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Irene C Kuo, M.D.

Headshot of Irene C Kuo
  • Clinic Director, Wilmer Eye Institute - White Marsh
  • Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Female

Languages: English, Chinese, Mandarin

Expertise

Cornea/Anterior Segment Disease, Corneal Diseases, Ophthalmology, Refractive Surgery ...read more

Research Interests

antibiotics in corneal storage medium; corneal wound-healing after laser refractive surgery; clinical outcomes after refractive surgery; wound-healing after infectious keratitis ...read more

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Existing Patients

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Main Phone

443-442-2020

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

410-464-6641
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International Patients

+1-410-502-7683
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Locations

Johns Hopkins Medicine - White Marsh

Appointment Phone: 443-442-2020
4924 Campbell Boulevard
Nottingham, MD 21236 map
Phone: 443-442-2020

Background

Irene Kuo has been designated one of America's top ophthalmologists, and received the Patient's Choice Award. In addition to certification by the American Board of Ophthalmology, 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. 

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Titles

  • Clinic Director, Wilmer Eye Institute - White Marsh
  • Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • MD; University of California San Francisco School of Medicine (1994)

Residencies

  • Ophthalmology; LAC + USC Medical Center (1998)

Fellowships

  • Cornea and Refractive Surgery; Proctor Foundation (2000)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Ophthalmology (Ophthalmology) (2000)

Research & Publications

Research Summary

Dr. Kuo's research activities include clinical outcomes of laser refractive surgery, wound healing after keratorefractive procedures and the evaluation and treatment of infectious keratitis.

She is well-published in the peer-review literature and presents her work at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meetings. She has received awards from the Heed Foundation and from the Eye Bank Association of America for her research.

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

3. Kuo IC, Seitz B, LaBree L, McDonnell P. Can zinc prevent apoptosis of anterior keratocytes after superficial keratectomy? Cornea 1997;16(5):550-555.
4. Kuo IC, Kapusta MA, Rao NA. Vitritis as the primary manifestation of syphilis in HIV patients. American Journal of Ophthalmology 1998;125(3):306-311.
5. Grossniklaus H, Martin DF, Avery R, Shields JA, Shields CL, Kuo IC, Green RL, Rao NA. Uveal lymphoid infiltration: Report of four cases and clinicopathologic review. Ophthalmology 1998;105(7):1265-1273.
6. Kuo IC, Cunningham ET. Ocular neovascularization in patients with uveitis. International Ophthalmology Clinics 2000;40(2):111-26.
7. Kuo IC, Rechdouni A, Rao NA, Johnston RH, Margolis TP, Cunningham ET. Subretinal fibrosis in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. Ophthalmology 2000;107:1721-1728.
8. Kuo IC,* Cunningham ET, Fan J. Ophthalmic manifestations of NOMID syndrome. American Journal of Ophthalmology 2000;130(6):856-858. (*corresponding author)
9. Kuo IC, Ou R, Hwang DG. Flap haze after epithelial debridement and flap hydration for treatment of post-LASIK striae. Cornea 2001;20(3):339-341.
10. Kuo IC, Hwang DG. Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis following laser in situ keratomileusis. Cornea 2001;20(3):342-344.
11. Kuo IC, Liu WQ, Kuppermann B, Martin D, Margolis TP. Genotypic analysis of cytomegalovirus retinitis poorly responsive to intravenous ganciclovir but responsive to the ganciclovir implant. American Journal of Ophthalmology 2003;135(1):20-25.
12. Kuo IC, Cevallos V, Troyer R, Lietman T, McLeod SD. Efficacy of transport media use vs. direct inoculation of blood agar plates in the microbiologic evaluation of experimental Streptococcus pneumoniae keratitis. Cornea 2003;22(3):249-53.
13. Kuo IC,* Lee SM, Soya K, Holsclaw DS, Hwang, DG. Late onset haze and myopic regression after PRK. Cornea 2004;23:350-5. (*corresponding author)
14. Kuo IC. Corneal wound healing. Current Opinion of Ophthalmolmology 2004;15(4):311-5.
15. Kuo IC. Bernice Zimmer Brown. Archives of Ophthalmology 2004;122:939.
16. Jabbur NS, Chicani CF, Kuo IC, OBrien TP. Risk factors in interface epithelialization after laser in situ keratomileusis. Journal of Refractive Surgery 2004;20(4):343-348.
17. Kuo IC,* Kempen JH, Jabs DA. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of cytomegalovirus retinitis in persons without human immunodeficiency virus infection. American Journal of Ophthalmology 2004;138:338-346. (*corresponding author)
18. Kuo IC,* Ghajarnia M, OBrien TP, Jabbur NS. Excimer laser surgery for correction of ametropia after cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg 2005;31(11):2104-10. (*corresponding author)
19. Kuo IC,* Broman AT, Pirouzmanesh A, Melia M. Is there an association between diabetes and keratoconus? Ophthalmology 2006; 113(2):184-90. (*corresponding author)

