Kanika Agarwal, MD
Ophthalmologist, Anterior segment, Cataract, LASIK & Refractive Laser Surgeon
About Dr. Agarwal
Dr. Kanika Agarwal is a fellowship trained associate surgeon at Tayani Institute. Prior to joining Tayani Institute, she was an Instructor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School in Boston and a member of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology and Refractive Surgery Services at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. She specializes in complex and premium cataract as well as refractive laser surgery, cross-linking and management of complex ocular surface diseases. She is also a fellowship director for a 2-year anterior segment fellowship in Guatemala and has a passion for international ophthalmology.
Dr. Agarwal is a native of Southern California, born and raised just outside of Los Angeles. She began her undergraduate education at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena and transferred to Brown University in Rhode Island, where she double majored in Human Biology and Economics. She received her medical degree from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Pennsylvania where she was inducted into the Arnold P. Gold Humanism Honor Society. She also received the John R. & Maureen J. Pesavento Community Service Award and the Jennifer A. Sidari M.D. Global Health Award. After a one-year transitional internship at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, she completed her ophthalmology residency training at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she served as chief resident. Dr. Agarwal then pursued a two-year Anterior Segment Fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Kathryn Hatch and Dr. Roberto Pineda at world renowned Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary / Harvard Medical School.
After her fellowship, Dr. Agarwal took an unpaid sabbatical to volunteer abroad in 5 low-income countries as a surgical ophthalmologist for 10 months. During this time, she also trained and educated a variety of personnel in these areas to promote sustainable eye care. She was a recipient of the Young International Surgeons Grant from the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery for her work. She continues to work with these programs both remotely and hands-on to optimize their delivery of eye care. She has current educational and surgical partnerships with hospitals in Guatemala, China and India.
After her sabbatical, Dr. Agarwal returned to Boston to join Harvard and Massachusetts Eye and Ear as a Clinical Instructor and member of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology and Refractive Surgery Services. She is excited to have the opportunity to finally return to Southern California to serve the communities she grew up in and be close to her family.
Dr. Agarwal has presented at several national conferences and won awards for her research in refractive surgery, cataract surgery, keratoconus, and treatment of ocular surface disease. She has published in several journals and textbooks and continues to work with industry to further the development and advancement of pharmaceutical and surgical devices.
In her spare time, Dr. Agarwal is a fitness enthusiast with a passion for running and playing tennis, traveling to international places off the beaten path, trying new restaurants and cuisines, visiting art exhibitions, listening to live music and most recently started learning the drums herself!
Dr. Agarwal is conversationally fluent in Hindi and Spanish.
To learn more about Dr. Agarwal’s international work or to donate, please ask her at your visit!