University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology

11/04/2025

Join us for Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons Grand Rounds at 8 a.m. this Thursday, Nov. 6 with guest speaker Dr. Tom Oetting of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He is the Rudy and Margaret Perez Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. After graduating from Duke University School of Medicine, he completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of Iowa. He is currently the Residency Program Director and the Chief of the Veterans Administration Eye Clinic.

Find th details on our website: https://ophthalmology.washington.edu/waeps-lecture-series

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from the 4-West Ophthalmology Clinic at Harborview Medical Center! 🎃🎃🎃

10/31/2025

Every week, our patients provide amazing comments about the care they have received from our UW Medicine physicians! This was in recognition of Associate Professor Raghu Mudumbai, MD, neuro-ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist in the University of Washington School of Medicine - WWAMI.

"I’ve been seeing Dr. Mudumbai nearly every week, and I can say from experience that he is one in a million. For every question or concern, he has an immediate and clear answer. He’s extremely thorough in his treatment plan and made sure I understood every step we took. I ended up needing surgery, and I was terrified. Dr. Mudumbai talked me through it time and time again and supported me while I cried.

"His concern for his patients’ overall well-being and mental health is unmatched. The kindness and empathy he shows is above and beyond and I am so thankful for him. If you’re ever facing something that calls for a neuro-ophthalmologist, Dr. Mudumbai is the one you want by your side."

10/23/2025

A wireless microchip implanted in the back of patients’ eyes restored some vision for a group of people suffering from an incurable, progressive retinal disease, according to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Currently the implant is an investigational device only, but if approved by public health agencies, “not only could this benefit patients with macular degeneration, but also other retinal degenerations like, for example, Stargardt disease (and) retinitis pigmentosa,” said Dr. Lisa Olmos de Koo, MD, PhD, who helped design the study. She is a UW Medicine professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine - WWAMI and the director of vitreoretinal surgery, who cares for patients with debilitating retinal diseases.

Learn more on our website here:

A wireless microchip implanted in the back of patients’ eyes restored some vision for a group of people suffering from an incurable, progressive retinal disease, according to a study published Oct. 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

10/22/2025

The Division of Medical Genetics presents the 2025-2026 Samir Deeb Memorial Lecture, with guest speaker Russell Van Gelder, MD, PhD, Bucey Memorial Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology.

The lecture is on Friday, Oct 24, 2025, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Foege S-060 at the Magnuson Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Van Gelder will present on “Retinal reanimation: reversing blindness from hereditary retinal degeneration."

10/21/2025

So proud of our ophthalmic technicians at the UW Medicine Eye Institute at Harborview Medical Center, the 4-West Ophthalmology Clinic at Harborview, and the Karalis Johnson Retina Center at South Lake Union who provide outstanding patient care to every patient, every day.

10/20/2025

Greetings from Orlando! Our UW Medicine Ophthalmology team is having the best time here learning, presenting and networking at the American Academy of Ophthalmology!

10/19/2025

Watch this amazing patient story with Mr. Jack Odell and the care he received from UW ocular oncologist Andrew Stacey. Dr. Stacey is the only ocular oncologist in the University of Washington School of Medicine - WWAMI

10/19/2025

Proudly representing our department at the American Academy of Ophthalmology convention in Orlando are residents Drs. Jonathan Le, Johnson Huang and Grant Howell with Professor Lisa Olmos de Koo, MD, PhD.

09/23/2025

The 41st annual Roger Johnson Lecture in Ophthalmology will be held at 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 in Wright Auditorium at Seattle Children's. The speaker wiill be Deborah VanderVeen, MD, Director of the Pediatric Cataract Service and Retinopathy of Prematurity Service at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Roger Johnson endowed the Roger Johnson Lectureship at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The lectureship brings internationally renowned pediatric ophthalmologists to Seattle and has become one of the most prestigious visiting lectureships in the specialty. Roger Johnson passed away in 2007, and since that time, Angie Karalis Johnson has continued to commemorate her husband’s passion for improving the treatment of children’s eye disease through her wonderful generosity. Roger Johnson left a phenomenal legacy in the numerous lives he touched and in elevating the importance of pediatric eye care for generations to come.