Sezen Karakus, M.D., is an assistant professor of ophthalmology specializing in corneal and external eye diseases, with a particular focus on ocular surface conditions in patients with autoimmune and inflammatory disorders such as Sjögren's syndrome and ocular rosacea. Her expertise also extends to corneal diseases involving abnormal sensory nerves, such as neurotrophic keratitis and neuropathic corneal pain. She is skilled in performing routine and complex procedures, including cataract and intraocular lens surgeries, refractive surgeries, corneal transplants, ocular surface reconstructions and amniotic membrane transplantations. At the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine's Ocular Surface Diseases and Dry Eye Clinic, she plays an integral role as a team member, providing her clinical insights and expertise. Additionally, she serves as an ophthalmologist in the Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) program at Hopkins. This unique position allows her to address dysautonomia-related neuropathic eye pain and ocular surface diseases in patients with POTS, combining her eye specialization with a focus on this specific medical condition. As a clinician-scientist, her research revolves around ocular surface diseases. Dr. Karakus is actively investigating the role of the ocular surface microbiome in the pathogenesis of ocular rosacea. Her involvement in the NIH U24 Ocular Surface Microbiome Consortium allows her to collaborate with fellow experts in the field to standardize research methrods and develop validated protocols for studying the ocular surface microbiome. Another area of research interest for Dr. Karakus involves serological and tear biomarkers in Sjögren's disease. Through a longitudinal study, she aims to determine the utility of tissue-specific autoantibodies for early diagnosis of Sjögren's disease in patients with dry eyes. Understanding the broader impact of Sjögren's disease on the peripheral and central nervous systems is crucial, as it can manifest as severe ocular surface disease with diminished corneal sensation (neurotrophic keratitis) or intense eye pain without significant ocular surface disease (neuropathic corneal pain). Her clinical expertise and research contributions have earned Dr. Karakus recognition regionally and nationally, as evidenced by her role as a consultant in complex dry eye and ocular surface diseases. She takes pride in her dedication to advancing the understanding of ocular surface conditions and providing the best possible care for patients. By combining her specialization in corneal and external eye disease with her involvement in the POTS program and cutting-edge research on ocular surface diseases, Dr. Karakus strives to make a significant impact on patient care and contribute to the advancement of ophthalmology and related fields. Dr. Karakus is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Dry Eye Syndrome, Sjogren Syndrome, Cataract, Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), and Corneal Transplant.

Donna Booth is an Ophthalmologist in Lutherville, Maryland. Dr. Booth is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Cataract, Dry Eye Syndrome, Glaucoma, and Ocular Hypertension (OHT). Dr. Booth is currently accepting new patients.

Everardo Hernandez-Quintela, M.D., M.Sc., F.A.C.S. is an accomplished cataract and cornea surgeon at the Wilmer Eye Institute’s locations in Baltimore and Lutherville, Maryland. He specializes in both refractive surgery (LASIK and PRK) and corneal transplant. Dr. Hernández-Quintela is the medical director for Wilmer's Patient Access Center for the Eye (PACE). Prior to joining Johns Hopkins Medicine, Dr. Hernandez Quintela was a professor of ophthalmology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México where he led the course on research methodology in ophthalmology and the advanced course on cornea and refractive surgery. He is the founder of the international chapter of the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Mexico, known as Colegio Nacional de Investigación en Ciencias Visuales (MARVO). Dr. Hernández-Quintela is a peer review editorial member of the Journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the International Journal of Ophthalmology among other prestigious journals. He held a clinical academic position as head of cornea and refractive surgery services, and head of research at the Asociación para Evitar la Ceguera en México Hospital in Mexico City, which is one of the largest eye hospitals in Latin America. Dr. Hernández-Quintela began his career at Universidad La Salle and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. He performed his residency training at the Asociación para Evitar la Ceguera en México Hospital, in Mexico City, and completed his fellowships at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School in the United States with professor Dimitri Azar, and at the Hôtel Dieu Hospital, at Université Paris in France with Professor J.M. Legeais and Prof. Yves Pouliquen.Dr. Hernández-Quintela holds a Master in Science from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, School of Medicine. Dr. Hernandez is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Interstitial Keratitis, Keratoconus, Cataract, Corneal Transplant, and Cataract Removal.

