Irene H. Ludwig earned her M.D. degree from the Cornell University Medical College in 1979. She performed her internship in general surgery at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. She then served as a resident in Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinical Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. Following two years of research at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, she then took a fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In 1986, she joined the staff of Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York, where she was appointed to the position of Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Albany Medical College of Union University. In 1992, she joined the faculty at LSU Eye Center in New Orleans, where she is an Assistant Professor and performs teaching and research in new surgical techniques. Dr. Irene Ludwig is widely known for her innovative new technologies in adult and children’s eye surgery.

Dr. Irene Ludwig is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Associate Member of the American Ophthalmological Society, the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the Costenbader Society and is a diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology. Her accomplishments in the field of Pediatric Ophthalmology include lecturing at scientific meetings and publications of a number of ophthalmological papers.

Dr. Ludwig has other areas of research interest including: the connection between strabismus and sinus disease, improved surgical techniques of superior oblique palsy, and a new repair of diplopia caused by orbital fracture.

Dr. Bregman received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and completed his residency at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He was formerly the Chief of Ophthalmology at Ireland Army Community Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He specializes in no-stich cataract surgery, refractive surgery, and other eye disorders. He is board certified in Ophthalmology and holds certification by the American Board of Eye Surgery. A real family man, he and his wife have three children. Known for singing around the office, Dr. Bregman enjoys music, particularly jazz and sixties rock.

Dr. Crisp is a native of western North Carolina. She attended Duke University on an academic scholarship where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology. She completed her Medical Doctorate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Following her one year internship in straight medicine at Washington Hospital Center in D.C., Dr. Crisp performed retina research at the Estelle Doheny Eye Foundation in Los Angeles, California. Her four year Residency in Ophthalmology was conducted at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

While in New Orleans she was an assistant instructor for the Optometric Society. She has been practicing Anterior Segment Ophthalmology specializing in cataract surgery since 1992. Dr. Crisp is a member of The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association, and a Diplomat of The American Board of Ophthalmology.

Dr.Crisp settled in Rutherford County following the destruction of her practice by Hurricane Katrina. In her spare time Dr. Crisp enjoys Jazz music, traveling and spending time with her Chihuahua, Rufus.

Dr. Heikki Eric Kostamaa is a board-certified ophthalmologist with additional surgical and medical training in Vitreoretinal disease. He received his medical degree and ophthalmic surgical training at the University of California, Irvine where he served as Chief Resident. He received additional internship training in internal medicine from the UCLA-West Los Angeles VA. He specializes in diseases of the retina, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinal disease, macular holes, epiretinal membranes and retinal detachments.

Dr. Kostamma is excited to be a part of the new medical and surgical treatments in retinal disease management and he strives to offer the most current treatment options for his patients while also developing long term relationships. He believes that teamwork is the key to delivering optimal eye care and that Eye Health Partners is ideally suited to provide this type of care. In his spare time, Dr. Kostamma enjoys playing golf and electric guitar.

Dr. Megan L. Blemker graduated with honors from Indiana University School of Optometry in Bloomington, Indiana in May of 2005. Her 2001 early admission to graduate school came after her first two years of undergraduate education at Vincennes University, where she excelled in academics and extracurricular activities. As a varsity volleyball player at Vincennes University, she was honored as an Academic All American. Dr. Blemker completed her undergraduate education at Indiana University, where she was an associate instructor. She received the prestigious award of Optometric Technician Associate Instructor of the Year. Her collegiate and professional organizations include Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honor Society, American Optometric Association, Tennessee Optometric Association, and the Middle Tennessee Optometric Society.

Dr. Blemker came to Eye Health Partners in July of 2005 for a year long residency in ocular disease. Enjoying this field of endeavor, Dr. Blemker joined Eye Health Partners as the part-time Assistant Center Director of the Columbia office in 2006, and became the Assistant Center Director of the Nashville office in June of 2007. She is a resident of Nashville and enjoys singing, music, theater, exercising, playing volleyball, and spending time with family and friends.