Kathryn A. Colby, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, will receive the Castroviejo Medal from the Cornea Society at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The award honors Dr. Colby’s significant contributions to ophthalmology and her work in corneal research.
Dr. Colby is scheduled to deliver the Castroviejo Lecture during the AAO meeting in Orlando from October 17 to 20. Her talk will address new approaches for treating Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, a leading cause for corneal transplants in the United States. Dr. Colby’s research includes developing Descemet stripping only (DSO), a surgical technique that encourages regeneration of a patient’s own corneal cells when combined with Rho kinase inhibitors, potentially reducing reliance on donor corneas.
“Receiving the Castroviejo Medal is a profound honor, and it emphasizes the importance of advancing treatments that can significantly improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. Colby. “We are at the forefront of developing therapies that could one day eliminate the need for corneal transplants in certain cases.”
Dr. Colby has also worked to improve ophthalmology practices and support women in medicine. She has served as president of several professional societies and has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and seven books.
Other NYU Langone Health faculty will present research at AAO 2025. Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, director of dry eye services at NYU Langone’s Department of Ophthalmology, will discuss using intense pulse light (IPL) therapy for dry eye disease. Her studies show IPL can help Meibomian gland function and reduce symptoms for patients.
“This treatment has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, and there are promising advancements that can improve the quality of life for those suffering from dry eye disease,” said Dr. Massaro-Giordano.
Vaidehi S. Dedania, MD, will present data on the world’s first face and eye transplant surgery performed by an NYU Langone Health team. The procedure maintained blood flow to the transplanted eye using a novel vascular connection and reconnected the optic nerve directly. While imaging showed integration into the optic tract, sight restoration was not achieved due to current limits in nerve regeneration.
“This technique effectively allowed the globe of the eye to remain perfused until the external carotid artery was ligated as the last step of the donor procurement,” said Dr. Dedania. “While challenges remain, this first step in understanding an effective surgical approach to transplant will lead to further progress in this area of innovation going forward.”
“These presentations underscore NYU Langone Health’s commitment to clinicians, researchers, and patients through pioneering research and innovative treatments,” said Dr. Colby.
NYU Langone Health operates a large health system with seven inpatient locations and more than 320 outpatient sites across New York and Florida. The organization has been ranked by Vizient Inc. as No. 1 among comprehensive academic medical centers nationwide for four consecutive years and recently had four clinical specialties ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report. The system reported $15.5 billion in revenue this year and includes two tuition-free medical schools as well as an extensive research division.
