Dr. Rohit Varma – Ophthalmologist and Physician-Scientist
An ophthalmologist who focuses on the treatment of glaucoma and cataracts, Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, founder of Southern California Eye Institute (SCEI), a part of the CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. He has emerged as an expert in changes to the optic nerve, particularly as it relates to the pathology of glaucoma. His past research includes the development of imaging techniques to detect glaucomatous optic nerve damage early in the course of the disease. In recent years, Dr. Rohit Varma has played a central role in the development of novel implantable intraocular pressure (IOP) sensors and drainage devices.
Outside of his work as a clinical ophthalmologist, Dr. Rohit Varma has conducted extensive research on the epidemiology of eye disease in children and older adults. Recognized as a world leader in population-based studies on eye diseases, he worked with the World Health Organization as a principal investigator for studies on vision impairment and blindness, along with the National Institutes of Health. He organized and led the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study, the Chinese American Eye Study, the Multi-Ethnic Pediatric Eye Diseases Study, and the African American Eye Disease Study.
Dr. Rohit Varma graduated with an MD from the University of Delhi in India and a master of public health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Maryland. After completing postgraduate research at Wills Eye Hospital at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he fulfilled a fellowship in glaucoma at the University of Southern California. A member of the Glaucoma Research Society and the Association for Research in Vision Ophthalmology, Dr. Rohit Varma has published more than 274 articles in peer-reviewed journals.