Home/Providers/Ophthalmology/Ramesh Somayajula Ayyala

Ramesh Somayajula Ayyala, MD

Ophthalmology
Ramesh Somayajula Ayyala image
4.5 out of 5, 
New patient visits

USF Health Department of Ophthalmology

13330 USF Laurel Drive,
Tampa, FL 33612
Fax
813-821-8382
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Dr. Ramesh Ayyala, MD, FRCS, FRCOphth is a world renowned ophthalmologist and is the Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL where he also holds the James P. and Heather Gills Chair in Ophthalmology. Prior to USF, Dr. Ayyala was a tenured professor of ophthalmology, director of the glaucoma service, and residency/fellowship director at Tulane University. He is a graduate of Gandhi Medical College, Osmania University in Hyderabad. He received his residency training in ophthalmology at Mersey Region Hospitals, United Kingdom (UK), and at USF, Tampa, FL. Dr. Ayyala completed his glaucoma fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School and his cornea/external disease fellowship at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Ayyala is board certified on three continents (India, UK and USA), a fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmology (Lon) and the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh), and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a past president of the Louisiana Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.





In addition to his clinical and Chair responsibilities, Dr. Ayyala is involved on a daily basis in teaching residents and fellows. Dr. Ayyala pioneered translational research involving slow release drug delivery systems. His other research interests include glaucoma diagnostic tools and glaucoma surgical outcomes. His research has resulted in numerous publications and presentations worldwide. He also serves as an editor for various ophthalmic journals.





Dr. Ayyala is passionate and compassionate in treating his patient. He thrives on treating difficult ocular cases.





https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/doctor-warns-9-000-kids-will-harm-their-vision-by-improperly-handling-fireworks-on-july-4th





