Duke Eye Center faculty, trainees and staff contributed research, education and leadership at the 2026 North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (NCSEPS) annual meeting on September 12 held in Greensboro, NC. Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD serves as NCSEPS president.
The scientific program featured keynote presentations by Esen Akpek, MD, who shared updates on Sjögren's disease and the future of artificial cornea transplantation. She also participated in the Anterior Segment Interesting Case Panel Discussion.
Duke faculty and trainees presented research across a range of ophthalmic subspecialties during the meeting. Cesar Estrada-Puente, MD, a mentee of Ramiro Maldonado, MD, earned first place in the poster competition for his presentation, “Photoreceptor Degeneration in Asymptomatic Children with USH2A: Sectorial OCT Findings Years Before Expected Onset.”
Duke faculty also continue to serve in leadership positions within NCSEPS. In addition to Lloyd Williams' service as president, Divakar Gupta, MD, serves as Member-at-Large for Durham, and Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS, serves as Liaison to the North Carolina chapter of the American College of Surgeons.
Duke's participation in NCSEPS reflects the department's continued contributions to ophthalmic research, education and professional leadership.
