Description
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent corneal and ocular surface diseases. Perform medical, laser, and surgical interventions—including corneal transplantation, cross-linking, and refractive procedures—and provide vision services such as specialty contact lenses.
- • Provide cornea and external disease consultations to other clinicians.
- • Refer patients for non-corneal subspecialty care when appropriate.
- • Teach trainees corneal examination, diagnostics, and surgical techniques.
- • Develop and implement protocols for cornea clinics, surgery, and ocular surface care.
- • Educate patients on corneal health, contact lens hygiene, and dry eye prevention.
- • Conduct clinical research on corneal disease, transplantation, and refractive outcomes.
- • Collaborate with optometry, rheumatology, infectious disease, and transplant teams.
- • Direct postoperative care after corneal, ocular surface, and refractive procedures.
- • Document comprehensive ocular and systemic histories relevant to corneal disease.
- • Prescribe spectacles and coordinate specialty contact lenses (RGP, scleral).
- • Prescribe or administer topical and systemic therapies for corneal infection, inflammation, and pain.
- • Order, perform, and interpret corneal diagnostics (topography, tomography, pachymetry, specular microscopy, AS-OCT) and microbiologic testing.
- • Create individualized treatment plans balancing vision goals, disease severity, and risks.
- • Perform corneal laser procedures such as PRK and PTK.
- • Perform corneal and anterior segment surgeries including PKP, DALK, DSAEK, DMEK, pterygium excision with graft, limbal stem cell and amniotic membrane procedures, and corneal laceration repair.
- • Provide corneal cross-linking for keratoconus and post-refractive ectasia.
- • Prescribe advanced ocular surface therapies such as autologous serum tears and scleral lens therapy.
- • Perform comprehensive anterior segment and corneal examinations and manage acute corneal trauma and ulcers.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