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Verified Reviews

The Patient Satisfaction Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown below from our survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question.
4.5 out of 5
587 ratings,
98 reviews
3/20/2026
Dr. Ayyala is an amazing doctor that I have much faith in. He is the reason I drive one hour over the bay, sit and wait 2 -5 hours and then drive at least one hour back across the bay after the appointment.
3/20/2026
The care provider seem to be in more rush than having time to really explain and as of today, I have not gotten a proper explanation of my situation with my eyes
3/20/2026
Thank You For Helping Me Get Healthy Again
3/15/2026
Good and Excellent Doctor
3/15/2026
excellent doctor but have to wait over an hour to see him
3/14/2026
Once we were back with the doctor, the appointment was handled very efficiently. Very satisfied with the appointment itself. It was perfect. It's just the wait time was horrendous
2/18/2026
I would absolutely recommend Dr. Ayyala
2/16/2026
Appreciate immense knowledge and experiences of Dr. Ayyala.
2/13/2026
Dr. Aayala is the best.
2/5/2026
Very thorough Detailed examination Explaining excellent Outstanding service
1/31/2026
Dr Ayyala is very good at explaining my needs, concerns and recommendations. He is wonderful at answering all my questions. His concern and care is obvious when he takes the time to explain everything needed and I appreciate how he eases my fears. I would recommend this doctor to any and everyone.
1/31/2026
Good
1/26/2026
I do recommend Dr. Ayyala but I tell people that they will be there for a long time.
1/24/2026
I have already recommended USF to friends
1/16/2026
I continue to have exceptional experienced with Dr. Ayyala and all the medical professionals at USF.
1/14/2026
Impressed
1/12/2026
Doctor was very thorough and explained everything very well.
1/12/2026
No discussions, just comeback in 6 months
1/11/2026
Love Dr Ayyala and staff
1/10/2026
A busy man but hard to believe anyone could be better
1/8/2026
Dr. Ayyala was professional, caring and explained everything very well. He made both my wife and myself comfortable understanding the Bleb Revision Procedure he performed.
12/24/2025
No discussion of treatment, which was appropriate.
12/18/2025
I am from Brooksville fl drive to come there and have told my friends how great you are! You are excellent
12/12/2025
He was very professional and explained everything very clear and i understood all options
12/10/2025
I was given information about my status and condition of my eye. I had questions which were answered.
12/7/2025
Dr Ayyala is an outstanding professional in every respect.
12/6/2025
Once Dr. Ayala came into the room, he did his exam rapidly and without questions. Then he just said go home and schedule again for 6 months.
12/3/2025
Excellent doctor but the delay was 2 hours
12/3/2025
Dr. Ayala was the best, as was his resident. Follow up needed and addressed.
11/28/2025
Dr Ayalla is an excellent doctor. Very thorough and confident in his diagnosis and explanation. He is the first doctor I have found in the states who focuses on actual diagnosis without worrying about what was said or done by others and what if he is wrong. Because of him my years of stress about being misdiagnosed by multiple other doctors has been put to rest and I can live my life without Constantly worrying about it now.
11/26/2025
Good
11/26/2025
Dr Ayala was excellent. He explained clearly my medical condition after a good exam. He was kind and very professional making me feel reassured of being under a good health care provider. I highly recommend Dr Ayyala.
11/23/2025
Dr. Ayyala was caring, thorough & professional.
11/22/2025
He is too busy to be able to spend adequate time for you. It seems like his only concern is rushing out of the office as fast as possible to the next patient. That said, he is a very good doctor and knows what he's talking about. To get accurate information and to include myself in the treatment, however, I had to flag him down multiple times and ask him questions as he was running from room to room after my 5 minute appointment. Only after that did all of my questions get answered and he finally thought of a treatment I could use at the end.
11/21/2025
For his expertise I'd recommend him but his time management skills are poor.
11/13/2025
EXCELLENT
11/12/2025
Dr Ayyala is an excellent doctor and kind, compassionate person.
11/8/2025
All of them talk softly and help you to understand everything they are saying.
11/7/2025
Good
11/5/2025
Dr.Ayyala is outstanding, expert knowledge and expert as a surgeon I recommend him to anyone I know with glaucoma I hope he never retires he has personally saved my vision
11/5/2025
Dr. Ayyala is outstanding
11/2/2025
Great Doctor
10/31/2025
He needs help with time management. His staff need to let the room know if there are emergencies that have complicated issues.
10/29/2025
Dr Ayalla is very knowledgeable
10/21/2025
