Vision 2025

2025 VOLUME 41

2 A Visionary Partnership

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Message from the Chair

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Development News

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New Faculty

National Award for Excellence in Residency Program Leadership

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Honors and Awards

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Continuing Medical Education

Fellow Turned Inventor Gives Glaucoma Care an Upgrade

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Administration, Faculty and Staff

Multidisciplinary Clinic for Complex Uveitis Patients

5 Pratap Challa Recognized with

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10 Gene Therapy Halts Vision Loss from

Retinitis Pigmentosa Duke Eye Center One of Few Eye Centers Offering Gene Therapy for RP

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The Future of Vitreoretinal Surgery A Look into the Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

14 Global Ophthalmology Updates, Progress and Future Plans

20 Unique Clinic to Treat Myopia 22

Duke Eye Center by the Numbers

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Duke Eye Center Researchers Identify a New Retinal Structure

41 Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program Provides a Path to Fulfilling Career

Cover Image: Persistent disc leakage and peripheral ischemia captured during the early phase of an angiogram.

John Head, CRA, CPT, Duke Opthalmic Photographer.

Editor Tori Hall Assistant Editor Jessica Carroll Writers Vicki Frye, Wendy Graber, Tori Hall and Lori Malone Art Direction Pam Chastain Design Photography Huth Photo; John Head, CRA, CPT, Duke Ophthalmic Photographer; Mary Harris, COA; Novie Marburn, Sarah Rose Smale, Austin Yeargan, MD Copyright 2025 © Duke Eye Center dukeeyecenter.duke.edu For questions, comments or to add or remove your name from our mailing list, please contact us.

Office of Marketing and Communications Duke Eye Center 2351 Erwin Road Durham, NC 27710 e-mail: DukeEyeCenter@Duke.edu phone: 919.668.1345 @dukeeye @dukeeyecenter @dukeeyecenter @dukeeyecenter

From our Chair, Edward G. Buckley, MD Dear Friends, In the midst of our demanding days, it’s easy to lose sight of the profound impact our work has on the lives of our patients. This year, I want to share a story that embodies the work our people do to save vision and improve lives.

Last November, I received an email from a former patient, Dr. Mary Diggs-Garris. The subject line read, “YOU SAVED MY LIFE IN 1995.” Intrigued, I opened the email to find a powerful and moving message about her treatment at Duke for retinoblastoma when she was just three years old, and her remarkable journey since then.

Mary’s mother, Nancy Chambers, was understandably terrified when she learned of her daughter’s diagnosis — eye cancer at such a young age. She was informed that the radiation treatment might affect Mary’s development in ways that were uncertain at the time.

As I continued reading, Mary shared that she is now a successful educator in North Carolina, recently earned her doctorate in education, and is a wife and mother of two. She expressed her gratitude, crediting me and the team at Duke for saving her life and contributing to her achievements as an adult.

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This heartfelt message was a poignant reminder of the lasting impact that physicians, researchers and staff can have on their patients’ lives, often in ways we might never anticipate. I was deeply honored that Mary remembered me 30 years after her treatment and that our work had such a profound influence on her life. These moments of recognition are vital, reminding us of the difference we make.

As you read this issue of VISION, you will encounter similar stories of how the incredible work being done at Duke Eye Center continues to transform lives today and will have lasting effects on patients and their families for many years to come.

Warmest regards, Edward G. Buckley, MD Chair, Department of Ophthalmology Vice President for Duke-National University Singapore Affairs James and Joy Gills Professor of Ophthalmology Professor of Pediatrics Duke University School of Medicine

“All in all, my quality of life is amazing! I am beyond blessed!

Thank you for not giving up! Thank you for everything!”

Mary Diggs-Garris, EdD

02 The uveitis and rheumatology team, Rex McCallum, MD, FACR; Mary Buckley, MD; Glen Jaffe, MD; Amol Sura, MD; Lisa Carnago, FNP-C; Dilraj Grewal, MD, created the Duke Multidisciplinary Uveitis Clinic, a comprehensive patientcentered approach to addressing both ocular health and autoimmune issues simultaneously.

A VISIONARY PARTNERSHIP

Duke’s Pioneering Multidisciplinary Uveitis Clinic

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UVEITIS IS A COMPLEX INFLAMMATORY DISEASE of the eye that poses a significant risk of permanent vision impairment and blindness if left untreated. Characterized by symptoms including eye pain, redness, decreased vision and light sensitivity, uveitis can stem from various causes, ranging from autoimmune disorders to infections. Treatment is often complex and has to be tailored to each patient’s distinct inflammatory profile.

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nderstanding the need for specialized support, Duke Eye Center is home to the Duke Multidisciplinary Uveitis Clinic, distinguished for its innovative treatment protocols and collaborative, consolidative approach. By integrating rheumatology with ophthalmology, patients benefit from comprehensive care for the entire spectrum of inflammation control.

The collective efforts of skilled specialists have positioned the clinic at Duke Eye Center as a leader in uveitis care. Glenn Jaffe, MD, Robert Machemer M.D. Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Division Chief Vitreoretinal Disease, emphasizes the importance of this unique model, stating, “It is crucial to have rheumatologists and ophthalmologists working side by side. Patients with uveitis often have systemic diseases that require a comprehensive treatment approach with immunosuppressive medications, and that’s exactly what we provide here at Duke.”

Image shows retinal vasculitis, posterior vitreous detachment of eye.

The clinic’s foundation is built on the understanding that the diagnosis and management of uveitis At the Duke Multidisciplinary Uveitis Clinic, is complex and may be part of an autoimmune patients see both their uveitis specialist and condition which impacts other parts of the body. a rheumatologist, allowing for coordinated Uveitis often coexists with systemic diseases discussion of treatment strategies and like sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis, vasculitis and adjustments. This integrated process is psoriatic arthritis. This underscores the importance particularly beneficial for patients with of a comprehensive patient-centered approach to multifaceted medical histories, where the addressing both ocular health and autoimmune relationship between ocular and systemic issues simultaneously. The Duke Multidisciplinary diseases impacts care decisions. Rex McCallum, Uveitis Clinic facilitates this integrated method MD, FACR, professor of medicine, underscores, by bringing together rheumatologists and “This is a model that works well for our patients. ophthalmologists in the same room to consult We simplify the process significantly, making it and treat patients concurrently, streamlining the not only efficient but also effective.” diagnostic and therapeutic processes.

The clinic’s structure is built on a foundation of trust, knowledge-sharing and continuous A Comprehensive and Coordinated education. Its physicians actively engage cross Approach functionally, ensuring that they remain at the Unfortunately, it is common for patients with forefront of uveitis research and treatment uveitis to experience lengthy delays when advancements. Their shared mindset has not attempting to coordinate care across different only led to a rise in patient volumes across specialties. Traditional models often necessitate several adjoining states but has also enriched separate appointments for ophthalmology and the education of fellows and trainees, bolstering rheumatology, leading to gaps in communication Duke’s reputation as an elite training ground for that can jeopardize patient outcomes and lead to future leaders in ocular inflammation. inadequate treatment.

“The complexity and chronicity of uveitis demands constant collaboration. We identified that many patients were struggling to manage their conditions due to poor communication between specialists,” said Amol Sura, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology. “By working together in the same room, we eliminate those barriers.”

Unique Facilities and Expedited Diagnosis

Well-appointed facilities at Duke Eye Center enable the robust treatment patients undergo at the uveitis clinic. For example, an on-site blood collection facility allows for on-premises testing to identify underlying systemic causes of uveitis.

This capability, along with others such as imaging,

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enables the clinic to deliver timely diagnoses and treatments, eliminating the need to defer care while waiting for follow-up testing at another location.

“One of the greatest advantages of the Duke Uveitis Clinic is our ability to access diagnostic resources without delay,” said Dilraj Grewal, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology, “We’re able to complete blood tests, imaging and fluid samples all on the same day, expediting the path to diagnosis and disease control.”

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This comprehensive framework also includes simultaneous follow-up appointments with both specialists, fundamentally transforming the traditional patient experience. Frequent assessments enable consistent monitoring of disease progression, allowing necessary adjustments to occur fluidly and without unnecessary lapses. With uveitis often requiring frequent patient visits — typically every three to five months — this consolidated model is a paradigm shift that decreases patient barriers to care, improves communication and prompt care coordination to improve outcomes for people with uveitis.

Leading the Charge in Uveitis Research The team at the Duke Multidisciplinary Uveitis Clinic is committed to enhancing the understanding of uveitis through groundbreaking research initiatives. For over three decades, the clinic’s specialists have played pivotal roles in clinical trials that have reshaped the treatment landscape.

To achieve further advancements and improve patient outcomes, a comprehensive uveitis registry is in development. This landmark initiative will meticulously track patient outcomes, including quality of life metrics, treatment efficacy and safety. By prioritizing patient needs and preferences, the registry will aim to identify innovative avenues for research and optimize disease management tactics. As Lisa Carnago, FNP-C, expressed, “Our goal is to capture the perspective of patients and understand what truly matters to them. This will guide us not only in refining therapies and improving quality of care but also in understanding the holistic impact of uveitis on their lives.”

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This registry will be a historic change to the way patient data is analyzed and utilized.

Unlike traditional registries that often focus

“It is crucial to have rheumatologists

and ophthalmologists working side by side. Patients with uveitis often have systemic diseases that require a comprehensive treatment approach with immunosuppressive medications, and that’s exactly what we provide here at Duke.”

Glenn Jaffe, MD Division Chief, Vitreoretinal Disease solely on clinical outcomes, the Duke uveitis registry will incorporate patient experiences, perceived quality of life factors and social determinants of health using multiple methods.

This comprehensive approach will empower researchers and clinicians to tailor treatments more precisely to the individual needs and concerns of each patient.

One of the clinic’s primary objectives is to investigate how various therapeutic regimens and interventions influence patient quality of life over time. By engaging patients in an ongoing dialogue, the registry aims to inform clinicians and significantly enhance individuals’ wellbeing beyond clinical measures. “Our aspiration is to advance a holistic understanding of the disease, incorporating patient insights into their treatment preferences and priorities,” asserts Sura. “This authentic, patient-centered approach will truly set us apart and drive improvements in uveitis care.”

The Duke Multidisciplinary Uveitis Clinic stands committed to managing the complexities of uveitis while understanding the patient’s perspective. By fostering collaboration among specialists and streamlining the care process, the clinic stands at the forefront of improving patient outcomes and delivering research advancements.

The impending uveitis registry will deepen our understanding of this intricate disease, ensuring patient voices are central to evolving treatment strategies. At Duke Eye Center, we are dedicated to our mission of curing eye disease worldwide and improving the lives of those battling complex eye diseases. With the continuing support of our community, we look forward to continuing to lead the charge in pioneering comprehensive, patient-centered uveitis care.

Pratap Challa Recognized with National Award for Excellence in Residency Program Leadership

The Duke Ophthalmology residency program equips trainees with comprehensive skills and knowledge in surgery, clinical care, and research, preparing them to excel in any career path they choose. Jean Adomfeh, MD, PGY2; Cason Robbins, MD, PGY4; Emily Jung, MD PGY2; Pratap Challa, MD (L-R). >

BY MARY-RUSSELL ROBERSON

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or more than 20 years, Pratap Challa, MD, professor of ophthalmology, has led the Duke ophthalmology residency program that consistently ranks in the top 10 nationwide, and produces a high proportion of clinicianscientists who go on to become leaders in the field.

“His tenure, marked by sustained excellence and innovative leadership, places him among the most dedicated and impactful program directors in the field,” said Edward Buckley, MD, the James Pitzer Gills, III, M.D. and James and Joy Gills Professor of Ophthalmology in the School of Medicine and the chair of the department.

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In recognition of his achievements, Challa received the 2024 Straatsma Award for excellence in resident education from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology.

“I’m really glad he got this award,” said Jessica Chow,

MD, who trained under Challa from 2007 to 2011 and now directs the ophthalmology residency program at Yale School of Medicine. “It’s very well deserved.”

Challa said he’s excited to receive the Straatsma award, but is quick to spread the credit around. “We attract great residents and trainees and part of the success goes to them as well as the faculty, who work very hard to train them,” he said.