20. Kuo IC,*OBrien TP, Haller JA, Jabbur NS. Complications of sequential keratorefractive and vitreoretinal surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg 2006;32:2146-8. (*corresponding author)

21. Reviglio VE, Kuo IC, Gramajo L, Olmedo MA, Falco M, Juarez CP. Acute rhegmatogenous retinal detachment immediately following laser in situ keratomileusis. J Cataract Refract Surg 2007; 33:536-9.

22. Kuo IC. Response to Letter to the Editor, "Is There an Association between Diabetes and Keratoconus. Ophthalmology 2007; 114:1034-5.

23. Ramulu P, Green WR, Kuo IC. * Conjunctival lymphoid hyperplasia. Cornea 2007;26:484-6 (*corresponding author).

24. Reviglio VE, Sambuelli R, Olmedo A, Falco M, Echenique, OBrien TP, Kuo IC. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor is an inducible antimicrobial peptide expressed in Staphylococcus aureus endophthalmitis, Mediators of Inflamm 2007; 2007:93857-93966 (senior author).

25. Kuo IC,* Jabbur NS, OBrien TP. Photorefractive keratectomy for refractory LASIK flap striae. J Cataract Refract Surg 2008; 34:330-3. (* corresponding author).

26. Kuo IC, Falco M, Olmedo A, Misani L, O''Brien TP, Reviglio VE. Corneal tattoo with tea infusion. Food Chem Toxicol 2008; 46:2303-5. Feb 12, 2008 E-pub ahead of print.

27. Kuo IC, Haller JA, Reviglio VE. Intravitreal bevacizumab for a subfoveal choroidal metastasis of colorectal adenocarcinoma. Arch Ophthalmol 2008;126(9):1311-3.

28. Kuo IC,* Reviglio VE. Wavefront-guided refractive surgery after multifocal lens implantation. In press Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. 2009 Apr 24. [Epub ahead of print] (* corresponding author)

29. Kuo IC, Myrowitz E, Chuck R, Schein O. Wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy to correct ametropia following aspheric ReSTOR implantation (provisionally accepted by J Refract Surg, pending revision 3/18/2009).

30. Kuo IC. Secretory leukoprotease inhibitor: a native antimicrobial protein in the innate immune response in a rat model of S. aureus keratitis. J Ophthalmol 2009;2009:259393 (senior author).

31. Kuo IC, Pellegrino F, Fornero P, Britos L, Pedetta G, Reviglio VE. H1N1 pandemic and ophthalmology. Ophthalmology 2010; 117(2):405.

32. Kuo IC. Trends in refractive surgery at an academic center: 2007 to 2009. BMC Ophthalmol. 2011 May 14;11(1):11. [Epub ahead of print]

33. Kuo IC,Reviglio VE. Aggressive pterygium growth and corneal scarring after hyperopic photorefractive keratectomy. Cornea.2011;30(7):832-4.

34. Kuo IC,Broman AT, Massof R, Park W. The impact of cataract surgery on patients from a low vision clinic. Can J Ophthalmol. 2011; 46(5):391-398.

35. Smith RJ, Kuo IC, Reviglio VE. Multiple apocrine hidrocystomas of the eyelids. Orbit. 2012; 31(2):140-2.

36. Casparis H, Lindsley K, Kuo IC, Sikder S, Bressler NB.Surgery for cataracts in people with age-related macular degeneration. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jun 13;6:CD006757.

37. Kuo IC, Sambuelli RH, Bono J, Smith RJ, Reviglio VE. Progression of choroidal metastasis of ovarian serous cystoadenocarcinoma after intravitreal bevacizumab treatment. Rare Tumors 2013; 4:5(1).

38. Kuo IC. Satellite clinics in academic ophthalmology programs: an exploratory study of successes and challenges.BMC Ophthalmol. 2013; 13(1):79.

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Heed Fellowship Award in Ophthalmology
  • Scientific Award, Eye Bank Association of America

Memberships

  • American Board of Ophthalmology
    Diplomate
  • American Board of Ophthalmology
    Fellow
  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
    Member
  • Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology
  • Castroviejo Cornea Society
    Member - based on thesis and publications
  • Women in Ophthalmology
    Member

Patient Ratings & Comments

The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

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