Uri S. Soiberman, M.D. joined Wilmer's Cornea faculty in 2016, and is an associate professor of ophthalmology and the director of the cornea fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Dr. Soiberman's main clinical and research focus is keratoconus, and his research has been funded by the National Eye Institute and Research to Prevent Blindness. Dr. Soiberman offers his keratoconus patients advanced surgical treatments, including corneal collagen crosslinking, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty and other types of corneal transplants for keratoconus. Dr. Soiberman also performs endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK, DMEK, DSO) for patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy and corneal edema. In addition, Dr. Soiberman specializes in complex cataract surgery, and offers his patients specialty intraocular lenses (such as astigmatism correcting or multifocal lenses). His surgical acumen includes surgery for dislocated lenses and secondary implantation of intraocular lenses. Dr. Soiberman is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Keratoconus, Cataract, Interstitial Keratitis, Corneal Transplant, and Vitrectomy.

Amir H. Kashani, M.D., Ph.D. is a retina specialist, surgeon, the Boone Pickens Professor in Ophthalmology and a professor in bioengineering treating patients at Wilmer Eye Institute’s East Baltimore and Columbia locations. Dr. Kashani specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of medical and surgical retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusions, age-related macular degeneration, epiretinal membranes and retinal detachments as well as other common retinal diseases. Dr. Kashani is an NIH-funded clinician-scientist studying the pathophysiology of retinal vascular diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, vascular cognitive impairment and dementia in human patients using cutting-edge, noninvasive imaging methods such as optical coherence tomography angiography. He has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed articles in the scientific literature, several subject reviews, and an ophthalmology handbook titled Optical Coherence Tomography and OCT Angiography: Clinical Reference and Case Studies. Dr. Kashani is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Gyrate Atrophy of the Choroid and Retina, Diabetic Retinopathy, Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD).

"Oliver Schein, M.D., M.P.H., is the Burton E. Grossman Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute and carries a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Schein's clinical expertise is in medical and surgical conditions of the anterior segment of the eye including cataract and complications of cataract surgery, corneal scarring and corneal surgery. He is a past author of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's ""Preferred Practice Pattern"" on Cataract. Research activities are directed toward the epidemiology of major ocular diseases, ophthalmic technology assessment and outcomes research in ophthalmology. Dr. Schein received his M.D. and M.P.H. degrees from Johns Hopkins University and completed his ophthalmology residency and cornea and external eye disease fellowship at Harvard University's Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He joined the Wilmer faculty in 1988.". Dr. Schein is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cataract, Endophthalmitis, Fuchs Dystrophy, Cataract Removal, and Vitrectomy.

John Baer is an Ophthalmologist in Lutherville, Maryland. Dr. Baer is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cataract, Pigment-Dispersion Syndrome, Glaucoma, and Blepharitis.

Timothy D. Polk, MD, specializes in comprehensive ophthalmology. He is affiliated with UPMC Memorial. Dr. Polk completed his fellowships at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, residency at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Dr. Polk is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Retinal Artery Occlusion, Retinal Vein Occlusion, and Vitrectomy.

"Irene Kuo has been designated one of America's top ophthalmologists, and received the Patient's Choice Award. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the Cornea Society, an honorary society to which membership is based on a thesis and publications. She serves as president (2023-24) of the Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group, an international group of ophthalmologists and scientists dedicated to studying ocular infections and inflammatory conditions. Dr. Kuo is co-investigator of the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute-funded Maximizing Use of High-Quality Evidence in Eye Care: Cochrane Eyes and Vision US Project (CEV-US), which produces gold-standard Cochrane systematic reviews of treatments for eye diseases and conditions for stakeholders including patients, doctors and policymakers. She is an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, and is on the editorial boards of Ophthalmology Science, Translational Vision Science and Technology (a journal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) and Cornea Open, the open access journal accompanying Cornea, the official journal of the Cornea Society. Dr. Kuo received her doctor of medicine degree from the University of California, San Francisco and completed her ophthalmology residency at the University of Southern California's Doheny Eye Institute. She then completed a fellowship in cornea, refractive surgery, and uveitis at the University of California, San Francisco. As chief of infection control for the Wilmer Eye Institute, Dr. Kuo worked with the occupational health, virology and hospital epidemiology and infection control departments to develop a policy to quickly diagnose employees who have a highly contagious and damaging form of viral conjunctivitis (""pink eye"") so they can be sent home and not infect patients and other employees.". Dr. Kuo is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Dry Eye Syndrome, Cataract, Glaucoma, and Ocular Hypertension (OHT).

