Duke University
Dastgheib Pioneer Award in
Ocular Innovation
Best in Ophthalmology
Established by Duke University School of Medicine, each year, the Dastgheib Pioneer Award in Ocular Innovation awards someone who has made a major contribution in the field of Ophthalmology focused on something that has proved useful in real life. These award winners hail from around the world and are not necessarily directly related to Duke University.
Dr. Dastgheib has been humbled and honored to award these innovative physicians for the treatments and products they bring to the world of ophthalmology.
We are eye surgery leaders
Why Choose Us
Tens of thousands of patients have sought our expertise for their eye surgeries and treatments. West Coast New Vision Institute is a leader in this space. Our Medical Director, Dr. Alex Dastgheib, has led the world in his research for wet macular degeneration and complicated eye surgeries.
Compassion
West Coast Cataract Institute is renowned for treating each patient with compassion. Eyesight is critically important to live a full life and we do all that we can to help our patients restore their vision.
Diligence
We are diligent in our research and approach. Treating thousands of medically-underserved patients for nearly two decades has allowed us to learn from the most complex cases in the world.
Exacting
We have the technology and tools to allow us to make the slightest adjustments during and post-operation. This attention to detail allows us to finely-tune our patients’ eye surgery results.
Always innovating
Results-driven
During his ophthalmology training at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Alex Dastgheib was asked to write a paper on wet macular degeneration. Several other groups around the world were also writing similar papers.
Undeterred, Dr. Dastgheib took a vastly different approach and discovered that a particular protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) existed in exaggerated amounts in the eye of patients with wet macular degeneration. His steadfast approach in sharing his findings ultimately led to the development of VEGF medications that have since prevented an estimated 20 million people worldwide from losing their eyesight.
In the past 15 years, Dr. Dastgheib has pushed boundaries with phacoemulsification cataract surgeries, resulting in 325+ blind patients recovering their full eyesight. No other doctor in medical literature and research has demonstrated such results, and Dr. Dastgheib now shares his protocols with surgeons around the world.