News and Events

We are delighted to welcome Esen K. Akpek, MD to Duke Eye Center as Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of the Frances and C. Stephen Foster Center for Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, and Chief of the newly established Division of Ocular Immunology.

Duke University School of Medicine has been awarded a $30,000 Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship from Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), in partnership with the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AOCOO-HNS) Foundation. This prestigious award will support medical student Michael Miltich as he takes a year-long leave from his medical studies to pursue dedicated research within the Department of Ophthalmology at Duke.

We are proud to announce that Glenn Jaffe, MD, and Cynthia Toth, MD, have been named among the top basic medicine scientists in the United States in the 4th edition of Research.com’s prestigious ranking of leading scholars in the field of Medicine.

Leon W. Herndon Jr., MD participated in a recent discussion with the American Academy of Ophthalmology's EyeNet Magazine titled “An Early Look at the New DSLT Technology.,” exploring the clinical potential of Direct Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (DSLT)—a new, non-contact laser treatment for glaucoma. Herndon joined Ruth D. Williams, MD and Brian E. Flowers, MD in a roundtable discussion to evaluate the benefits, limitations, and future implications of DSLT in glaucoma care.

An insightful article in Ophthalmology Times by Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS, and Yesha Raval, explores the rapidly evolving landscape of ophthalmic clinical research.

Duke Eye Center celebrated the 2025 class graduating residents and fellows on June 14, 2025 during a heartfelt ceremony honoring their accomplishments, dedication, and bright futures.

On June 12, 2025, the Duke Eye Center proudly celebrated the graduation of the 2025 class of the Duke Ophthalmic Technician Program.

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has granted Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, a $350,000 RPB Career Development Award to support eye research. The support is provided over a four-year period for the project, “Gene-agnostic therapy for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.” 

A complex surgical case from Duke Eye Center is now featured on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) One Network.

Duke Eye Center is proud to share that Lee Ann McKinney, COT, OSC, and Valerie Honeycutt, COT, were recently featured in the May/June 2025 supplement of Retina Today.