Training Clinician-Scientists When Challa became the director in 2001, then-chair David L. Epstein, MD, charged him with increasing the number of Duke trainees becoming clinician-scientists. Challa has done just that. When he arrived, 20–25 percent of trainees went into academia; today it’s 50–60 percent.

“We have a broad comprehensive training not just in clinical and surgical areas, but also in the investigative side of medicine, asking new questions

“He’s extremely supportive and always believes in his residents.

He always had our backs and I try always to do the same for our residents, I learned that from him.”

Jessica Chow, MD, HS’07-’11, Residency Program Director Yale Ophthalmology and discovering new things,” Challa said.

A dedicated research block in the third year allows trainees to get a jumpstart on their careers by applying for research grants, collaborating with people outside the department, and publishing their work.

“The goal is to give them the skill set they need to be able to ask a question of significance, form a hypothesis, find a way to test the hypothesis, and add new knowledge to the field,” he said.

And it works: “We average over two publications per resident during their time here, which is quite impressive.”

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When it comes to adding new knowledge to the field, Challa practices what he preaches. As a glaucoma researcher, his work with Duke colleagues, David L. Epstein, MD, Vasantha Rao, PhD and Eric Toon, PhD, David L. Epstein and Pratap Challa, MD in 2001.

Challa teaching former resident Sarah Xu, MD in the OR.

led to the development of Rhopressa, approved as a treatment for glaucoma by the FDA in 2017. Challa also studies the effectiveness of residentperformed cataract surgeries and how different patients respond to treatments.

Modeling Excellence Former residents said Challa is a role model for both trainees and colleagues. “He himself is an outstanding clinician, surgeon, educator, researcher, and colleague,” said Kelly Muir, MD, MHSc, associate professor of ophthalmology. Muir completed the Duke residency program in 2006 and now directs Duke’s ophthalmology fellowship program. “So he’s an ideal role model for the trainees to look up to and try to emulate.”

As director of the Yale residency program, Chow said she admires and is inspired by Challa’s leadership style. “He’s extremely supportive and always believes in his residents,”

she said. “He always had our backs and I try always to do the same for our residents, I learned that from him.”

She also aims to match his calm.

“He never got flustered in the operating room,” she said. “I try to emulate that style because it’s really easy to make residents nervous.”

doubt improved the lives of the innumerable patients cared for by all the ophthalmologists whose training he has overseen in the past two decades.

“Our goal is to train the best and the brightest and have them take great care of patients and improve the way we take care of patients,” Challa said.

Muir added, “What most of us who have worked with him know is that he is cool as a cucumber. You cannot ruffle his feathers, or if you can, I haven’t seen it.”

Challa is just as supportive of his colleagues as he is of residents, Muir said, stepping up to help in ways large and small, whether he’s lending his expertise on a complex case or covering for a colleague unexpectedly called out of town. “He’s always there to take care of patients, residents, and colleagues,” she said.

In addition to taking care of his own patients, Challa has no

“What most of us who have worked with him know is that he is cool as a cucumber. You cannot ruffle his feathers, or if you can, I haven’t seen it.”

Kelly Muir, MD, MHSc

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Fellow Turned Inventor Gives Glaucoma Care an Upgrade

BY K. LOU WARD

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ami Gabriel, MD, HS ’20-’24 became an expert in administering eye drops during his training, especially to young pediatric patients. He remembers one young patient, not even in elementary school yet, who had just received a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) to help control increased eye pressure from the glaucoma claiming their vision. This patient had an especially difficult time with drops following surgery. When it was time for the drops, they’d squeeze their eyes shut with all their might. Gabriel knew how delicate the ocular tissue was post-surgery and how careful he needed to be. “But once they start squeezing, you’re at a loss,” says Gabriel.

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Gabriel encountered patient pain points like this throughout his Ophthalmology residency at Duke Eye Center, and an idea to help glaucoma patients, and their surgeons, began to form. Now a Cornea Fellow at Duke Eye Center, Gabriel is inventing an improved GDD to cut down on eye drops for patients, make surgery easier, and ultimately tackle glaucoma-induced blindness.

From the filed patent, a drawing excerpt showcasing an implant on the plate side of the GDD temporarily sealing the tube.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness globally and affects over 3 million Americans. It is characterized by improper fluid drainage in the eye, leading to increased pressure, optic nerve damage, and irreversible vision loss. Early detection and intervention are crucial, with initial treatments typically involving medicated eye drops or laser therapy. When these fail, surgery, including GDDs, becomes necessary.

GDDs help divert fluid to a reservoir where the body can reabsorb Leon W. Herndon Jr, MD it, but patients often still need medicated eye drops post-surgery.

Gabriel observed the difficulties patients, especially children and the elderly, faced in maintaining their eye drop regimen. This inspired him to create a GDD that releases glaucoma medication directly into the eye, reducing the burden on patients and improving surgical outcomes.

Gabriel’s improved GDD design incorporates hydrogel, a dissolvable polymer loaded with glaucoma medications that release over time which should limit or eliminate the need for post-surgery drops.

As a resident, Gabriel assisted in surgery by preparing the tube component of the GDD while his mentor, Leon W. Herndon Jr, MD, performed the surgery. Gabriel noticed that tying off the tube to secure the GDD was a cumbersome step that could delay surgery. This led him to further improve GDD glaucoma treatment, this time for surgeons. “You want to have a successful surgery every single time,” says Gabriel.

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His innovation to enhance GDDs not only eases the patient’s burden but also simplifies the surgical process by eliminating the need to tie off the tube component of the GDD.

Gabriel’s improved GDD design incorporates hydrogel, a dissolvable polymer loaded with glaucoma medications that release over time which should limit or eliminate the need for postsurgery drops.

Challa presented Gabriel with the 2024 Ocular Innovation award at the annual Resident and Fellow Awards Banquet.

Gabriel found that Duke Eye Center’s emphasis on mentorship, research, and innovation was fundamental in developing his solution for glaucoma care.

With the help of mentors Herndon and Pratap Challa, MD, both professors of ophthalmology and glaucoma experts, Gabriel refined his device. “I’ve been very lucky to have some amazing mentors,” says Gabriel of Herndon and Challa. “Dr. Challa, residency director and my primary mentor, has been teaching glaucoma for over 20 years, and it’s one of the most prestigious programs to learn glaucoma from.”

Gabriel and Challa connected with Dennis Thomas, PhD, now-retired associate director of licensing at the Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC), to secure a patent and develop a commercialization approach by connecting them with potential industry partners. Players in Duke’s innovation space like OTC are experts in bringing academic ideas to the market, and they bring expertise in navigating the circuitous path of research translation.

For Gabriel and Thomas, patient outcomes are the north star of their commercialization and patenting strategy that will bring this GDD to the clinic. Rather than designing a brand-new device, they’re approaching this as an improvement to existing treatment that is made up of constituent parts already approved for safe use by the FDA. Their hope is to get this GDD safely to patients as soon as possible.

With the support of his mentors and Duke’s innovation infrastructure, Gabriel was able to devise a new device that eliminates a key barrier for patients — eye drop burden — and improves surgeries for physicians. Like many innovative clinicians at Duke Eye Center, Gabriel’s inspiration was borne out of caring for his patients. As he continues to work with OTC on his drug-eluting GDD, he and his fellow clinicians at the Duke Eye Center continue to pursue novel translational ideas that can improve clinical practice at Duke and patient care everywhere.

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Gene Therapy Halts Vision Loss from Retinitis Pigmentosa Duke Eye Center One of Few Eye Centers Offering Gene Therapy for RP

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yler Wilfong was born with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare collection of inherited eye diseases that slowly robbed his vision. Last year, he went to the Duke Eye Center, one of the few eye hospitals in the country performing gene therapy to halt the disease’s progression. Now Wilfong can work again and watch his baby boy grow. “It’s been life changing,” he said.

Retinitis Pigmentosa Causes Progressive Vision Loss DUKE EYE CENTER

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Wilfong of Lincolnton, NC, was 8 years old when his parents noticed he was having trouble finding a toy on the floor. He was diagnosed with retinitis

pigmentosa, a condition that damages the retinal layers and causes vision loss over time. According to Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS, a retina specialist at the Duke Eye Center, the first signs of RP are loss of night vision, then loss of peripheral vision, which narrows the field of vision. Eventually RP leads to tunnel vision and central vision loss.

Wilfong, now 36, described his world as darker as he grew up. “Everything was really blurry. In low light situations it was like blindness. I couldn’t play high school football because I couldn’t see under the lights. Everything in the gym is brown, dark brown hard wood, dark brown bleachers. It was hard to see.”

Afraid of Losing His Sight While he had a driver’s license for about three years and never had an accident, Wilfong eventually had to stop driving. He was able to do some carpentry work but that had to stop too. “I felt like I was losing my independence. It had gotten to the point where I couldn’t walk around the grocery store. What’s bright to other people wasn’t bright to me.”

As the condition worsened, Wilfong said he was afraid “I was going to lose my sight.”

Because the disease is inherited, Wilfong underwent genetic testing in Winston-Salem to determine if his family members were affected.

While none had RP, the testing uncovered that Wilfong’s mother and father carried a specific mutation in the gene referred to as RPE65. His local eye doctor knew that people with this gene mutation could qualify for gene therapy treatment.

The eye doctor referred Wilfong to Duke, one of the few eye centers in the country to offer the gene therapy known as Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec). Wilfong had the procedure on his left eye in 2023.

How Gene Therapy Halts Cell Degeneration

Gene Therapy for RP Has Been Life-Changing

A healthy, artificially engineered RPE65 gene is packaged into a harmless virus that cannot cause disease and acts as a delivery vehicle. The virus is surgically injected precisely into the area of damaged cells responsible for vision loss. “The new healthy gene helps decrease the degeneration of those cells and helps stop the process that has been causing them to slowly die over time.”

The first thing Wilfong noticed in the days after the procedure was how many fingers he held up on his hands. Eventually the world became brighter, and he could see more details in low light situations. “Before, if there were no lights on, I couldn’t see inside the house.”

Now, he can find his new baby’s pacifier when it drops, see his baby’s mouth to feed him a bottle, and change his baby’s diaper without help. So far, his baby’s vision appears unaffected. “It’s been life changing,” Wilfong said.

“Duke really came through. I’m looking forward to getting the other eye done.”

Duke Eye Center at the Forefront of Inherited Retinal Disease Research and Treatment

Gene therapy for RP is confined to a select few centers because of the complexities involved.

The virus with RPE65 gene must Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS be formulated in a specialty pharmacy. It must be thawed and mixed appropriately and used within hours by surgeons who are specially trained in the procedure.

A healthy, artificially engineered RPE65 gene is packaged into a harmless virus that cannot cause disease and acts as a delivery vehicle. The virus is surgically injected precisely into the area of damaged cells responsible for vision loss. “The new healthy gene helps decrease the degeneration of those cells and helps stop the process that has been causing them to slowly die over time,” explained Dr. Vajzovic.

While every patient’s response is different, Dr. Vajzovic said clinical trials show the therapy can decrease the progression of disease and improve vision.

Because inherited retinal diseases are so rare, it’s important to go to an eye center like Duke, where experts are specially trained to examine and diagnose people with RP and other rare inherited retinal diseases. The team includes genetic counselors who help diagnose the disorder and provide counseling on the implications of having certain genetic mutations. It also ensures access to advanced treatments and research.

As one of the leading eye centers in the country, Duke is involved in several clinical trials looking at other mutations to potentially be solved with gene therapy.

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The Future of Vitreoretinal Surgery A Look Into the Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

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he field of ophthalmology is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. At the forefront of this movement is Yannek I. Leiderman, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology, vitreoretinal diseases and surgery, and prominent vitreoretinal surgeon and translational researcher at Duke Eye Center. Leiderman is leading groundbreaking research to integrate AI into surgical procedures, promising to revolutionize the treatment of complex eye conditions such as retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and macular surgery. His dedication and passion for enhancing surgical precision and efficiency aligns seamlessly with Duke’s legacy of innovation and commitment to pioneering technologies that positively impact patient outcomes.

