Home / Top 500 / Dr. Maria Kirzhner
Top 500
#14
Score
77.3/100

Dr. Maria Kirzhner, MD

Maria Kirzhner, MD is a board-certified oculofacial surgeon and owner of Oculofacial Surgery & Aesthetics, a solo private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her site describes upper and lower blepharoplasty, ptosis (droopy eyelid) repair, sling surgery and brow lift.

Practice
600 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 170, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Phone
(434) 244-8610
Website
eyelidsbymk.com
Medicare eyelid ops
345, 2022-2024
Eyelid papers
3 in PubMed

Training and board certification

Source for this section: meet-dr-kirzhner

Stage Detail
College Wayne State University, Michigan; BS in chemistry, summa cum laude with University Honors, 1996-2000
Medical school New York University School of Medicine, 2000-2004, graduating AOA
Internship Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center, Dearborn, Michigan, 2004-2005
Residency Ophthalmology, Kresge Eye Institute, Detroit, Michigan, 2005-2008
Fellowship Two-year ASOPRS fellowship in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery: University of Tennessee, Memphis, then Vanderbilt University, 2008-2010
Additional fellowship Ophthalmic pathology, with Dr. Frederick Jakobiec, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, 2010-2011
  • Board-certified ophthalmologist, specializing in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery.
  • Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division, University of Virginia, 2012-2021.
  • Named "Outstanding Patient Experience" for three consecutive years at the UVA Department of Ophthalmology; named a Castle Connolly "Top Doctor" for five consecutive years.

Eyelid surgery work

  • Blepharoplasty (upper and lower). Upper blepharoplasty removes excess skin, fat and muscle from the upper eyelid; lower blepharoplasty is performed through a posterior (transconjunctival) incision in the back of the lower eyelid to remove excess fat (droopy-eyelid-repair, under-eyelid-bags).
  • Congenital/acquired ptosis repair. Tightens or repositions the levator muscle to restore eyelid position and improve the visual field; the site states it "can also be effective at treating a lazy eye" (droopy-eyelid-repair).
  • Levator muscle sling surgery. For severe or recurrent ptosis, using a sling/support system to lift and hold the eyelid (droopy-eyelid-repair).
  • Brow lift (direct/forehead lift). Incision along the hairline or within hair-bearing scalp; brows lifted and repositioned, excess skin removed (brow-lift).

Galleries (both 200, checked 2026-09-30, with real named-patient before/after photo pairs): blepharoplasty cases and ptosis repair cases, including combined "left upper eyelid ptosis and right upper eyelid blepharoplasty" cases.

Other procedures

Non-surgical aesthetics: dermal fillers, Botox and Xeomin injections, and laser facials.

Insurance and cost

The practice participates with most insurance plans for medically necessary procedures and files claims as a courtesy, but does not accept Optima/Sentara, Medicaid or Medicaid Supplements. Cosmetic procedures are generally not covered by insurance; a $300 consultation fee applies for aesthetic services (fees-and-financing). No dollar prices are published for any eyelid surgery.

Recovery, stated consistently across the droopy-eyelid-repair, under-eye-bag and brow-lift pages: most patients return to normal activities within one to two weeks, with strenuous activity/heavy lifting avoided for several weeks; swelling, bruising and discomfort managed with cold compresses and medication.

Practice

Field Value
Practice Oculofacial Surgery & Aesthetics
Address 600 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 170, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Phone (434) 244-8610
Website https://www.eyelidsbymk.com/

Solo practice; no other physicians listed. No Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or TikTok links found on the site.

Practice location and recovery

From eyelidsbymk.com, read 2026-09-30. Prices and recovery times are quoted as the practice publishes them.

Each marker carries the surgeon's rank on this list and sits at the centre of the practice's ZIP code. Markers that would cover each other spread into a ring and move back as you zoom in. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The top 85 eyelid surgeons in Virginia; Dr. Maria Kirzhner is #1

Recovery, in the practice's words

TopicStatementDays
Back to work"Most patients can return to their normal activities within a week or two." Source14
Back to work"Most patients can return to their normal activities within a week or two." Source14
Back to work"Most patients can return to their normal lives within a week or two." Source14
Exercise"Avoiding extreme physical exertion or heavy lifting for several weeks." Source

Medicare eyelid operations, 2022 to 2024

From CMS, Medicare Physician and Other Practitioners by Provider and Service, NPI 1871702340. Medicare pays only when the lids block vision, so these are the medical cases. Cosmetic eyelid surgery is paid by the patient and is not in this record. CMS leaves out any code billed fewer than 11 times in a year.

OperationOperations, 2022-2024
Upper blepharoplasty86
Ptosis repair141
Lid position repair97
Eyelid reconstruction21
Total345

Why #14: the score, line by line

Points come from sources read the same way for every surgeon. The method is on the methodology page.

SignalPointsOfSource
Medicare eyelid volume28.135345 Medicare eyelid operations, 2022 to 2024 (CMS)
Eyelid research9.2203 eyelid papers in PubMed, 1 since 2021
Training1515Oculofacial plastic surgeon
Eyelid work shown2525eyelid page; eyelid before-and-after gallery
Teaching050 eyelid meetings taught from 2023 on
Score77.3100Rank 14 of 500

Eyelid surgery papers

Papers in the PubMed eyelid record that list Dr. Maria Kirzhner as an author, newest first. Search PubMed.

2022
ENDURAGen graft durability in α-Gal disease
Ruland KL, Kirzhner M · Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep · PMID 35832069
2018
Modified second stage Hughes tarsoconjunctival reconstruction for lower eyelid defects
Aggarwal S, Shah CT, Kirzhner M · Orbit · PMID 29333918
2014
Anophthalmic syndrome: a review of management
Shah CT, Hughes MO, Kirzhner M · Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg · PMID 24988502