Alex A. Huang, MD, PhD

Alex A. Huang, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist at the Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health. He is a glaucoma specialist, advanced cataract surgeon and clinician-scientist who performs all current and minimally-invasive glaucoma surgical procedures. Dr. Huang also serves as the Alfred Vogt Chair and an associate professor in ophthalmology and has a special interest in glaucoma, cataracts and ocular changes during spaceflight.

Dr. Huang aims to maximize the efficacy of glaucoma therapeutics, while decreasing their burden to augment the best quality of life. He carries his interests regarding angle-based approaches and native outflow pathway improvement into his laboratory as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01-supported scientist. Thus, his NIH research program focuses on improving glaucoma surgical outcomes by enhancing aqueous humor outflow understanding.

Supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Huang protects the eyes of American astronauts on the International Space Station from Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). Specifically, Dr. Huang is tasked with determining the cause of SANS and developing countermeasures necessary for a long-haul spaceflight mission to Mars.

The Ophthalmologist named Dr. Huang the #1 Rising Star in the World in 2017 and recognized him on its Power 100 List in 2020. In 2021, Dr. Huang received the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Foundation Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award.

Dr. Huang completed a fellowship in glaucoma at UC San Diego Medical Center and a residency in ophthalmology at University of Southern California Medical Center. He earned his medical degree at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is board certified in ophthalmology.

In addition to English, Dr. Huang is fluent in Mandarin.

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For more information, see Ophthalmology.