A New Era in Surgical Precision

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Leiderman — who joined Duke Eye Center in the Fall of 2024 — is concentrating his efforts in a future where AI will become an indispensable ally to surgeons, guiding real-time decision-making and informing treatment plans. By harnessing the power of this technology, clinicians can expect to uncover hidden patterns and trends, enhance precision and optimize surgical techniques, minimize the risk of complications and improve outcomes.

Leiderman is leading groundbreaking research to integrate AI into surgical procedures, promising to revolutionize the treatment of complex eye conditions such as retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and macular surgery.

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One of the most promising applications of AI in vitreoretinal medicine is the development of surgical guidance systems. These systems can suggest optimal surgical interventions and provide surgeons with immediate feedback on progress during a procedure. By leveraging the power of AI, ophthalmologists can achieve greater accuracy and efficiency in their treatment.

“Microsurgery of the eye is an exacting and demanding activity, and like other endeavors at the limits of human performance that have benefitted greatly from integrating AI, such as aviation and space exploration, AI has the power to analyze large amounts of data quickly and accurately to facilitate a broad array of tasks, and has the potential to transform ophthalmic microsurgery,” shared Leiderman.

The Future of Surgical Training In addition to its clinical applications, AI is poised to revolutionize surgical training. Leiderman’s research aims to provide tools to help trainees in surgery understand their technical and cognitive performance through analysis of surgical tasks and decision making following a procedure. By analyzing the performance of trainees, AI can help identify areas for improvement and provide personalized feedback.

This will enable surgeons to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to perform intricate procedures with confidence and expertise.

A Collaborative Approach Leiderman emphasizes the importance of internal collaboration among clinicians, researchers, engineers and computer scientists, as well as with other institutions, to drive innovation across all ophthalmic specialties. The unique academic environment at Duke — with its world-class Department of Biomedical Engineering and School of Medicine in close proximity to each other and operating room suites — provides an ideal platform for interdisciplinary research. By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, researchers are able to accelerate the development of new technologies and bring them to the clinic more quickly.

A Brighter Future for Patients The integration of AI and data science into vitreoretinal surgery holds the promise of a brighter future for patients battling with complex eye conditions. By increasing surgical efficacy, reducing complications and enhancing surgical education, AI-powered technologies will significantly enhance patient outcomes. As Leiderman and his team continue to push the boundaries of innovation, we can look forward to a future where vision-threatening diseases are treated with greater efficacy.

“Duke is recognized as a leader in surgical innovation, and I believe we are poised to continue to revolutionize surgical and clinical care in the dawning era of AI in healthcare,” said Leiderman. “Our ecosystem includes world-renowned surgeon-innovators, biomedical engineers, computer scientists and so many other team members dedicated to the provision of excellent patient care at the leading edge. The application of AI to healthcare is a multidisciplinary collaborative effort, something at which we excel at Duke.”

“Duke is recognized as a leader in surgical innovation, and I believe we are poised to continue to revolutionize surgical and clinical care in the dawning era of AI in healthcare” Yannek I. Leiderman, MD, PhD

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ON A MISSION Making Progress

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t has been a remarkable year for Duke Global Ophthalmology (Duke GO), filled with amazing triumphs and incredible growth — all dedicated to curing blindness worldwide, alleviating human suffering, and transforming not only individual lives, but their families and entire communities.

Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and Duke GO director, leads a tireless team that is having a major impact by restoring vision in several underserved countries across the globe.

Much of Duke GO’s success is due to the generosity of our donors, the addition of a program coordinator, more organized partnerships, and the increased interest of our faculty, staff and trainees to participate in Duke GO. The inaugural global ophthalmology fellow will begin in summer 2025 and will expand capacity to reach more countries and impact more lives.

Duke GO has plans to further expand access with increased faculty and trainee interest to perform cataract and glaucoma surgeries, and corneal transplants globally. Additional priorities include supporting and training international ophthalmologists and staff, as well as establishing eye banks abroad. Duke GO’s commitment to curing blindness worldwide has never been stronger.

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EYE SURGERIES LATE 2023 – 2024 DATE

LOCATION

SURGERIES (DUKE SURGEONS)

SURGERIES (TEAM)

December 2023

Akon, South Sudan1

94 MSICS

810 MSICS

December 2023

Aweil, South Sudan

100 MSICS

1024 MSICS

January 2024

Yogyakarta, Indonesia2

12 PK, 9 EK

12 PK, 9 EK

April 2024

Freetown, Sierra Leone

19 PK

19 PK

May 2024

Roatan, Honduras3

42 Phaco, 18 MSICS

42 Phaco, 18 MSICS

August 2024

Arba Minch, Ethiopia

100 MSICS

800 MSICS

September 2024

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

18 PK, 4 EK, 14 ICL

18 PK, 4 EK, 14 ICL

October 2024

Visitors from Indonesia to learn corneal transplant and eye banking 2

October 2024

Freetown, Sierra Leone2

November 2024

Visitor from Ukraine to Duke for 1 week learning corneal surgery/transplants

December 2024

Malakal, South Sudan1

81 MSICS

1500 MSICS / Trachoma

SUM

cornea transpant in ()

528 surgeries (79)

4287 surgeries (79)

1

2

1 2

17 PK

17 PK

PARTNERS:

Cureblindness Project 2 Miracles in Sight and/or CorneaGen 3 Health in Sight 1

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LL

OW

PK = penetrating keratoplasty, EK = endothelial keratoplasty, MSICS = manual small incision cataract surgery, Trachoma = Trabout eyelid rotation procedure for trachoma, ICL = implantable collamer lens.

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ON A MISSION

Surgery Cures Blindness

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Rio and Novie Marburn with their children following Novie’s corneal transplants that restored her sight.

Novie Marburn from Yogyakarta, Indonesia was blind in both eyes for 10 years. She was not able to see her children ages 2, 4, and 7 years old, making it very difficult to care for them. Novi wondered if she would ever be able to see the beautiful faces of her children. Indonesia lacks cornea transplant surgeons and eye banking for Novie to get the cornea transplant needed to regain her vision. During a sight saving trip in February 2024, Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD, met Novie‘s husband Rio, completely by chance. Rio was working as a translator and happened to ask Willams if he could help his wife. Williams

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evaluated Novie and realized she was blind in both eyes, but her vision could be restored with corneal transplants in each eye. Novie was getting the sight saving surgery that she needed.

Today, Novie now has almost normal vision. She can see her children and care for them with no assistance. This is just one example of thousands, demonstrating the impact of Duke GO.

Anupauma Horne, MD: “Everyday in ophthalmology we experience small miracles of giving new sight at home but the impact this has in developing communities is on another level.

It can mean the difference between suffering and hope for all ages. I love travel because of the immersion in language and culture and the connections that can be formed far outside of what I’m familiar with. Global ophthalmology has allowed me to lean into this even more by challenging me to hone my surgical skills to perform cases that are often far more complex than my daily routine and to do so in unpredictable settings but always leads to such rewarding and impactful results.”

Horne with JoAnn Dennis with Health in Sight celebrating with a happy patient after surgery in Honduras.

Horne, assistant professor of ophthalmology and chief of Duke comprehensive ophthalmology, leads our efforts in Roatan Honduras with partner Health in Sight.

ON A MISSION

Staff Lives Are Impacted Fekrselame “Metu” Tesfaye, a Duke Hosptal nurse, traveled to her home country of Ethiopia, not to visit family and friends, but to assist with surgeries that restored sight to hundreds of people. It was a lifechanging experience for the patients – and for Tesfaye. “I was shocked,” Tesfaye said. “I myself didn’t know how many blind people there are in Ethiopia. It was unbelievable.”

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ON A MISSION

Education Expands Global Access Fellowship A critical component of Duke GO is the new Global Ophthalmology Fellowship which will begin with the inaugural fellow, Sheena Song, DO, in July 2025. The fellowship is designed to train outstanding young ophthalmologists to specialize in providing care and developing infrastructure overseas.

Song will also work with Miracles In Sight to help develop an eye banking program in Indonesia.

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2025

Sheena Song, DO

Training International Ophthalmologists DukeGO surgeons train international ophthalmologists so the local physicians can continue caring for the natives. Thus far, five surgeons have been trained to perform corneal transplants; two in Indonesia, two in Sierra Leone, and one in Ukraine. Training will continue during future trips to increase skill and proficiency.

Nataliya Preys, MD, Ukrainian ophthalmologist, came to Duke to increase knowledge in advanced cornea transplantation techniques to address a growing number of patients with different mechanisms of eye injuries as mechanical and chemical trauma.

DUKE EYE CENTER

“Global ophthalmology is what inspired me to pursue medicine. Duke’s impressive dedication to global health, in addition to Dr. Lloyd Williams’ passion for teaching and global ophthalmology, are what drew me to the program. I look forward to working with the Duke Global Ophthalmology team to make meaningful impact and connections in both the global and local space next year.”

Ophthalmologists visit Duke for training. This year, physicians from Indonesia and Ukraine traveled to Durham to observe and improve skills in corneal transplants and learn more about eye banking.

“My observation in ophthalmology was very educational and rich. I observed many surgical cases and methods of treatment and training time on sets of animal corneas in the educational room. At Duke, eye surgery is performed at a very high level! I plan to actively implement the knowledge and experience gained at Duke in my clinical practice in Ukraine.”

Nataliya Preys, MD

Partnerships and Donors T

housands of beaming smiles and countless tears of joy wouldn’t have been possible without support from our partners and generous donors including corporations, service organizations, patients and individuals who are committed to the cause. Funding is still a primary focus for Duke GO as it is necessary to continue the success experienced over the last year.

LC Industries, a transformative supporter of Duke Eye Center, provided a substantial gift to help support the infrastructure and travel for Duke GO team members.

Miracles In Sight has been a significant partner and supporter of Duke Eye Center for many years, and also passionate about global ophthalmology.

Their generous gift made possible the Duke Global Ophthalmology fellowship.

Miracles in Sight also supplies cornea tissue needed for corneal transplants during sight saving missions.

Charlotte International Rotary Club See sidebar.

Cure Blindness Project partnership Health in Sight partnership Learn more or donate to Duke GO visit the website

Rotary leader John Tish, Rotary members, Carl Evans and Ann Evans, and Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD, with the new portable microscope, gifted

by Charlotte International Rotary club through a fundraiser for Ann’s 80th birthday.

Rotarian Supports Duke GO with Portable Microscope When Ann Evans, FNP, DrPH, a passionate Rotarian and global health advocate, set her sights on ‘making a difference’ in the growing public health problem of avoidable blindness, she found a mentor in Williams.

Evans was in South Sudan in 2022 helping her friend Jill Seaman, MD, 2009 MacArthur Fellow, working with the Himalayan Cataract Project, when she met Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD. “Watching people who were blind have their cataract removed, an $8 lens replacement with a 10-minute procedure, and walk away the following day with sight restored, changed my life,” said Evans. “I saw Williams was passionate about curing blindness; I got infected by his passion.”

Evans, a nurse practitioner and educator, also noted a patient safety issue — the operating room floor was unstable, a dangerous situation for cataract surgery. She submitted to Rotary for a grant to stabilize the floor, which was approved and completed. But the following year Williams returned to South Sudan and the operating microscope was broken. When Evans learned about the broken microscope, she worked with her Charlotte International Rotary Club to raise money. Her daughter established a fundraiser — $80 for mom’s 80th birthday — and the club donated a portable operating microscope to Duke GO. “I’m really proud of shepherding this project, supporting Williams and his vision for Duke GO, because he has the kind of passion and the connection of the heart and mind that makes good things happen,” said Evans.

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Unique Clinic to Treat Myopia Myopia, also known as near-sightedness, is rising sharply among children worldwide, particularly because children are spending more time indoors focusing on near-work (think screens), and less time outdoors letting their eye muscles relax.

BY MARY-RUSSELL ROBERSON

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White checking vision during a patient’s visit

I

n Asia, up to 80-90% of middle schoolers and young adults are near-sighted and the U.S. isn’t far behind at approximately 42% in urban areas, which has almost doubled in the last three decades.

That’s a problem not only for the present, but for the future — near-sighted people are at higher risk for multiple vision-threatening problems later in life, including macular degeneration, retinal detachment, glaucoma, and more.

DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

The good news? Duke created a unique clinic led by residency trained pediatric optometrists that offers traditional and innovative treatments to slow the progression of myopia in children. “Thirty years ago, doctors could only tell kids to wear glasses, but now we can actually do more to prevent or reduce the lifetime risk of visual impairment for these kids,” said Qiaohui Wei White, OD, MS, FAAO, pediatric optometrist.

The Risks of Myopia People with myopia often have longerthan-normal eyes. This is because as kids grow and become myopic, the eye’s shape tends to elongate, stretching out the “wallpaper” on the inside of the eye that is responsible for capturing incoming visual information and sending those signals to the brain. This neuro-tissue is known as the retina. If the retina becomes too thin or stretched, it can detach, which can lead to permanent vision loss if not surgically corrected right away.

Severe myopia can also lead to macular degeneration, in which the center of the retina, called the macula, becomes damaged, resulting in the loss of central vision similar to age-related macular degeneration. Near-sighted people are also at higher risk for glaucoma and tend to develop cataracts earlier.

“There is no safe level of myopia,” White said, adding that the longer the eyeball is, as well as the younger the onset, the greater the risk throughout their lifetime.

“At Duke Eye Center, we perform complete, comprehensive testing and discuss with parents which options are suitable for their children, taking into account lifestyle and preference,” White said. “The best method is the one that works for that particular child and that the child will comply with.”

Childhood Treatments for Myopia

A

s children’s bodies grow, so do their eyeballs.

Certain treatments have been shown to slow down the rate at which the eye elongates in childhood, thus reducing the future risk.

Three evidence-based treatments are currently well established for myopia management in the United States: prescription eye drops, multifocal soft contact lenses, and nighttime hard contact lenses, known as Orthokeratology. Providers at Duke Eye Center are involved in all three methods and are constantly renewing their knowledge and updating their treatment strategies according to new research results. Scientists have hypotheses to why these treatments are so effective but haven’t yet nailed down the exact mechanism by which these strategies work.

Low Dose Atropine eyedrops Atropine drops have been used for decades to dilate the pupil for eye exams with great safety.

A much smaller dose than that used for pupil dilation, like 0.01% to 0.05% is used as a treatment for myopia, usually given at bedtime.

Multifocal soft contact lenses, including the only FDA approved lenses for “myopia control”, MiSight These lenses allow clear vision in the center, with a blurry ring in the periphery to provide myopia control effect during daily wear. White said most children don’t notice the blurry ring; those that do, adapt to it quickly.

Ortho-K lenses, or Hard contacts for nighttime These contact lenses reshape the front of the eyeball (the cornea) during sleep. Children who have this treatment wear the lenses only at night and enjoy clear vision during the day. The reliable safety profile of these lenses in children is supported by solid studies and allows daytime activities without spectacles or contact lenses.

Story continues on page 24 >

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2024 Stats 9 NIH Funding Ranking 86 Total NIH Grants Retina

Award Funding

53,918

Plastics

$25,473,971

10,739

$12,000,030 $13,473,941 Federal

Non-Federal

Pediatrics

22,500 Neuro

6,365

Duke Eye Center Main Campus WinstonSalem

Low Vision/ Vision Rehab

3,597

South Durham Cary

Raleigh Holly Springs

8 Locations DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

Arringdon Duke Oculofacial and Plastic Surgery

Glaucoma

48,607

Duke Eye Center

7

Ranking

US News & World Report Best Hospitals in Ophthalmology

17,044

Surgeries

Comprehensive

46,244

Cornea

45,359 73 clinical physicians

health staff

302

Total Patients

237,329

25 ophthalmology fellows 16

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residents research scientists

440 Faculty, Trainees and Staff

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Myopia

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o reduce the chances of developing myopia or to slow its progression, White and others who treat myopia recommend the following lifestyle changes for all children:

• When reading a book or looking at a

screen, relax your eye muscles every 20 minutes by looking at least 20 feet away for a few minutes.

• Keep the book or screen a healthy

distance from your eyes – at least the length of your forearm.

• Don’t read in dim light.

• Spend at least two hours outdoors each day.

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It is not clear what aspect of outdoor time helps — it may be the increased light density, wider wavelength spectrum or the chance to truly relax the muscles used to focus the eye.

White said any time of daylight works, shady days or sunny ones. If it is sunny, it’s also important to wear sunglasses to protect the eyes from ultraviolet rays.

cases, kids can be detected as “Pre-myopia” candidates for myopia treatment, in which cases the kids’ eyes are growing faster than their peers and normative data. She also said the more severe the myopia is, the more important it is to control.

White recommends that children with concerning myopia should be seen at the pediatric myopia clinic to discuss treatments. The team at Duke Eye Center will not only try to reduce the progression as much as we can but we will also distinguish the risk and rule out genetic diseases that may be associated with high myopia. If a genetic syndrome is the underlying cause, the child can be followed more closely by a team of experts, including our pediatric retinal specialists.

“Because of our experience and strongly specialized team, we strive to be the best place to manage myopia,” White said. “[When you visit Duke Eye Center] You are not only seeing me. We can connect you to the strong team behind me.”

Which Kids Should be Treated for Myopia?

“I always tell the parents, if you want to reduce the risk for your kid in the future, myopia treatment is something extra most kids can do sometimes even before developing myopia,” White said. In many

Nathan Cheung, OD

Adriana Ferreira, OD

Additional Members of the Myopia Management Team

“Thirty years ago, doctors could only tell kids to wear glasses, but now we can actually do more to prevent or reduce the lifetime risk of visual impairment for these kids.”

Qiaohui Wei White, OD, MS, FAAO DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

White explaining eye images and myopia control options.

Duke Eye Center Researchers Identify a New Retinal Structure

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esearchers at the Duke and processes into visual Eye Center have made images. Alekseev, Arshavsky, an important — and and team found that each rod surprising — discovery in human photoreceptor cell contains a eye anatomy that has gone large, mechanically reinforced unnoticed for decades. Using protrusion, which they’ve enhanced imaging technology, termed the accessory inner Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD Vadim Arshavsky, PhD they identified a previously segment (aIS). unknown part of photoreceptor “The function isn’t known yet,” both blindness and deafness. cells in the retina. Their finding, Alekseev said, “but we presume In mouse models, though, published in Communications it serves as a physical support introducing the exact same Biology, challenges long-standing to hold the photoreceptor.” mutations in the exact same assumptions about the retina Photoreceptors are long and genes produces mice that and opens new avenues for narrow. The researchers think are deaf, but not blind. understanding vision and genetic that the aIS holds everything “We speculate,” said Arshavsky, eye diseases. together and stable, preventing “that some proteins in humans the photoreceptors from Most of what researchers know may be functioning within collapsing and flopping. about retinal anatomy has the aIS structure, and whenever come from exhaustive studies Over 300 known genes make you have a discrepancy between using electron microscopy in photoreceptors functional. a human and mouse phenotype the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually, A mutation in any one of of some gene mutations, this no new major discoveries were those genes can make the structure comes into play.” being made in the anatomy of photoreceptor unable to Now that aIS has been the retina, so that chapter of work properly and can lead to discovered, the next step is research closed. irreversible blindness. Genetic to understand the molecular testing helps solve only around But technology kept advancing. composition of its unique 70% of cases, but this discovery Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD, parts and see what questions opens the door to studying assistant professor of they can answer about human additional previously overlooked diseases in the eye. ophthalmology, and Vadim genes that may be involved in Arshavsky, PhD, Helena forming and maintaining the aIS. Rubinstein Foundation Distinguished Professor of “We need to explore this Ophthalmology, decided to use structure further,” Alekseev three-dimensional electron said. “It’s very likely that some tomography, which creates a diseases are caused by defects 3D map of an object, to look in the aIS, and now we have the at retinas with unprecedented opportunity to explore those resolution. “We aimed to take diseases, improve our ability a look at some very small to diagnose patients, and start structures,” Alekseev said, “but thinking about treatments.” we found something pretty The aIS appears to be a uniquely major.” human structure, which Inside the retina are could explain some of the The team found that each rod photoreceptor cells, commonly discrepancies between human photoreceptor cell contains a large, known as rods and cones. diseases in the eye and mouse mechanically reinforced protrusion, Photoreceptor cells convert models of these diseases. which they’ve termed the accessory inner light signals into electrical segment (aIS).

For example, humans with messages that the brain decodes Usher syndrome experience

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Duke Eye Center Development News 2025

Recognizing Milestone Anniversaries This year we will celebrate significant anniversaries for facilities that have been instrumental in Duke Eye Center’s excellence in research, education and patient care.

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The Hudson Building, the renovated Wadsworth Building, and the Albert Eye Research Institute (front to back) now make up Duke Eye Center. Duke University Hospital appears in the background.

DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

20 Years of Research Progress The Albert Eye Research Institute, affectionately known as AERI, opened in 2005 and provided Duke Eye Center with 72,000 square feet to significantly expand research capabilities, pediatric clinical care and educational programs. A transformative gift from Herman and Ruth Albert spearheaded the new five-story building, creating much-needed space for Duke ophthalmology research teams to make groundbreaking discoveries, establishing a separate clinic designed specifically for pediatric patients, and housing a generous auditorium and gathering area for medical education events.

10 Years of State-of-the-Art Care The Hudson Building at Duke Eye Center opened in June of 2015. The four-floor, 116,000 square foot facility is named in honor of William Hudson, retired CEO of Durham-based LC Industries and past chair of the Duke Eye Center Leadership Council. LC Industries is the largest employer of visually impaired people in the country.

Together with the Albert Eye Research Institute and renovated space in the adjoining Wadsworth Building — the original Duke Eye Center dedicated facility which opened in 1973 — the Hudson Building is the hub of an extensive Duke Eye Center campus incorporating new patient amenities and services from Duke’s expert clinical eye specialists and world-class ophthalmology research at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Donors Albert Eye Research Institute (AERI)

Hudson Building

Ruth & Herman Albert Kit & Richard Barkhauser Mary & Jonathan Christenbury Heather & Jim Gills Rose & Leonard Herring Lyn Proctor & Gary Hock Evelyn Hunter-Longdon Susan & David Kahn Roslyn & Milton Lachman & Family Marianne & Allen Mebane Roger Milliken Loraine & Robert Sinskey The Duke Endowment Alcon Foundation A.E. Finley Foundation

LC Industries, William Hudson, President/CEO LC Industries Foundation Heather & Jim Gills Loraine & Robert Sinskey Nanaline H. Duke Trust Kit & Richard Barkhauser Jack and Judy Brinson Foundation Catherine Harley Evelyn Hunter-Longdon Roslyn & Milton Lachman & Family Roger Milliken Phoebe & Gerrish Milliken Jeannette & Michael Vu

Donors listed generously contributed $100,000 or more to help build these facilities that have transformed Duke Eye Center.

Donors are listed by their names at the time of their philanthropic commitments to the Albert Eye Research Institute and the Hudson Building and may not reflect the names used by these individuals and organizations today.

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Duke Eye Center Development News 2025

John Karickhoff Bringing the Light of Innovation to Duke Eye Center

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n addition to being a talented teacher, surgeon, and humanitarian, John Karickhoff, MD’64, HS‘64-’68, is a visionary.

He recently gave $1 million to launch the Duke Ocular Innovation Hub. The hub will serve both as an engine to drive innovation and a repository for innovations developed at Duke Eye Center.

Karickhoff wants every trainee at Duke to think about how they can advance ophthalmology and to consider making innovation their career focus. To him, innovation is at the heart of every advance in medicine.

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DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

“I realized that receiving my AB and MD degrees, teaching for 30 years at Georgetown University Medical School, and performing surgery on thousands of people is a worthy career, but none of those activities advanced my profession or will be part of the history of medicine,” Karickhoff said. “It is only innovation, by definition, that advances the art and science of medicine and gives something new to humanity.”

A West Virginia native, Karickhoff graduated magna cum laude from Marshall University while serving as class president his freshmen through junior years and as president of the student body his senior year. After completing eight years of medical training at Duke, he served in Vietnam in the United States Army Medical Corps. In addition to his army responsibilities, he set up a clinic that provided free cataract surgery for Vietnamese civilians.

