Residency Training - Duke Eye Center

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Pratap Challa, MD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Glaucoma Service
Residency Program Director

Background

Pratap Challa, MD, specializes in glaucoma management including medical, laser, and surgical treatments for glaucoma. He is experienced in all forms of glaucoma surgery, including trabeculectomy with antimetabolite therapy, tube implants, cataracts, and revision of glaucoma surgery. Challa is also the director of the Duke University residency program and oversees resident training and education.

As a physician-scientist investigator, Challa has a special research interest in the genetic basis of inherited eye diseases. He investigates the genetic basis and cause for pseudoexfoliation syndrome and pseudoexfoliation-associated glaucoma. He actively recruits patients to participate in these studies and investigates the molecular basis for these disorders. He also has a novel drug delivery program involved in developing long-term delivery devices for glaucoma medications. He also investigates novel compounds that may eventually be used for treating glaucoma.

Research Interests

Challa's primary research interests are directed at both basic science and clinical research in the subspecialty of glaucoma. His basic science interests are on the genetic basis of inherited eye disorders. He is focused on examining transcriptional profiles in disorders such as Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome (PEX). PEX is one of the leading causes of glaucoma worldwide. This research is aimed at identifying candidate genes for several types of glaucoma. He also has research interests in the development of novel drug delivery devices and new drug therapies, such as peptide-based therapies for glaucoma. In addition to basic science research, he also has clinical research interests including evaluating the effectiveness of new glaucoma therapies.