Samuel C. Yiu, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, specializing in cornea and external eye diseases, cataracts and refractive surgery (LASIK). In addition, he is a nationally and internationally recognized specialist in ocular surface diseases and ocular surface reconstruction surgery. Dr. Yiu received his M.Sc. (applied biometry) and Ph.D. (physiology and biophysics) from the University of Southern California. He then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in lacrimal physiology at the Schepens Eye Institute at Harvard Medical School and went on to earn his M.D. from the University of Alberta in Canada. Dr. Yiu completed an internship and his ophthalmology residency at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a fellowship in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Eye Institute. After serving as the director of Doheny’s Ocular Surface Center and co-director of Doheny’s cornea division, Dr. Yiu joined the Wilmer faculty in 2011 and spent two years as the chief of the cornea division at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH), Wilmer’s affiliate hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before returning to Baltimore in 2013. Dr. Yiu is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cataract, Interstitial Keratitis, Dry Eye Syndrome, and Cloudy Cornea.

Brett Katzen is an Ophthalmologist in Lutherville, Maryland. Dr. Katzen is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cataract, Glaucoma, Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, and Dry Eye Syndrome. Dr. Katzen is currently accepting new patients.

Wendy Bohner is an Ophthalmologist in Towson, Maryland. Dr. Bohner is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Nearsightedness, Cataract, Dry Eye Syndrome, and Glaucoma. Dr. Bohner is currently accepting new patients.

Patricia Schmoke is an Ophthalmologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Schmoke is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. Her top areas of expertise are Dry Eye Syndrome, Cataract, Glaucoma, and Diabetic Retinopathy. Dr. Schmoke is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Kraig Scot Bower is an associate professor of ophthalmology and the director of refractive surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He specializes in refractive surgery (LASIK), cornea and external diseases of the eye and anterior segment surgery. Dr. Bower is a retired Army colonel, Medical Corps. From 2001 to 2010, he was the director of refractive surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and served as the Army's refractive surgery subject matter expert, advising the Army Surgeon General on laser refractive surgery and managing the Army's Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program. Dr. Bower is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Keratoconus, Astigmatism, Cataract, and Nearsightedness.

John D. Gottsch, M.D., is the Margaret C. Mosher Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Dr. Gottsch specializes in the management of hereditary corneal disorders such as Fuchs' dystrophy, the surgical treatment of cataract and complications of cataract surgery, and corneal transplantation surgery. His clinical practice involves the medical treatment of allergic eye diseases and severe corneal inflammation from rheumatoid and other related disorders, including Mooren''s ulcer. His research interests include determining the gene expression of the cornea and the genetic basis for hereditary corneal diseases such as Fuchs' dystrophy. Dr. Gottsch is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Macular Corneal Dystrophy Type 1, Fuchs Dystrophy, Corneal Dystrophy and Perceptive Deafness, Cataract, and Corneal Transplant.

Peter J. McDonnell, M.D. is the Alan and Marlene Norton Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute and the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. An ophthalmologist and specialist in corneal disease and surgery, Dr. McDonnell is an international leader in corneal transplantation, laser refractive surgery and the treatment of dry eye. Dr. McDonnell received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Dartmouth College. A 1982 graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. McDonnell completed a residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Institute, followed by a fellowship in Cornea and External Diseases at the Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California. He returned to Johns Hopkins to be Assistant Chief of Service at the Wilmer Institute, before joining the full-time faculty at the University of Southern California, where he advanced to the rank of professor in 1994. In 1999, he was named the Irving H. Leopold Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California-Irvine. In 2003, he returned to Johns Hopkins University where he leads the Wilmer Eye Institute as the sixth William Holland Wilmer Professor and Director. The Wilmer Institute is the largest ophthalmology department in the country, with over 130 full-time faculty, and it receives the most research funding. It includes the only designated eye trauma center in the State of Maryland, and last year provided eye care for patients from throughout Maryland, from all 50 states and from 73 foreign countries. Dr. McDonnell’s research interests include dry eye disease, ocular infection and gene therapy to control corneal wound healing and inflammation. He is the recipient of research grants from the National Eye Institute, Research to Prevent Blindness, and other funding agencies. He has published over 250 scientific articles and holds four patents. The American Academy of Ophthalmology honored him with the Honor Award in 1991 and the Senior Achievement Award in 2001. In 2003, he received the Alcon Research Institute Award. A member of many professional ophthalmology and medical societies, Dr. McDonnell has served on the editorial boards of six ophthalmology journals and is currently Medical Editor of Ophthalmology Times. In 2013, Dr. McDonnell was elected president of the boards of directors of NAEVR/AEVR (the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research). AEVR is a nonprofit educational foundation, the primary purpose of which is to educate Congress and the public about the value of eye and vision research. NAEVR is a nonprofit affiliate of AEVR and comprises a coalition of 55 professional, consumer and industry organizations involved in eye and vision research. Dr. Mcdonnell is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Interstitial Keratitis, Endophthalmitis, Dry Eye Syndrome, and Cataract Removal.