He performed over 500 surgeries, secured donated glasses for his patients, and organized medical

BY WENDY GRABER

Duke Ocular Innovation Hub Teaching Innovation

Documenting Duke Innovation

Rewarding Innovation

Hosting Guest Innovators

Supporting Faculty Research

Supporting Resident Research

Innovation is the only activity that advances the art and science of medicine.

Learn more and support Duke innovation at DukeEyeCenter.Duke.edu/ocularinnovation

teams to provide care in nearby villages. For this work, the Army awarded him the Bronze Star.

Karickhoff became the world authority on laser treatment of eye floaters and has invented or designed more than 20 innovations, including devices, like the Karickhoff laser lens, that are used worldwide. His introduction to innovation came in 1979 when he read an article that suggested that people who had good ideas should give them to companies to develop.

“I had an idea and shared it with a company that developed ocular equipment,” said Karickhoff. “They developed a prototype, and we sent it back and forth, improving it with each iteration. I even wrote the advertisement for the device because they didn’t fully understand the device’s importance. And that was the end of it. Then several months later, while attending a national meeting, I stopped by their booth to ask if they had ever sold any.

They said, ‘Did we ever. We sold almost $600,000 worth of your device at $475 apiece!’ In the end, they made a lot of money, and I got a framed copy of my advertisement and the knowledge that if I had an idea and worked long enough on it, I could make

something good. That was all the reward I needed.”

That device, the Karickhoff laser lens, is still used today. Karickhoff intentionally donates almost all of his innovations and inventions to benefit ophthalmology. One invention he trademarked, the Karickhoff Mosaic Matcher TM, allows surgeons to quickly and easily estimate the number of corneal endothelial cells prior to surgery — an important factor in determining whether the cornea will remain clear after surgery.

The device was freely distributed and is the most widely used device of its kind in the world.

Karickhoff’s unique 40-year research achievement is that he developed an innovation or significant advance for each of the 14 anatomic parts of the human eye, as documented in his book “Laser Treatment of Eye Floaters.”

Karickhoff’s eyes light up when he talks about innovation. He wants to spark that same enthusiasm among trainees at Duke.

“Developing something new that no one has ever done before has given me the greatest satisfaction and happiness in my career,” said Karickhoff. “My main hope is that these extremely talented trainees will stop for a second before

they embark on their careers and consider creating something new that will change the course of ophthalmology. To me, innovation is the most important word in medical education.”

The Ocular Innovation Hub will drive innovation through six activities: teaching trainees and faculty how to move an idea to market, recognizing top innovations with annual awards, highlighting exciting innovations from across the field of ophthalmology through a guest lecture series, funding faculty research, funding trainee research (including paying research article publishing fees), and creating a robust repository of Duke ocular innovations.

“I have a keen interest in innovation, given part of my work is exploring new ways to use ocular imaging to improve eye exams and surgery,” said Anthony Kuo, MD, vice chair of technology in the Department of Ophthalmology. “As such, the department and I share Dr. Karickhoff’s vision. The innovation hub and seed funding will provide our faculty and trainees with the resources and access they need to bring their ideas to fruition, adding to the rich legacy of innovation in our specialty.”

Karickhoff, a longtime supporter, chose Duke for the innovation hub because of the excellence of the trainees and his high regard for Duke itself.

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John Karickhoff, MD’64, HS‘64-’68 recently gave $1 million to launch the Duke Ocular Innovation Hub to drive innovation and establish a digital repository for innovations developed at Duke Eye Center.

Duke Eye Center, opened in 1973, has grown considerably to become an internationallyrenowned academic medical institution. With a long track record of developing innovative treatments, providing excellence in care, and training leaders in the field, it has been consistently ranked as a top ten center for over 30 years.

“Duke is where I got my professional start in life,” said Karickhoff. “And I knew that much of my education had been paid for “Dr. Karickhoff’s generous gift is by the gifts of previous graduates.” a vital investment in the future of ophthalmology, empowering our faculty and trainees to

make lasting impacts in the field through innovation,” said Edward Buckley, MD, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology.

“We are immensely grateful for his support, and we hope that others will be inspired to follow in his footsteps, helping to ensure the continued excellence of Duke Eye Center.”

Visit the Duke Ocular Innovation Hub website

Duke Eye Center Development News 2025

Partnership for the Gift of Sight

Family, patient and physician make a winning combination

BY MARY-RUSSELL ROBERSON for patient care and research success.

S

haron Freedman, MD, professor of ophthalmology, and the Smale family of Seattle, Washington, have developed a supportive partnership. Sarah Rose Smale, 22, has been a patient of Freedman’s for almost 20 years.

During that time, Freedman has helped the family preserve as much of Sarah Rose’s sight as possible and has guided them through multiple chronic and acute eye conditions, often from afar.

Sarah Rose was born blind in her left eye and with a cataract in her right eye, which was removed in order for her to be able to develop some vision.

About three years later, Sarah Rose developed a glaucoma specific to infants and children, called glaucoma following cataract surgery.

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As soon as Sarah Rose was diagnosed with glaucoma, her parents, Angela and Leonard, set out to find a pediatric glaucoma specialist. They sought someone on the cutting edge of pediatric glaucoma research and practice, willing to measure Sarah Rose’s eye pressure in-clinic in addition to during examinations under general anesthesia, and young enough to manage Sarah Rose’s vision care throughout her childhood. “We wanted the absolute best-match physician,” Angela said, “and we decided Dr. Freedman was that person.”

Sarah Rose was three years old the first time the family flew from Seattle to Duke. “Dr. Freedman explained Sarah Rose’s complex eye conditions, her proposed treatment plan, and the potential risks,” Angela said. “We really connected with her and were very much partners in Sarah Rose’s care after that first meeting.”

DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

Angela and Leonard were impressed with Freedman’s ophthalmic expertise and the way she built a deep, trusting relationship with Sarah Rose through many surgeries and examinations under anesthesia. “You might expect her to experience medical trauma from all these surgeries, procedures, and eye drop medications,” Angela said, “but Dr. Freedman made it such that Sarah Rose actually almost looked forward to her appointments. We used to refer to anesthesia as a ‘hospital nap,’ which helped to build up her resilience.”

Sarah Rose, her mom Angela, and Freedman. The photograph they are holding is Sarah Rose at age 6, in a special frame she decorated. Freedman has kept this photo displayed in her office since the Smales sent it to her in 2009.

Parents on the Care Team In patients with glaucoma, high eye pressures can damage the optic nerve. Angela and Leonard learned how to measure Sarah Rose’s eye pressure at home with an instrument called a Tono-pen. “It was difficult to use at first,” Leonard said. “But we started learning how to use it and sending data back to Dr. Freedman.” That data helped Freedman know when it was time to have Sarah Rose come to Duke for glaucoma surgery. After the surgeries, the data helped Freedman and the Smales adjust Sarah Rose’s medicine as her eye pressure changed.

Later, the family switched to a newer instrument, called an iCare rebound tonometer, which was easier and safer because it did not require numbing the surface of the cornea with anesthetic drops before use.

Sarah Rose, age 13, celebrating the Lending Library opening in 2015.

where she is earning both a bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems with a concentration in neurosciences and a master’s degree in computer science. For her honors thesis, she’s studying patient and physician attitudes toward home tonometry. Freedman is advising her. “She helped me narrow down my initial project proposal, is an integral part of the project, and is readily available to mentor me throughout the process. Any time I have a question or need feedback, she’s just an email away,” Sarah Rose said.

Giving Back Over the years, Angela and Leonard have given several gifts to fund specific projects of Freedman’s and they have served on the Duke Eye Center Leadership Council. Angela is currently the chairperson. But they wanted to do more.

After consulting with Freedman, they decided to donate $500,000 to fund a research coordinator position and associated research project costs for five years. In the past, Freedman had to scramble each year to secure funding for this position, typically filled by someone between medical school and ophthalmology residency.

Sarah Rose is a current student at Stanford University, where she is earning both a bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems with a concentration in neurosciences and a master’s degree in computer science.

As she grew older, Sarah Rose realized how significant it was that her parents measured her eye pressures at home. “It helped save a lot of my vision,” she said. “And I really wanted other children with glaucoma to have access to that same level of care.” In 2014, she and her parents started a charity called Saving Kids’ Sight to educate and support other families. With Freedman’s help, Saving Kids’ Sight created a lending library of home tonometry units and provided Freedman with a grant to research the effectiveness of home tonometry in children with glaucoma.

Today, Sarah Rose’s glaucoma is under control, but she has developed significant swelling (edema) in her cornea over the past few years, and she is now legally blind. Freedman is still following her, connecting her with other experts at Duke Eye Center as her needs change. “I really appreciate how she’s shown so much compassion for me and my family,” Sarah Rose said.

Sarah Rose is a student at Stanford University,

Freedman’s research aims to improve pediatric ophthalmology through new technologies, from home tonometry to optical coherence tomography (OCT) to virtual reality for visual field testing. “My goal is to apply emerging technology to helping children,” Freedman said. “Often children are left behind because “Our gift enables Dr. they have special Freedman to use her testing needs and do not make up a large time and expertise for part of the glaucoma the greatest impact, market. But they are pretty important and and not having to the Smales have always worry about where shared my passion for this mission.” she’s going to get Freedman pointed out the money to pay a that the Smale family research coordinator.” gift will have benefits beyond her own Angela Smale research. “By choosing to support the research coordinator position, the Smales will be facilitating the entire clinical research endeavor of the Duke Pediatric Ophthalmology Division,” she said. “It’s a transformative gift.”

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New Faculty Adriana Ferreira, OD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Pediatric Optometry Residency: Pediatric Optometry, Children’s Mercy Hospital (Missouri) ptometry School: New O England College of Optometry (Massachusetts)

Nickolas Garson, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Fellowship: Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery, Duke University Residency: University of Florida

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Medical School: Florida State University

Kevin Jackson, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery ellowship: Cornea, External F Disease, and Refractive Surgery, Duke Eye Center; Stanford Innovation Fellowship, Byers Eye Institute Residency: Duke Eye Center Medical School: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Can Kocasarac, MD

Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship: Vitreoretinal Surgery, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary esidency: Massachusetts Eye & R Ear Infirmary Medical School: George Washington University (Washington, DC)

Elizabeth Mathenge, MD, MSc Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Oculofacial and Orbital Surgery Fellowship: ASOPRS, at Cincinnati Eye Institute Residency: Howard University Medical School: Dual MD and MSc in Global Health, Duke University

Tali Okrent, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Neuro-ophthalmology Fellowship: Neuroophthalmology and Oculofacial, Duke Eye Center esidency: Sackler School of R Medicine, Tel Aviv University Medical School: Ben-Gurion University Medical School for International Health

Michael Quist, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Glaucoma

Neuro-ophthalmology

Residency: Duke Eye Center

Residency: Beyoglu Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

2025

Professor of Ophthalmology

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Fellowship: Neruoophthalmology, Illinois Eye and Ear infirmary at University of Illinois, Chicago

DUKE EYE CENTER

Yannek Leiderman, MD, PhD

Medical School: Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

Fellowship: Duke Eye Center Medical School: Duke University

Honors and Awards

Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS received the Mentorship Award at the 2024 Vit Buckle Society and was a featured speaker. The Mentorship Award celebrates a sustained career commitment to mentoring vitreoretinal fellows, advancing research, and patient care in the field of ophthalmology. Lindsey Chew, a research scholar, mentored by Vajzovic, won best poster award for her research, Feasibility of Screening for Retinal Disease in Children without Pharmacologic Dilation in the Pediatric Primary Care Setting.

Faculty Oleg Aleskeev, MD, PhD promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.

Alan Carlson, MD Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program Attending Mentor of the Year.

Durga Borkar, MD, MMCi promoted to Associate Professor of Ophthalmology.

Pratap Challa, MD received the prestigious Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education and became a member of the Board of Directors for the American Board of Ophthalmology and represents them on the AAO Council.

Mays Dairi, MD Duke Ophthalmology Golden Globe Award for her strong commitment to resident teaching, in clinic, in the OR, and in didactic lectures.

Thomas Devetski, OD Excellence in Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Medical Student Education.

Madison Dunning, OD promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and earned Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO).

