Duke Eye Center

10/14/2026

What a weekend at AAO 2026!

Duke Eye Center faculty, fellows, residents, and trainees contributed to more than 100 sessions at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in New Orleans, sharing research, leading educational programs, and earning national recognition.

Congratulations to all who represented Duke and helped advance the future of ophthalmology.

10/13/2026

We're proud to be part of a team dedicated to improving lives through research, education, and exceptional patient care. Thank you to the donors whose generosity helps make this impact possible.

We come together to tackle the world’s greatest challenges in health and philanthropy makes that work possible. Because of donors we are advancing breakthrough discoveries, delivering extraordinary care, educating tomorrow’s healthcare leaders, and improving lives in our community and around the globe.

Check out our 2026 Duke Health Impact Report to learn more about how philanthropic support gives our physicians, scientists, educators, and care teams the flexibility to innovate, collaborate, and move promising discoveries closer to the people who need them most: https://giving.dukehealth.org/why-give/duke-health-donor-impact-report

Together, we are .

10/07/2026

Duke Eye Center faculty and trainees will contribute to more than 100 presentations, courses, panels, posters, and paper sessions at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in New Orleans, October 9-12.

The meeting will also spotlight several Duke faculty members for their contributions to ophthalmology and the Academy, including:
Mays El-Dairi, MD receiving the AAO Senior Achievement Award
Laura Enyedi, MD serving as Program Director for Pediatric Ophthalmology Subspecialty Day
S. Grace Prakalapakorn, MD, MPH receiving an AAO Secretariat Award
Jullia Rosdahl, MD, PhD receiving the Roy S. Chuck, MD, PhD, Secretary for Quality of Care Honor
SriniVas Sadda, MD, FARVO receiving the Emily Y. Chew, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Ophthalmology Science honor

Congratulations to all Duke faculty, trainees, and staff sharing their expertise and advancing the field at .

10/01/2026

This gift will have a lasting impact on our corneal fellowship program. We are grateful to our generous donors for helping support the next generation of ophthalmology leaders.

10/01/2026

Duke Eye Center faculty, fellows, and trainees had a strong presence at the 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Retina Society sharing research, moderating scientific sessions, and presenting posters across a wide range of retinal topics.

A special congratulations to Linus Shen, MD, who earned 2nd Place, and Venkatkrish Kasetty, MD, who received 3rd Place in the inaugural CONNECT Network Best Fellow Poster Awards.

We also celebrate Sharon Fekrat MD FACS FASRS, who serves on the Retina Society Executive Committee.

09/23/2026

Last night, Duke Eye Center hosted the 2026 Dastgheib Pioneer Award in Ocular Innovation Lecture, featuring Casey Kopczynski, PhD, and P. Vasantha Rao, PhD. Together, they presented “Mechanism-Based Drug Discovery in Glaucoma: The Rho Kinase Story,” highlighting the scientific discoveries that led to the development of Rho kinase inhibitors and the power of collaboration between academic research and industry to advance patient care.

Established in 2014 through the generosity of Kourosh A. Dastgheib, MD, the lecture honors pioneering advances in ophthalmic research and innovation.

09/15/2026

From scientific presentations, research and professional leadership, Duke Eye Center was well represented at the 2026 NCSEPS Annual Meeting.

Highlights included keynote presentations by Esen Akpek, MD, leadership from NCSEPS President Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD, and a first-place poster award for Cesar Estrada-Puente, MD, for his research on early retinal changes in children with USH2A. Adam Moses, director of the Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program, led EYEXchange Carolinas, a regional continuing education event for allied eye care professionals and ophthalmic medical personnel held in conjunction with the meeting.

Duke faculty also continue to serve in leadership roles within NCSEPS, including Divakar Gupta, MD, who serves as Member-at-Large for Durham, and Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS, who serves as Liaison to the North Carolina chapter of the American College of Surgeons.

09/09/2026

Please join us in welcoming Ryan Nolan, MD, MBA, and Nkechi Nwabueze, MD, to Duke Eye Center in Winston-Salem!

Both completed fellowship training in oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Duke Eye Center and are now joining our faculty. Their expertise will expand access to advanced surgical care for conditions affecting the eyelids, orbit, tear drainage system, and surrounding facial structures for patients in Winston-Salem and the surrounding region.

We’re excited to have Drs. Nolan and Nwabueze at Duke Eye Center and look forward to the exceptional care they will provide to our patients.