Dr. Pradeep Ramulu is a glaucoma specialist and the director of the Wilmer Eye Institute glaucoma division. He specializes in caring for both routine and complex glaucomas, including glaucomas requiring repeat operations, glaucoma occurring in the context of corneal or retinal disease and glaucoma occurring in newborns and young children. The Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Dr. Ramulu grew up in suburban Chicago, and became interested in the eye during medical school, during which time he studied the genes and proteins of the eye with Dr. Jeremy Nathans. After pursuing a residency in ophthalmology and fellowship training in glaucoma, he joined Wilmer in 2006. Dr. Ramulu is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Glaucoma, Ocular Hypertension (OHT), Cataract, Iridectomy, and Cataract Removal.

Michael Sulewski, M.D., is the James and Heather Gills Rising Professor of Ophthalmology and a cornea and cataract specialist at the Wilmer Eye Institute’s Baltimore locations at Bayview Medical Center and the Patient Access Center for the Eye at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, as well as in White Marsh, Maryland. Dr. Sulewski is also the ophthalmology residency program director. Dr. Sulewski specializes in cataract surgery, intraocular lens complications, corneal transplantation, keratoprosthesis, refractive surgery and other medical and surgical diseases of the cornea and anterior segment of the eye. Dr. Sulewski is also a resident supervisor at the Wilmer Eye Institute Patient Center for the Eye at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Recent News Articles and Media Coverage Five Questions for Michael Sulewski, Johns Hopkins Medicine (Dec. 2020). Dr. Sulewski is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Cataract, Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy (APMPPE), Cogan's Syndrome, Interstitial Keratitis, and Cataract Removal.

Yannis M. Paulus, M.D., F.A.C.S., is the Jonas Fridenwald Professor in Ophthalmology, an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins University Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biomedical Engineering, and a vitreoretinal surgeon at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine’s East Baltimore and Columbia locations. Dr. Paulus served as a surgical retina specialist and director of a research laboratory at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center for almost 10 years, where he developed novel imaging systems, lasers and long-lasting therapies and nanotechnologies to allow physicians to determine cellular markers of disease, enabling early diagnosis, improved treatment monitoring and more individualized, personalized precision medicine tailored to each patient’s needs. After earning his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics from Harvard University and his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dr. Paulus completed an internship at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a residency in ophthalmology at the Stanford University School of Medicine Byers Eye Institute, and a surgical and medical retina fellowship at Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine. CVhttps://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/wilmer/documents/cvs/Paulus_CV%2021225.pdf. Dr. Paulus is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Diabetic Retinopathy, Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Vitrectomy, and Cataract Removal.

Ashley Behrens, M.D., is the Edward St. John Professor in Ophthalmology and chief of the comprehensive ophthalmology division at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine. He specializes in the medical and surgical management of cataracts and corneal diseases, including corneal transplantation techniques for Fuchs’ dystrophy and keratoconus, as well as LASIK, PRK and refractive lens exchange. Dr. Behrens received his medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, and completed his ophthalmology residency and fellowship training at the Francisco Risquez Hospital. He completed additional fellowships at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, where he obtained his German Doctorate with Magna Cum Laude Distinction, and then at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Behrens joined the Wilmer faculty in 2003, and served as executive medical director at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH), Wilmer’s affiliate hospital in Saudi Arabia, from July 2010 through August 2014. Dr. Behrens is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Interstitial Keratitis, Cataract, Optic Nerve Atrophy, Vitrectomy, and Cataract Removal.