Laura Enyedi, MD elected as AAO Council Deputy Section Leader for Sub-Specialty Councilors, AAO Ophthalmic

Advocacy Leadership Group, received the AAO Senior Achievement Award and Secretariat Award and named Castle Connolly Top Doctor.

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Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS Chair, Website Committee, The Retina Society and held several Visiting Professorships; Department of Ophthalmology Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea; Department of Ophthalmology, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago; Mark J Daily MD Visiting Professorship, Department of Ophthalmology, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago.

Sharon Freedman, MD American Glaucoma Society Outstanding Educator 2024, AAO Golden iCare Award Recipient, delivered the inaugural lecture for the Edward Buckley Distinguished Lecture in Pediatric Ophthalmology.

>

Nickolas Garson, MD Duke Ophthalmic Technician Fellow Mentor of the Year award.

Dilraj Grewal, MD, FASRS inducted into Club Jules Gonin 2024, received ASRS Presidential Award, and became Member of Macula Society Executive Committee.

Majda Hadziahmetovic, MD promoted to Associate Professor of Ophthalmology.

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Kourtney Houser, MD YoungMD Connect Outstanding Female Leader in Ophthalmology and promoted to Associate Professor of Ophthalmology.

Anthony Kuo, MD, PhD promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering, with tenure.

Jeffrey Kozlowski, OD promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.

Eleonora Lad, MD, PhD promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure and received the 2024 ASRS Honor Award, she delivered the Gifford Lecture at the Illinois Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and DUKE EYE CENTER

2025

Chicago Ophthalmological Society Meeting, and the Joseph Smiddy, Jr. Memorial Lecture at Wilmer Eye Institute.

Yannek Leiderman, MD, PhD joined the Department of Ophthalmology as Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure and named Castle Connolly Top Doctor.

Paloma Liton, PhD promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure, elected Vice President, Americas for ISER, and appointed executive editor of Experimental Eye Research, official Journal of ISER. Katy Liu, MD, PhD 2023 David L. Epstein ClinicianScientist Research Award presented by the Chandler Grant Glaucoma Society, the American Glaucoma Society Young Physician Scientist Award, selected to serve on the Council of Vision Editors Fellow (CVEF) Program and one of six inaugural fellows selected for the Council of Vision Editors Fellowship.

Ramiro Maldonado, MD promoted to Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and selected to be a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Foundation for Fighting Blindness.

Goldis Malek, PhD promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology and Pathology with tenure, elected to the Board of Trustees for ARVO, appointed co-chair of ARVO’s Women’s Leadership Development Program, invited Program Committee Chair of the Novel Medical Therapy committee of the Foundation for Fighting Blindness

Scientific Advisory Board, selected for Treasurer of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (AOPT).

Ryan McNabb, PhD promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.

Daniel Saban, PhD promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology and Integrative Immunobiology with tenure, Vice Chair of Research Strategy, Scientific Director of the Foster Center for Ocular Immunology, and received the Cogan Award, presented by ARVO. Terry Semchyshyn, MD promoted to serve as a board examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology oral board exam this fall. He has now acted as an examiner for over 10 examinations.

Sandra Stinnett, DrPH ASRS Master Contributor Award for outstanding contributions to the Journal of Vitreoretinal Diseases.

Amol Sura, MD promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.

Joanne Wen, MD received the American Glaucoma Society Mid-Career Physician Scientist Award. >

Faculty Promotions Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Durga Borkar, MD, MMCi: Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences Madison Dunning, OD: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Majda Hadziahmetovic, MD: Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering Ryan Imperio, Duke Eye Center Ophthalmic Photographer, was named the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the year by the Royal Museums Greenwich in London.

Kourtney Houser, MD: Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Duke Ophthalmic Photographer Earns Global Honor for Capturing Wonders of the Sky

Anthony Kuo, MD: Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure

Duke Eye Center Ophthalmic Photographer, Ryan Imperio found a creative outlet in astrophotography, the pursuit of capturing images of celestial bodies and events. This year, Imperio’s images of the 2023 annular solar eclipse on October 14 led to the Royal Museums Greenwich in London naming him the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year.

Ryan’s goal was to photograph ‘Baily’s beads’, a phenomenon that occurs when bright shafts of sunlight peek through the Moon’s uneven surface.

He only had seconds to capture the beads as the eastern curve or ‘limb’ of the Moon almost touched that of the Sun, a timeframe so tight that Ryan decided to use an atomic clock for accuracy.

With a skilful camera setup, clockwork precision, dozens of photographs and some clever processing resulted in Ryan’s image “Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse.”

Scan QR code to read the full story about the award and Imperio’s photography technique.

Jeffrey Kozlowski, OD: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Eleonora Lad, MD, PhD: Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure Paloma Liton, PhD: Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure and Professor in Pathology Ramiro Maldonado, MD: Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Goldis Malek, PhD: Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure and Professor in Pathology Ryan McNabb, PhD: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Daniel Saban, PhD: Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure and Professor in Integrative Immunobiology Amol Sura, MD: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS: Professor of Ophthalmology with tenure Qiaohui Wei White, OD: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD: Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

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Honors and Awards Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, and Biomedical Engineering, with tenure, Vit-Buckle Society Mentorship Award, Real World Ophthalmology Extraordinary Mentor Award, Paul A. Chandler Visiting Professorship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School.

Diane Whitaker, OD Bass Connections Research Award.

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Qiaohui Wei White, OD promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, earned Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO).

Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD Award of Achievement, presented by the Sierra Leone National Eye Health Programme, Ministry of Health, promoted to Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, President of the North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.

Fellows Rami Gabriel, MD 2024 Resident ASCRS Excellence Award, Duke Ophthalmology Ocular Innovation Award, K. Alexander Dastgheib Award, and Golden Apple Teaching Award.

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S. Tammy Hsu, MD Real World Ophthalmology Visionary Award, Mina Chung Memorial Research

Award from the Women in Retina (WinR) Research Conference at Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology; mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS. Mustafa Iftikhar, MD Best Research Presentation by a Clinical Fellow Award, mentor Dilraj Grewal, MD, FASRS. Venkatkrish M. Kasetty, MD 2024 Heed Fellow and 2024 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Award, mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS. Tali Okrent, MD 2024 Hornaday Fellow, recognizing her exceptional ability in clinical, research, and teaching efforts, Best Research Presentation by a Clinical Fellow Award, mentor Sidney Gospe, MD, PhD at Duke Residents and Fellows Day. Bonnie Sklar, MD Duke Ophthalmology Golden Apple Teaching Award.

James Tian, MD Duke Ophthalmology Golden Apple Teaching Award.

Yuxi Zheng, MD 2024 Edward K. Isbey, Jr. Award for excellence in clinical care, ethics, and research, Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program Resident Mentor of the Year, ASRS Fellows-in-Training Co-Chair, Yannuzzi Rounds Best Fellow Presentation award, presented by the International Society of

Retinal Imaging, 2024 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Award.

Ellie Zhou, MD Duke Ophthalmology Golden Apple Teaching Award.

Residents Kelly Donovan, MD, PhD selected to attend the 2025 Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Residents Retreat, Duke Office of Physician Scientist Development Technician Support Award.

Nicholas Johnson, MD Duke Ophthalmology Golden Apple Teaching Award.

Emily Jung, MD Academic Grant Award, Vit-Buckle Society, mentor, Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS, vice-chair of the GME resident council.

Terry Lee, MD Duke Ophthalmology Golden Apple Teaching Award, travel award for poster presentation at the Harvard Ophthalmology and Mass Eye and Ear 2024 Data Science Symposium, mentor Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS).

Angela Li, MD Robert Machemer Research Award, mentor Glenn Jaffe, MD, selected to attend the 2025 Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Residents Retreat.

Keke Liu, MD 2024 MELT Program (Medical Education Leadership Track) Award.

2024–2025 Residents

2024–2025 Clinical Fellows

Third Year Residents (PGY4)

Nathaniel Blecher, MD Glaucoma

Modupe Adetunji, MD

Yavuz Cakir, MD Retinal Genetics

Kelly Donovan, MD, PhD

Steven Carrubba, MD Cornea

Angela Li, MD

Richard Morgan, MD, PhD accepted into the prestigious American Society of Retina Specialists Underrepresented in Retina Mentorship Program, academic Grant Award, Vit-Buckle Society, mentor Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS. Agnes Owete, MD selected to present at the 2024 AAO Global Ophthalmology Summit.

Cason Robbins, MD American Society of Cataract and Duke Ophthalmology Golden Apple Teaching Award, 2024 Resident Excellence Award presented by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Richmond Woodward, MD inaugural recipient of the recently established Edward G. Buckley Resident Educator Award recognizing his contributions to resident education at Duke Ophthalmology.

Medical Students Lindsey Chew, BS Academic Grant Award from the Vit-Buckle Society to present her work at the 2024 meeting in Miami and best poster award at Vit-Buckle Society for her research, winner of the Duke-National University of Singapore Research Exchange Grant mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS. National Eye Institute ARVO Travel Grant, invited to speaker at the Keystone

Aaron Lindeke-Myers, MD Richard Morgan, MD, PhD Cason Robbins, MD

Second Year Residents (PGY3) Juno Cho, MD Jinwon (Terry) Lee, MD Keke Liu, MD

Leroy Ekeh, MD Glaucoma Trisha Emborgo, DO Pediatrics Aya Farag, MD, PhD Pediatrics Melley Fesseha, MD Neuro Rami Gabriel, MD Cornea Michalis Georgiou, MD, PhD Medical Retina

Gregory McElroy, MD, PhD

Spencer Harris, MD Cornea

Esteban Peralta Chacon, MD

Hannah Hashimi, MD Pediatrics

James Robbins, MD

First Year Residents (PGY2)

Stephanie (Tammy) Hsu, MD VR Surgery

Jean Adomfeh, MD

Lucy Hui, MD Glaucoma

Nicholas Johnson, MD

Mustafa Iftikhar, MBBS VR Surgery

Emily Jung, MD Hazem Mousa, MD Naveen Karthik, MD Ailin (Irene) Song, MD

Interns (PGY1) Ariana Allen, MD Eli Cehelyk, MD, MPH Alice Liu, MD Grace Nipp, MD Agnes Owete, MD Jay Rathinavelu, MD Rodnell Batac, OD Pediatric Optometry

Symposia, Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies Travel Grant mentor, Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD. Jamie Karl, BS, ASRS Travel Grant, mentor Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS. Hemal Patel, BS National Eye Institute ARVO Travel Grant, mentor Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS.

Venkatkrish Kasetty, MD VR Surgery Irene Lee, MD Plastics Ryan Nolan, MD, MBA Plastics Nkechi Nwabueze, MD Plastics Tali Okrent, MD Plastics Jessica (Jie) Sun, MD, PhD, MPH Medical Retina Elise Timtim, MD, MBA Medical Retina Jessie Wang, MD Glaucoma Yuxi Zheng, MD VR Surgery Iris Zhuang, MD Glaucoma

Daniel Wang, BS Duke Ophthalmology Best Research Presentation by a Full-Time Research Fellow Award for his presentation, Improving Microbial Keratitis AI Screening Tools Constrained by Limited Data Using Synthetic Generation of Slit Lamp Photos, mentor Anthony Kuo, MD. 2024 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Award, mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS. >

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Honors and Awards

Michelle Winn Inclusive Excellence Award iMIND Research Team equity, and inclusion serve as an example to others within the broader School of Medicine. Their innovative efforts highlight the inclusive thinking exemplified at Duke.” iMIND Team: Duke undergraduates: Sejal Patel, Disha Jotsinghani, Annabel Stickel, Alice Haystead, Sanjana Anand, Alexander Richardson, David Bearden, Raj Kundu Duke MBS student: Lucas McNeill

The Michelle P. Winn Awards honor individuals and teams who have made significant contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion over the past year.

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Led by Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS, and Dilraj Grewal, MD, FASRS, from the Department of Ophthalmology, iMIND Research Team has taken a unique, multidisciplinary approach to enhancing equity and diversity in clinical trials and medical education and training. iMIND is made up of Duke undergraduates, medical students, ophthalmology residents and fellows, and faculty from several departments. The team’s research involves using eye multimodal imaging to detect and diagnose neurodegenerative disease, including studying gender and racial differences.

