Dr. Maria Castaños

Dr. Castaños treats the full range of retinal disease, from common age-related conditions to inflammation inside the eye. As a fellowship-trained retina specialist, she provides medical care for diseases affecting the retina, macula, and vitreous.

Conditions Dr. Castaños diagnoses and treats include macular degeneration (both dry and wet AMD), diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, retinal artery occlusion, macular edema, macular holes, macular pucker, retinal tears and detachment, posterior vitreous detachment, and flashes and floaters. She also manages uveitis and inflammatory retinal disease, an area she trained in during her residency and fellowship at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

If your optometrist or primary care doctor has told you that you need to see a retina specialist, Dr. Castaños can evaluate your condition and explain what your options are. Call (941) 351-1200 to schedule at our University Parkway office.

Uveitis is a general term for inflammation inside the eye. It can cause pain, redness, light sensitivity, and blurred vision, and it sometimes leads to swelling in the macula that affects central vision. Some cases come on suddenly and others build slowly over months.

Most uveitis falls into one of two categories. Either an infection is driving the inflammation, or an autoimmune condition is causing the body's immune system to attack its own eye tissue. Sorting out which one requires more than an eye exam. Dr. Castaños typically orders lab testing alongside the exam and imaging to identify the underlying cause, because the right treatment depends entirely on what is behind it.

Treatment often starts with steroid drops while lab results are pending. Depending on the diagnosis, it may move to steroid injections, oral medication, or therapies that target the immune response directly. When a systemic condition such as an autoimmune disease is involved, Dr. Castaños works with your other physicians so your eye care and your overall care stay aligned.

Yes. Dr. Castaños completed a vitreoretinal surgical fellowship at Shane Retina, which means she performs both in-office procedures and operating room surgery for diseases of the retina.

In-office treatments include eye injections and laser procedures. For conditions that require an operation, such as retinal detachment, macular holes, or a dislocated intraocular lens, she performs vitrectomy and related vitreoretinal surgery.

She will explain why a particular treatment is recommended, what the procedure involves, and what to expect during recovery before moving forward.

Yes. Our University Parkway office is open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm, and Dr. Castaños sees patients during those hours.

Saturday appointments help patients who work during the week, who depend on a family member for a ride, or who would rather not navigate weekday traffic on University Parkway. They also give referring optometrists and primary care physicians another option when a patient needs to be seen promptly.

To request a Saturday appointment with Dr. Castaños, call (941) 351-1200. Saturday times fill quickly, so it helps to call ahead rather than waiting until the end of the week.

OCT stands for optical coherence tomography, an imaging test that produces a detailed cross-section of the retina without touching the eye. OCT angiography goes a step further and maps the blood flow through the retinal vessels, again without any dye or injection.

These images show things an exam alone cannot. Fluid building up beneath the retina, thinning in the macula, or blood vessels that have narrowed or closed off all appear clearly, often before a patient notices any change in vision. That makes the test useful both for diagnosis and for judging whether a treatment is working.

Dr. Castaños trained in retinal imaging and has published research on OCT angiography, and she uses both technologies routinely at our University Parkway office. The scan takes only a few minutes and is comfortable for patients.

Dr. Castaños sees patients at Shane Retina's University Parkway office in North Sarasota, located just west of I-75 in University Health Park.

The office is convenient for patients in North Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, and Parrish, along with the surrounding Manatee County communities. Parking is in the lot in front of the building.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Castaños, call (941) 351-1200. The office is open Monday through Friday and on Saturdays, and Shane Retina has an on-call physician available around the clock for sudden or urgent retinal problems.

Shane Retina, University Parkway Office
2401 University Pkwy #205
Sarasota, FL 34243
Phone: (941) 351-1200

Dr. Castaños earned her Doctor of Medicine at Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she graduated as valedictorian of her class. She then earned ECFMG certification and came to the United States for further training.

She completed a research fellowship in retinal imaging, an internship in internal medicine, and a full ophthalmology residency at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, one of the most respected eye hospitals in the country. She stayed at Mount Sinai for a medical retina fellowship, focusing on advanced retinal diagnostics and treatment.

