Harvard Medical School
University of California San Francisco
University of California San Francisco
Glaucoma Surgery, Optic neuropathy and aging of the eye, Cell and molecular biology of uveoscleral outflow, Imaging of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer, Mechanisms of optic nerve damage in glaucoma, Neuroprotection in glaucoma, Measurement of intraocular pressure, Drug delivery to eye, Cataract Surgery
Robert N. Weinreb, MD, is a clinician, surgeon, and scientist whose work has helped define how glaucoma is diagnosed and treated worldwide. Patients travel from across the globe for his diagnostic and surgical expertise.
He earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and studied electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a combination that has shaped a career at the intersection of medicine and engineering. In June 2026, he completed three five-year terms as Chair of the Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the Shiley Eye Institute at the University of California San Diego.
His clinical and research interests span the anterior and posterior segments of the eye: ocular imaging, glaucoma neuroprotection, glaucoma and cataract surgery, and the application of artificial intelligence to health care through the eye.
Dr. Weinreb has led the field’s major organizations, serving as President of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the World Glaucoma Association, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Glaucoma Society Foundation, and the Latin American Glaucoma Society.
His honors include the World Glaucoma Association Laureate Award, the International Council of Ophthalmology Bietti Medal, the University of Cambridge Watson Medal, and the American Glaucoma Society Innovator Award. He has been elected to The Ophthalmologist Hall of Fame and holds honorary membership in national societies worldwide, among them the Société Française d’Ophtalmologie.
He has delivered more than 180 named lectures and serves as Chief Editor of International Glaucoma Review and on the editorial board of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. He has trained more than 180 postdoctoral glaucoma fellows, 22 of whom now chair departments of their own; many others lead in academia and industry across the United States and around the world.
As of August 2026, his work had been cited approximately 106,000 times, and his h-index of 164 was the highest in glaucoma worldwide. Expertscape has ranked him the world’s leading glaucoma expert for several consecutive years, and The Ophthalmologist Power List ranked him second for influence in ophthalmology worldwide.