They have worked to educate and engage the local community about clinical research to promote diversity in clinical trial cohorts. Their team has produced several national surveys that examine gender, racial, and other potential biases experienced by premedical and medical students, as well as physician residents across the United States. They have also assessed diversity trends in ophthalmology residents over the last decade and analyzed endowed chair allocation across academic institutions to improve equity.

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In her nomination letter, Durga Borkar, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, praised the team for its innovation: “Their far-reaching initiatives and unwavering commitment to advancing diversity,

Duke medical students: Suzanna Joseph, Ariana Allen, Jay Rathinavelu, Jamie Karl, Hemal Patel, Peter Weng, Josh Woo, Wufan Zhao, Alex Choi, Liz Fan, Camryn Thompson, Meredith Cox, Anita Kundu, Angela Hemesath, Praruj Pant, Lily Fahs, Lulu Wein, Claire Washabaugh, Nathan Luzum, Shweta Lodha, Grace Kim, Nicole Schindler Duke ophthalmology residents: Hazem Mousa, MD; Naveen Karthik, MD; Terry Lee, MD; Cason Robbins, MD; Emily Jung, MD; Sri Meghana Konda, MD; Yuxi Zheng, MD; Richmond Woodward, MD; Aaron Lindeke-Meyers, MD; Richard Morgan, MD, PhD Duke Faculty: Andy Liu, MD; Kim Johnson, MD; Burton Scott, MD, PhD; Ricardo Henao, PhD; Sandra Stinnett, DrPH; Dilraj Grewal, MD, FASRS; Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS About the Award: The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion established the Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award in 2016 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to diversity and inclusion within the Duke University School of Medicine community. The award is named for Michelle P. Winn, MD, associate professor of nephrology in the Department of Medicine, who passed away in July 2014. Winn was respected and beloved by her colleagues and deeply committed to diversity and inclusion and to the careers of younger physicians and scientists who orbited around her.

Research Bani Antonio Aguirre, MD received the 2024 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Award, and third place poster presentation at the 2024 North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons Meeting, mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS.

MD, PhD.

Lauren Cao, BS has been awarded a $10,000 grant by the VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Fellowship, mentor Oleg Alekseev, Sarah Eom, PhD received the 2024 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Award.

Nikhil Gadiraju won Best Research Presentation by a Full-time Research Fellow Award for his poster, mentor Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS.

Vahid Ownagh, MD received the Academic Grant Award from the Vit-Buckle Society to present his work during the meeting, mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS and Research to Prevent Blindness (RBP) grant, mentors: Cynthia Toth, MD, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS. Tanu Parmar, PhD accepted into the prestigious National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) 2024 Emerging Vision Scientist Program.

Sejal D Patel Duke Undergraduate, Conference Grant, mentor, Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS. Anjali Saini, BS won second place poster presentation at the 2024 North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons Meeting, mentor, Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS.

Amit Narawane Duke graduate student, has been awarded a $10,000 grant by the VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation Research Fellowship, mentor Cynthia Toth, MD. Jay Nolt Duke pre-med student has been awarded a 2024 Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Small Grant Award and 2024 Summer Neuroscience Program fellowship from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences to conduct Neuroscience senior thesis research in the laboratory of Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD.

Staff Christiaan Lopez-Miro, CPT received honorable mention, gonio category 2024 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Ophthalmic Photography Society awards. His image was featured on the cover of the AAO Journal.

Howard Evans, COT received the Ophthalmic Technician of the Year Award, recognizing an outstanding ophthalmic technician who demonstrates excellence in leadership, patient care, and collaboration with trainees in care of patients within the Eye Center.

Jennifer Justice, COMT received the Ophthalmic Technician Mentor of the Year.

Key of Acronyms for Honors and Awards AAO – American Academy of Ophthalmology ABO – American Board of Ophthalmology ASRS – Amercian Society of Retina Specialists

Myoungsup Sim, PhD received the 2024 Shaffer Prize from the Glaucoma Research Foundation.

ARVO – Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology WIO – Women in Ophthalmology ISER – International Society for Eye Research

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Duke Vision Scientist Receives Top Honor from ARVO Daniel R. Saban, PhD was honored with the 2024 Cogan Award, presented by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

This prestigious award recognizes young researchers that have made significant contributions in ophthalmology or visual science, and that show substantial promise for future contributions in this field.

Saban is a professor of ophthalmology, professor of integrative immunobiology, a faculty network member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, vice chair for research strategy, and scientific director of the Foster Center of Ocular Immunology at Duke Eye Center and Vice Chair of Research Strategy.

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His research targets immunity and inflammation of the eye, specifically the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to ophthalmic disease and vision loss.

Saban’s lab demonstrated that dysregulated immune responses could cause a common ophthalmic condition called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (i.e., a defect eye lid oil glands) that drives dry eye disease.

Multiple pharmaceutical companies are leveraging Saban’s findings to develop treatments for this pervasive condition.

consortium established by the National Eye Institute and the National Institute of Health to bridge the knowledge gap in the biology of corneal nerves, including Daniel Saban, PhD how immune cells support nerve function. Duke Eye Center and Pratt School of Engineering were named lead sites in collaboration with Jules Stein Eye Institute and Brain Research at UCLA. Saban and the interdisciplinary team are working to unravel genetic, molecular, and functional properties of corneal nerves in animal models and in humans. This research will allow researchers in the future to identify novel pain processes, markers, and targets from whole genome catalogs, as well as establish precise conserved morphological and molecular motifs and reveal structure-function relationships from “real-world” clinical data.

Saban presented the Cogan Award Lecture at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.

Separately, Saban’s lab and collaborators at University College London, identified a novel immune cell activity that causes scarring in blinding diseases of the ocular surface, including ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. The research is being leveraged to develop a new therapy to treat scarring in this autoimmune disease of the eye.

Most recently, Saban’s lab has identified a novel protective immune process that promotes resilience in retinal degenerative disease. The intellectual property from his lab’s findings is the basis of a new Duke spinout company, called Piximune, Inc., that is developing a treatment and novel biomarker for Geographic Atrophy in Age-related Macular Degeneration.

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In 2022, Saban and colleagues received a major funding award and became a part of a 5-year

Daniel Saban, PhD receiving the 2024 Cogan Award, presented by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program Provides a Path to Fulfilling Career

BY MARY-RUSSELL ROBERSON

F

or nearly 40 years, the Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program has trained students to assist ophthalmologists by taking patient histories, checking visual acuity, measuring eye pressure, and more. The program addresses the growing demand for skilled ophthalmic technicians, offering a unique one-year curriculum that combines classroom learning with clinical rotations at Duke Eye Center’s clinics.

Mikayla Davis

Ticora Jones-Greene

“Ophthalmology is very different from other aspects of medicine, so a unique skillset is required for ophthalmic technicians,” said Adam Moses, COMT, program director.

Mikayla Davis was

Ticora Jones-Greene

drawn to the field

became interested

because of her own

in Duke’s Ophthalmic

Students benefit from Duke’s advanced resources and expert faculty, preparing them for certification exams. Current students like Mikayla Davis and Ticora Jones-Greene were drawn to the program through personal experiences as patients. They appreciate the program’s comprehensive training, supportive mentors, and the opportunity to make meaningful connections in the field.

experience with eye

Technician program

problems. “I’ve been a

when she was 16

patient of the Duke Eye

at an appointment

Center since I was 12,”

at Duke Eye Center.

said Davis. “I know for

When she started

me personally having

asking questions, the

technicians that care

technician gave her

about you make the

a brochure about

tough appointments

the program and

bearable.” Davis has

encouraged her to

several eye conditions,

apply. She was too

including inflammation

young then, but she

in her eyes, a swollen

kept it mind for years.

optic nerve, and dry

“This program has

eyes. “This program

changed my life,” she

gives us the best

said. “As an ophthalmic

chance to learn all we

technician, you play

can in a year, to really

a crucial role, it’s

prepare us well and set

rewarding, and

us apart,” she said.

you have a sense

Advantages of the Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program • S tudents complete their coursework and rotations in just one year instead of two.

• T hree months of learning in the classroom as

well as practicing clinical skills in the simulated examination area.

•N ine months of rotations through Duke

Eye Center’s eight clinics, pairing up with experienced mentors as they learn about various subspecialties, such as glaucoma, retina, cornea, and pediatrics.

• S tudents have access to cutting-edge

resources, including facilities and equipment, as well as the expertise of Duke Eye Center faculty and staff.

After graduating, students are eligible to sit for a certification exam administered by the International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology, which includes a written test and a skills exam.

of purpose.”

The Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program is continuously accepting applications, providing a pathway for aspiring ophthalmic technicians to gain essential skills and contribute to eye care. Visit the website for more information, dukeeyecenter.duke.edu/OpTech.

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Accepting Submissions Fast Turnaround No Fees The Duke Journal of Case Reports in Ophthalmology (DJCRO) is an open access, fully online, digital international journal. All submissions must be original, previously unpublished, within the scope of the journal, of good quality, and presented in an educational format with a clear, concise structure. There are no fees for submitting, publishing, viewing, or downloading DJCRO articles.

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“DJCRO is an international digital journal that accepts compelling peer-reviewed case reports from across the world in all subspecialties of ophthalmology. This premier journal provides educational benefit to those who would not otherwise have access to such informative medical education. As founder and faculty editor in chief of DJCRO, it has been exciting to launch and grow this journal as it reaches ophthalmologists and optometrists in remote parts of the world and helps them diagnose and manage their patients with uncommon conditions.”

– Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS, Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs, Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Surgery with Tenure Submit your case study here:

DUKE EYE CENTER

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EDITORS in CHIEF Sharon Fekrat MD FACS FASRS Margaret Greven MD Richmond Woodward MD

Faculty, Duke Faculty, Wake Forest Fellow, Harvard MEEI

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Edward Buckley MD Terry Lee MD

Faculty, Duke Resident, Duke

CORNEA/CATARACT SECTION EDITORS Esteban Peralta Chacon MD Resident, Duke Katherine Peters MD Fellow, Vance Thompson Vision C Ellis Wisely MD MBA Faculty, Duke REFRACTIVE SECTION EDITORS Nicholas Johnson MD Hazem Mousa MD Brent Kramer MD

Resident, Duke Resident, Duke Attending

PEDIATRICS/STRABISMUS SECTION EDITORS Matthew Olis BS Med student, Nova Southeastern Jamie Karl BS Med student, Duke Federico Velez MD Faculty, UCLA NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY SECTION EDITORS Ariana Allen MD Resident, Duke Modupe Adetunji MD Resident, Duke N. Troy Tagg MD Faculty, Duke OCULOPLASTICS SECTION EDITORS Kelly Donovan MD PhD Richard Morgan MD PhD Michael Richard MD

Resident, Duke Resident, Duke Attending, Durham VAHCS

GLAUCOMA SECTION EDITORS Joshua Woo BS KeKe Liu MD Katy Liu MD PhD

Med Student, Duke Resident , Duke Faculty, Duke

INHERITED RETINAL DISEASE SECTION EDITORS Elyse Corpuz BS Med Student, Duke Emily Jung MD Resident,Duke Ramiro Maldonado MD Faculty, Duke ONCOLOGY SECTION EDITORS Osmel Alvarez BS Gregory McElroy MD PhD Miguel Materin MD

Med Student, Duke Resident, Duke Faculty, Duke

UVEITIS SECTION EDITORS Urvi Gupta BS Yuxi Zheng MD Dilraj Grewal MD FASRS

Med Student, Case Western Fellow, Duke Faculty, Duke

RETINA SECTION EDITORS Suzanna Joseph BS Alice Liu MD Jay Rathinavelu Angela Li MD PhD Durga Borkar MD

Med Student, Duke Resident, Duke Resident, Duke Resident, Duke Faculty, Duke

PRODUCTION AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT TEAM Tori Hall Director Marketing, Duke Jessica Carroll Asst Director Marketing, Duke Rachel Donaldson – Managing Editor Med Student, Duke Anusha Raghunathan – Asst Managing Editor Undergrad, Barnard Isabelle Dastgheib – Copy Editor Undergrad, Cornell Sejal Patel – Copy Editor Undergrad, Duke Cameron Cummings – Associate Social Media Manager & IT Solutions Analyst Undergrad, Duke Wufan Zhao BS – Social Media Manager Med Student, Duke Matthew Olis – Assistant Social Media Manager Med Student, Nova Southeastern Jay Swayambunathan – Large Language Model Engineer Med Student, Duke

Follow us on social media: @DukeJCRO

@DukeJCRO

@duke-jcro

Duke Eye Center Continuing Medical Education

2025 Calendar of Events Edward Buckley Distinguished Lecture in Pediatric Ophthalmology April 8 Gena Heidary, MD, PhD Director, Pediatric NeuroOphthalmology Service Director, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Fellowship Program, Boston Children’s Hospital Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School Non-CME Duke Eye on Education Series Community Event May 5 In person/CME Duke Advanced Vitreous Surgery Course and Fellows Course May 15–17 Duke Eye Center Faculty and Distinguished Guests In person/CME Duke Ophthalmology Trainee Scientific Sessions June 13 Duke Eye Center Residents and Fellows In person/CME Joseph M. Bryan Research Lecture September 4 Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology, Byers Eye Institute Stanford University Non-CME

Visit our website for events listings and more information.

