Dry Eye Disease: A Practical Guide

Francis S. Mah, MD has practiced ophthalmology since 2000 with an emphasis in corneal, laser, and cataract surgery.
After undergraduate studies at Cornell University and Dartmouth College, he attended the Medical College of Ohio, graduating at the top of his class. After a residency which included a year as chief resident at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, he earned a fellowship in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery and went on to participate in the clinical research training program. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Mah received numerous awards, such as the Pharmacia and Upjohn Outstanding Resident Award and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Senior Achievement Award.

Upon completion of his training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Mah joined the school’s faculty, serving as director of the Clinical Vision Research Center and the Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory, codirector of the Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery Service, and director of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Mah also served as medical director of the Center for Organ Recovery & Education Eye Bank and as team ophthalmologist for the National Football League Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dr. Mah is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles ranging from dry eye to LASIK surgery to infectious diseases of the external eye. He has published numerous abstracts and delivered a wide range of presentations on 6 continents. Dr. Mah serves in several leadership positions, including chair of the Cornea Clinical Committee, and as a member of the US Food and Drug Administration Committee for American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and as cochair of the Cornea Preferred Practice Patterns for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He also completed a 5-year term as the Executive Vice President of Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group.

Currently, Dr. Mah is the director of the Cornea and External Disease Service, and codirector of the Refractive Surgery Service at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California.


Michelle K. Rhee, MD is a cornea and cataract surgeon, with special interests in dry eye, eye banking, and contact lens safety. She is an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the medical director of the Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration in New York, and the president of the Eye and Contact Lens Association (CLAO). Following studies in piano, cello, and music composition at the Juilliard School, Dr. Rhee graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University. She was selected for the early admission humanities and medicine program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Rhee completed her residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, followed by cornea fellowship at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. She also completed training at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in medical acupuncture for physicians.

Dr. Rhee serves on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ophthalmic News and Education Network, the Preferred Practice Pattern Cornea Panel, and was selected for the 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology Leadership Development Program. She also chairs the scientific program committee of the Eye Bank Association of America. She has a secondary appointment in the department of medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine, where she directed an ophthalmology elective for medical students. In addition to authoring articles, Dr. Rhee has lectured nationally and internationally on contact lens safety, eye banking, and cataract and refractive surgery.