Shiver MB, Banda H, Brown H, Pemberton JD. Non-Healing Trauma Masking Periocular Basal Cell Carcinoma In A Young African American Male. Can J Ophthal. 2014;49(1):e14-16.
Goyal S, Ware GT, Petrovic’ V. Coxsackie Virus a Possible Missing Link To Unifocal Helioid Choroiditis/Solitary Idiopathic Choroiditis? Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2015;43(4):377-379.
Goyal S, Abraham P, Zeglam A, Brown H, Pemberton JD. Choroidal Ganglioneuroma And Orbital Plexiform Neurofibroma Presenting As Buphthalmos In An Infant With Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016;32(4):e87-89.
Goyal S, Uwaydat SH, Phillips PH, Schaefer GB. Bilateral Familial Nevus Of Ota. J AAPOS. 2014;18(6):609-610.
Perin AF, Goyal S, Rosenbaum ER, Uwaydat SH. Lysinibacillus spp. Endophthalmitis: a First Reported Case. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 2015;45(5):607-608.
Goyal S, Hamrah P. Understanding Neuropathic Corneal Pain-Gaps and Current Therapeutic Approaches. Semin Ophthalmol. 2016;31(1-2):59-70.
Goyal S,Lyzogubov V, Ali O, Bora PS, Bora NS, Uwaydat SH. Effect of Aspirin on models of RPE pathology. Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2016;44(7):610-617.
Perin AF, Chacko JG, Goyal S. Nonarteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Associated With Clomiphene Citrate Use. J Neuroophthalmol.2017;37(1):106-107.
Di Zazzo A, Kheirkhah A, Abud TB, Goyal S, Dana R. Management of High-risk Corneal Transplantation.Surv Ophthalmol. 2017;62(6):816-827.
Hardin JS, Sutton DA, Wiederhold NP, Mele J, Goyal S. Fungal Keratitis Secondary to Trametes betulina: A Case Report and Review of Literature. Mycopathologia. 2017;182:755-759.
Kheirkhah A, Syed ZA, Satitpitakul V, Goyal S, Müller R, Tu EY, Dana R. Sensitivity and Specificity of Laser-scanning In Vivo Confocal Microscopy for Filamentous Fungal Keratitis: Role of Observer Experience. Am J Ophthalmol. 2017;179:81-89.
Goyal S, Uwaydat SH. Multiquadrant Subtenon Triamcinolone Injection for Acute Corneal Graft Rejection: A Case Report. Case Rep Ophthalmol. 2017;8(2):308-313.
Goyal S, Phillips PH, Corder LA, Robertson MJ, Garcia X, Schmitz ML, Gupta P. Intraocular Pressure in Children after Congenital Heart Surgery: A Single Center Study. Ann Pediatr Cardiol. 2017;10(3):234-239.
Uwaydat SH, Sallam AB, Wang H, Goyal S. Retinal Indentation by a Dexamethasone Implant in a Gas-Filled Eye: Report of an Unusual Complication. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(10):1125-1127.
Dieckmann G, Goyal S, Hamrah P. Neuropathic Corneal Pain: Approaches for Management. Ophthalmology. 2017;124(11S):S34-S47.
Goyal S, Hardin J, Ellabban A, Warner DB, Uwaydat SH, Sallam AB. Review and Update of Cataract Surgery in the Diabetic Eye. Expert Rev Ophthalmol. 12:5, 359-371.
Kheirkhah A, Satitpitakul V, Syed ZA, Müller R, Goyal S, Tu EY, Dana R. Factors Influencing the Diagnostic Accuracy of Laser-Scanning In Vivo Confocal Microscopy for Acanthamoeba Keratitis. Cornea. 2018; 37(7):818-823.
Goyal S, Uwaydat SH. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitor Induced Trichomegaly and Poliosis.Ophthalmology. 2018;125(2):294.
Norton JC, Goyal S. Patient characteristics and outcomes of retained lens fragments in the anterior chamber after uneventful phacoemulsification.J Cataract Refract Surg. 2018; pii: S0886-3350(18)30420-6.
Goyal S, Phillips PH, Rettiganti M, Gossett JM, Lowery RS. Comparison of the Effect of Cycloplegia on Astigmatism Measurements in a Pediatric Amblyopic Population: A Prospective Study. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2018:1-6.
Goyal S, Kilgore DA, Nawaz SF, Rettiganti M, Gupta P. Characteristics and Fate of Abstracts Presented at American Academy of Ophthalmology Meetings. Semin Ophthalmol. 2019; 21:1-8.
Goyal S, Rettiganti M, Gupta P. Factors associated with motor vehicle-related eye injuries presenting to the US emergency departments. Eye (Lond). 2020;34(4):755-762.
What are you waiting for?
Dr. Goyal and her esteemed team of medical professionals provide state-of-the-art, personalized, advanced, passionate comprehensive vision care for every patient that comes into their office. She offers comprehensive eyecare, the most advanced capabilities, vast experience, teamwork, and total dedication to your best possible outcomes and patient experience. Browse our eye care treatments below to see how we can help change your life with amazing new vision.