Duke Ocular Oncology Symposium September 13 Miguel Materin, MD Director In person/CME Duke Eye on Education Series Community Event September 15 In person/CME Advances in Pediatric Retina September 18–20 Duke Eye Center Faculty and Guest Faculty In person/CME Dastgheib Pioneer Award in Ocular Innovation Lecture September 30 John G. Flannery, PhD Professor of Neurobiology, Dept.

Molecular & Cell Biology Assoc. Director, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute University of California, Berkeley Non-CME Visiting Science Professor Lecture October 9 Bela Anand-Apte, MBBS, PhD, MBA The Llura and Gordon Gund Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology Research, Cleveland Clinic Learner Research Institute Non-CME Duke Glaucoma Symposium October 11 Duke Eye Center Faculty and Guests In person/CME Duke Glaucoma Fellows Course at AAO, Orlando, Florida October 16 Duke Eye Center Faculty and Guests

Duke Eye on Education Series Community Event November 10 In person/CME Mittra Family Foundation Lecture November 20 SriniVas R. Sadda, MD A. Ray Irvine, Jr., MD Endowed Chair in Clinical Ophthalmology and Professor of Ophthalmology University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Geffen School of Medicine Non-CME Joseph M. Bryan Lecture December 4 Patricia A. D’Amore, PhD, MBA Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology Professor of Pathology Vice-chair of Basic and Translational Research, Dept of Ophthalmology Harvard Medical School Associate Chief of Basic and Translational Research, Ophthalmology, Mass Eye and Ear Non-CME Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Lecture December 9 Ruth Williams, MD President Emeritus Wheaton Eye Clinic Chief Medical Editor EyeNet Magazine and Vice Chair of Glaucoma Research Foundation Non-CME Resident Grand Rounds April 15 May 1 September 11 October 28 November 21 December 5 Hybrid/CME

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Duke Eye Center Administration, Faculty and Staff FACULTY LEADERSHIP

EDUCATION LEADERSHIP

Edward G. Buckley, MD

Chair, Department of Ophthalmology Duke University School of Medicine Vice President Duke-NUS Affairs

Vadim Arshavsky, PhD

Co-Vice Chair, Basic Science Research Scientific Director of Research

Sharon Fekrat, MD, FASRS

Vice Chair, Faculty Associate Chief of Staff Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System

Amy M. Fowler, MD Vice Chair, Clinical Affairs Medical Director Duke Eye Center, Holly Springs Anthony Kuo, MD Vice Chair, Technology

Director of Research Data

Eleonora Lad, MD, PhD Vice Chair, Clinical and Translational Research Research Quality Officer

Goldis Malek, PhD

Vice Chair, Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Dan Stamer, PhD

Co-Vice Chair, Basic Science Research

Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD

Director, Third-Year Medical Student Program

Pratap Challa, MD

Director, Residency Program

Nathan Cheung, OD

Director, Optometry Education

Kourtney Houser, MD Director, Cornea, External Disease and

Refractive Surgery Fellowship Medical Director, Ophthalmic Technician Program

Sharon F. Freedman, MD Director, Pediatric Ophthalmology Fellowship

Miguel Materin, MD Director, Ophthalmic Oncology and Pathology Fellowship

Prithu Mettu, MD

Kelly Muir, MD, MHSc Director, Ophthalmology Fellowship Program Director, Glaucoma Fellowship

Jullia A. Rosdahl, MD, PhD Director, Medical Student Education Director, Patient Education Chief Wellness Officer

Sanjay Asrani, MD Medical Director

Duke Eye Center, Cary

Christopher S. Boehlke, MD Medical Director

Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS Director, Ophthalmology Continuing

Medical Education Program Director, Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship

Duke Eye Center, Raleigh

Laura Enyedi, MD Medical Director

Duke Eye Center, South Durham

Frank J. Moya, MD Medical Director

Duke Eye Center, Winston Salem

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Robin R. Vann, MD Medical Director

Duke Eye Center, Arringdon Perioperative Services

Prithu Mettu, MD Medical Director, Retina Injections Miguel Materin, MD Medical Director, Duke Eye Center OR Director, Ophthalmic Imaging

Julie A. Woodward, MD Director, Faculty Mentoring and Career

Development Director, Oculofacial and Orbital Surgery Fellowship

ADMINISTRATION Elizabeth Hunter, MHA, CFM

Chief Administrator

Jessica Habecker, MBA

Director of Finance

Martha Dellinger, MHA Division Administrator Tammy Clay, MHA

Division Administrator

Glenn J. Jaffe, MD Director, Duke Reading Center

Heidi Campbell, COT

Durga Borkar, MD

Director, Clinical Data Science

George Toutloff, MBA Grants and Contracts Manager

Chair, Department APT Committee

Sarah Jones, MS, CCRC

P. Vasantha Rao, PhD

Lloyd Williams, MD Director, Global Ophthalmology

Director of Refractive Surgery Service

Kelly Muir, MD, MHSc Chief, Division of Ophthalmology, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Divakar Gupta, MD Access Champion Stefanie G. Schuman, MD Patient Experience Representative Nicola (Nicky) Kim, MD Committee Chair for Credentialing and QI/ QA for the department

Daniel R. Saban, PhD, MS Vice Chair of Research Strategy

Scientific Director of the Foster Center for Ocular Immunology

Division Leadership Melissa Daluvoy, MD – Interim Cornea,

External Disease and Refractive Surgery Division

Sharon F. Freedman, MD – Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Division Leon W. Herndon, MD – Glaucoma Division Anupama Horne, MD – Comprehensive Division Glenn J. Jaffe, MD – Vitreoretinal Division

Miguel Materin, MD – Ocular Oncology

Nathan Tagg, MD – Neuro Ophthalmology

Diane Whitaker, OD – Vision Rehabilitation DUKE and Performance Division EYE CENTER Julie A. Woodward, MD – Oculofacial Division

2025

Director, Medical Retina Fellowship

Director of Clinical Operations Research Practice Manager

COMPREHENSIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY Rabia Ali, OD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Melissa Barbor, OD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Anna Bordelon, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Thomas S. Devetski, OD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Anupama Horne, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Thomas Hunter, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Charlene James, OD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Nicola (Nicky) Kim, MD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Jeffrey Kozlowski, OD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Tina K. Singh, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Robin R. Vann, MD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

CORNEA AND REFRACTIVE SURGERY Christopher S. Boehlke, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Corina Busuioc, OD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Alan N. Carlson, MD

Professor of Ophthalmology

Melissa Daluvoy, MD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Nickolas Garson, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Kourtney Houser, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Kevin Jackson, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Terry Kim, MD Professor of Ophthalmology

Anthony Kuo, MD Professor of Ophthalmology

Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering ++

Terry Semchyshyn, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Amol Sura, MD A ssistant Professor of Ophthalmology

VITREORETINAL DISEASES AND SURGERY Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Michael Allingham, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Durga Borkar, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences

Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology C. Ellis Wisely, MD, MBA Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

GLAUCOMA

Xi Chen, MD, PhD

Ophthalmology Professor in Immunology ++

Sanjay Asrani, MD Professor of Ophthalmology Pratap Challa, MD

Professor of Ophthalmology

Divakar Gupta, MD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Leon W. Herndon, MD

Professor of Ophthalmology

Katy Liu, MD, PhD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Stuart J. McKinnon, MD, PhD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS Professor of Ophthalmology

Professor in Surgery ++, Professor in Neurology ++

Dilraj Grewal, MD

Frank J. Moya, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Kelly W. Muir, MD, MHSc Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Michael Quist, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Jullia Rosdahl, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Henry Tseng, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Joanne Wen, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

VISION REHABILITATION AND PERFORMANCE Diane Whitaker, OD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY Edward Buckley, MD James Pitzer Gills III MD and Joy Gills

Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology

Mays Dairi, MD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Sidney Gospe III, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Can Kocasarac, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Tali Okrent, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

N. Troy Tagg, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering ++

Glenn J. Jaffe, MD Robert Machemer, MD Professor of Ophthalmology

Eleonora Lad, MD, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmology

Yannek Leiderman, MD, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmology

Ramiro Maldonado, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Prithu Mettu, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Stefanie G. Schuman, MD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Cynthia A. Toth, MD Joseph A.C. Wadsworth Professor of

Ophthalmology Professor in Biomedical Engineering++

Lejla Vajzovic, MD

Vadim Arshavsky, PhD Helena Rubinstein Foundation Professor of

Ophthalmology Professor in Pharmacology & Cancer Biology ++

Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD George and Geneva Boguslavsky Professor of Eye Research Professor in Cell Biology ++

Sina Farsiu, PhD Professor of Biomedical Engineering and

Ophthalmology Associate Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering++, Professor in Computer Science++

OCULOFACIAL AND ORBITAL SURGERY Amy M. Fowler, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Jason Liss, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Elizabeth Mathenge, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Professor of Ophthalmology

RESEARCH OPHTHALMOLOGY

Professor of Neurology ++

Christopher Dermarkarian, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Majda Hadziahmetovic, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Associate Professor in Neurobiology ++

Madison Dunning, OD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Scott W. Cousins, MD Robert Machemer, MD Professor of

Paulo Ferreira, PhD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Associate Professor in Pathology ++

Jeremy Kay, PhD Associate Professor of Neurobiology

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Associate Professor in Cell Biology ++

Julie A. Woodward, MD Professor of Ophthalmology

Paloma Liton, PhD Professor of Ophthalmology

PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS

Goldis Malek, PhD Professor of Ophthalmology

Professor in Dermatology ++

Edward G. Buckley, MD James Pitzer Gills III MD and Joy Gills

Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology Professor in Pediatrics ++

Professor in Pathology ++ Professor in Pathology ++

Ryan McNabb, PhD

P. Vasantha Rao, PhD Richard and Kit Barkhouser Professor of

Ophthalmology Professor in Pharmacology & Cancer Biology ++

Nathan Cheung, OD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Laura B. Enyedi, MD

Professor of Ophthalmology Associate Professor in Pediatrics ++

Adriana Ferreira, OD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Sharon F. Freedman, MD Professor of Ophthalmology Professor in Pediatrics ++

S. Grace Prakalapakorn, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Associate Professor in Pediatrics ++

Michelle Go, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Qiaohui Wei White, OD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

Daniel R. Saban, PhD, MS Professor of Ophthalmology

Professor in Integrative Immunobiology ++

Nikolai Skiba, PhD

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

W. Daniel Stamer, PhD Joseph A.C. Wadsworth Professor of

Ophthalmology Professor in Biomedical Engineering++

Sandra Stinnett, DrPH Associate Professor of Biostatistics &

Bioinformatics Associate Professor in Ophthalmology ++

Fulton Wong, PhD Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology

Professor in Neurobiology and Pathology ++, Assistant Professor in Pathology ++

OCULAR ONCOLOGY Miguel Materin, MD Professor of Ophthalmology

Professor of Radiation Oncology++

Arpita Maniar, MBBS, MD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Secondary appointment ++

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