Duke Eye Center

At Duke Eye Center, we see every day how resilience and expert care can shape a child’s future. One shining example is Alexander Dodds, featured in our 2026 VISION magazine and honored as the Scheyer Family Kid Captain.

Born with X‑linked juvenile retinoschisis, Alexander gradually lost his sight by age nine. Thanks to the dedicated care of Sharon Freedman, MD, and Cynthia Toth, MD, he developed visual memories that continue to help him navigate the world, a powerful reminder of the impact of early, specialized pediatric eye care.

Read: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/0fa2e7615b.html /33

Duke Eye Center was well represented at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Denver, with more than 70 Duke‑led presentations.

We’re proud to celebrate Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD and Vadim Arshavsky, PhD for being inducted into the ARVO Fellows Class of 2026, recognizing their sustained contributions to global vision research.

It was also announced that W. Daniel Stamer, PhD, FARVO been elected the next Executive Vice President of ARVO, an exceptional acknowledgment of his leadership in the field.

Proud of all who represented Duke Eye Center on this international stage!

Read more: https://dukeeyecenter.duke.edu/news/duke-arvo-2026

We’re proud to share that W. Daniel Stamer, PhD, FARVO has been elected the next Executive Vice President of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the world’s largest vision research organization. Dr. Stamer’s five‑year term begins at the 2027 ARVO Annual Meeting and reflects nearly two decades of leadership and service to the vision science community.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Stamer on this outstanding achievement and his continued impact on advancing vision research.

https://dukeeyecenter.duke.edu/news/daniel-stamer-phd-farvo-elected-executive-vice-president-arvo

We’re excited to share a new blog post from Fellow Sheena Song, DO, reflecting on her recent trip to Sierra Leone as part of a long‑standing corneal transplant partnership led by Drs. Lloyd B. and Lloyd H. Williams.

Dr. Song joined the team in screening patients, performing sight‑restoring surgeries, and supporting training for the country’s growing eye‑care workforce, including its first ophthalmology residency program.

Read her powerful reflections on global ophthalmology, partnership, and sustainable impact.

https://dukeeyecenter.duke.edu/blog/tackling-corneal-blindness-and-building-systems-sierra-leone

Duke Eye Center will have a major presence at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Denver, with 70+ Duke‑led presentations across lectures, papers, posters, symposia, minisymposia, and collaborative sessions. Our faculty, trainees, and research teams will showcase Duke’s leadership across the full spectrum of vision science—from foundational discovery to clinical innovation.

We’re also proud to celebrate two Duke faculty members being honored in the ARVO Fellows Class of 2026: 
Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD — ARVO Gold Fellow
Vadim Arshavsky, PhD — ARVO Silver Fellow

Select Duke presentations will include:
Esen K. Akpek, MD – Roger W. Beuerman Award Lecture
Catherine Bowes‑Rickman, PhD – Complement Factor H Therapy for AMD
Eleonora (Nora) Lad, MD, PhD – Structure–Function Correlations in Atrophic AMD
Goldis Malek, PhD – Nuclear Receptors in Aging Retina and Disease Progression
Daniel Saban, PhD – In Vivo Human Ocular Immune Profiling Using Machine Learning

Read more and view full list of Duke presentations: https://dukeeyecenter.duke.edu/news/duke-arvo-2026