Doctor arrived in room without any introduction and immediately started examining my eyes. Then as an afterthought he says "by the way I'm doctor Ayala." After examination he goes over to the person with me and proceeds to explain his findings. Never talking to me, he ask the fellow to dialate my eyes and he be back in 10 minutes. I've never felt so disrespected. He gave information about me someone to my daughter yes but he didn't know that. He was arrogant and full of himself. When he returned I said "Let's start over because I do understand English and I didn't like that you came In examined eyes and yet totally Ignoring me. He apologized but after that I just wanted to know his diagnosis so I could leave. I arrived for my appointment 40 minutes ahead of time only to be told that the doctor was already a half hour behind. I waited in the waiting room for over an hour. When called back I had to wait another 30 minutes to get called for pictures of my eyes and when I asked how long before I would see the doctor he said that there were 3 people ahead of me. Again back in the waiting room for another 45 minutes and finally called in to see the fellow who did an exam and said doctor would be in soon. I waited another 20-30 minutes before he arrived and completely ignored me as a real person. I have been in attending your institution for many years and have never been so disrespected.
10/10/2025
Excellent care.
9/30/2025
Had thorough examination had little abnormal in eye repeat scan right away with special instructions and personally checked itExplained everything in detail and discussed treatment plan Called the prescription and by the time I went downstairs it is ready
9/26/2025
Dr Ayyala's expertise and friendly attitude make the 1 1/2 hour drive worth while. The only negative is the 2 to 3 hour wait time. I understand that his time is valuable and the demand for his services is high, so I think the delays are inevitable.
9/22/2025
DR. AYYALA IS THE BEST IN FLORIDA!!!!!!
9/21/2025
All very professional.
9/20/2025
Excellent
9/19/2025
Superb overall experience. Great expertise.
9/19/2025
Dr Ayyala is very nice and professional
9/17/2025
I have recommended a few friends to Dr. Ayyala and of course, they are very pleased. He is the best.
9/9/2025
Excellent attention from all the doctors involved!!
9/7/2025
Everything was described in detail and in terms I could understand.
9/6/2025
What a blessing Dr. Ayyala is. He is the most amazing doctor/surgeon I have ever met. USF is fortunate that he has chosen to practice medicine within their facilities.
9/5/2025
Both the tech and the fellow explained things to me in detail which I appreciated.
9/4/2025
Dr Ayala is wonderful
9/2/2025
The new physician was very polite and explained everything and even gave me an option of doing one eye now or doing both. I had both done
9/2/2025
Excellent Experience
8/30/2025
I have recommended several people to go there. And they have and they feel the same way as I do about him. They say they'll never go back to their old doctor again. They just love Dr.Ayala !!
8/29/2025
He does not communicate with me well , or spend much time explaining thing what he is testing for ahead of time .
8/27/2025
Well taken care of.
8/23/2025
They explained what they were going to do and how some equipment was used and may make you feel asked if I was familiar with It
8/22/2025
Had Good experience.
8/22/2025
Dr. Ayala is amazing
8/22/2025
I will recommend
8/10/2025
Providers are great.
8/10/2025
I think this clinic probably has the most knowledgeable staff available.
8/7/2025
Dr. Ayyala was excellent at helping us understand Glaucoma and the next step decisions regarding eye surgery. Dr Ayyala is very experienced and earned our trust and respect
8/2/2025
Very good
7/31/2025
Doctor is great wait is too long
7/28/2025
The doctor is excellent. The excessive waiting time to be attended to is less accepted, even when they warn about the delay in being attended, it can be from 2 to 4 hours. That wait is very exhausting.
7/26/2025
The provider is very good, I would recommend it.
7/26/2025
Doctor was okay but it felt very rushed because of massive delays.
7/26/2025
Good
7/25/2025
Dr Ayala knows his business well!
7/25/2025
Never had a bad experience with the facility or staff
7/25/2025
Very happy with doctor.
7/25/2025
I would recommend him only for difficult cases. Ordinary doctors can handle the rest. This would also help the wait time.
7/25/2025
EVERYTHING IS FINE
7/20/2025
I just felt rushed, with no actual discussion. Get him in, get him out.
7/20/2025
Dr. Ayyala was outstanding as always. You can ask him any question and he will respond.
6/27/2025
Dr Ayyala and his assistant were both very knowledgeable and answered our questions to our satisfaction. They had a good rapport with our son Jason.
6/25/2025
Dr. Ayyala is a great eye doctor, very knowledgeable and professional
6/14/2025
Very professional and thorough
6/13/2025
The physician was excellent
6/13/2025
Excellent
6/6/2025
The dr spent less than 5 minutes in the exam room. While he was pleasant enough, he was rushed and felt like just number, that needed to get through the clinic and out the door. I drive a little over an hour to see the doctor and am disappointed with level care. I don't understand why I had to wait 2.5 hours, when the dr only spent less than 5 minutes in the exam room.
6/5/2025
I recommend the Eye Institute at USF to everyone. This visit was expedient and all good news and I am grateful for when this happens. I was taken the best care of during my visit.
5/30/2025
Dr Ayyala was very friendly
5/29/2025
When I finally got to see the doctor, the care was good.
5/29/2025
Feel comfortable
5/28/2025
Excellent
5/19/2025
Dr Ayyala always answers any questions and truly cares about every patient he sees.
5/14/2025
I have always been well cared for
5/14/2025
Dr. Ayyala is really a great doctor!

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Map & Directions

USF Health Department of Ophthalmology

13330 USF Laurel DriveTampa, FL 33612
Monday - Friday

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday - Sunday

Closed

Fax