Dr. Castaños has published and presented widely on retinal imaging, OCT angiography, diabetic retinopathy, and emerging retinal treatments. Her work has appeared at major conferences including ARVO and the Macula Society and in peer-reviewed journals such as Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Clinical Ophthalmology, and BMC Ophthalmology.

Yes, a retina specialist is an ophthalmologist who has completed additional training focused specifically on the retina. Every retina specialist first becomes a medical doctor and an ophthalmologist, then completes a fellowship in diseases of the retina and vitreous.

This extra training is what sets a retina specialist apart. While a general ophthalmologist can diagnose and treat a wide range of eye conditions, a retina specialist concentrates on the back of the eye, managing complex problems like macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and uveitis, including the injections and laser treatment these conditions often require.

Dr. Maria Castaños is a fellowship-trained retina specialist. She completed her medical retina fellowship at Mount Sinai and a vitreoretinal surgical fellowship at Shane Retina. She now provides advanced retina care to patients throughout Sarasota, Bradenton, and Lakewood Ranch.

In most cases you do not need a referral to see Dr. Castaños, and you are welcome to call and schedule an appointment directly. Many patients come to Shane Retina on their own after noticing symptoms like new floaters, flashes of light, or changes in their vision.

That said, some insurance plans require a referral from your primary care doctor or optometrist before they will cover a visit to a specialist. It is worth checking with your insurance provider so you understand your coverage before your appointment.

Many patients are referred by their optometrist or primary care physician after a problem is found during a routine exam. Whether you were referred or are reaching out on your own, our team can help you schedule and will work with your eye care provider when needed. To make an appointment, call (941) 351-1200.

At your first visit, Dr. Castaños will review your symptoms and medical history, examine your eyes, and perform a dilated retinal exam to get a clear view of the back of the eye. She will usually also take OCT images so she can see the layers of the retina in detail.

Plan to be at the office for a couple of hours. The dilating drops take time to work and will leave your vision blurry and light-sensitive for several hours afterward, so it is a good idea to bring sunglasses and arrange for someone to drive you home.

Once the exam and imaging are complete, Dr. Castaños will explain what she found in clear terms, answer your questions, and discuss a treatment plan if one is needed. If your symptoms suggest inflammation in the eye, she may also order lab work to identify what is causing it. You will leave understanding your diagnosis and the next steps for protecting your vision.

Yes. Dr. Castaños is fluent in Spanish and sees Spanish-speaking patients throughout Sarasota, Bradenton, and Lakewood Ranch. She earned her medical degree in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, so Spanish is the language she trained and practiced in before coming to the United States.

For patients who are more comfortable in Spanish, this means the exam, the diagnosis, and the treatment plan are all explained directly by the physician, without a family member or staff interpreter in the middle. That matters with retinal disease, where understanding your condition and staying on a treatment schedule affects how much vision you keep. Questions about macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, eye injections, or uveitis get answered in the language you think in.

Finding a Spanish-speaking retina specialist in the Sarasota and Manatee County area is not always easy, and patients sometimes drive well outside the region for it. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Castaños at our University Parkway office, call (941) 351-1200.

Yes, Shane Retina accepts Medicare and works with most major insurance plans. Because retinal conditions are medical conditions, care with Dr. Castaños is typically billed to your medical insurance rather than a vision plan.

Coverage can vary from plan to plan, so it is a good idea to confirm your benefits before your visit. Our team is happy to help you understand what your plan covers and answer questions about referrals or authorizations if your insurer requires them.

If you have questions about insurance or want to confirm that your plan is accepted, call us at (941) 351-1200 and our staff will be glad to assist.

To make an appointment with Dr. Castaños, call Shane Retina at (941) 351-1200. Our team will find a time that fits your schedule at our University Parkway office in North Sarasota, including Saturday appointments. 

In most cases you can schedule directly without a referral, though some insurance plans may require one. If you are experiencing sudden symptoms such as a curtain or shadow over your vision, a sudden increase in floaters or flashes, or sudden vision loss, let us know when you call so we can arrange to see you as soon as possible.

You can also request an appointment through our contact page, and a member of our team will follow up with you.