About Dr. Karageozian
Dr. Karageozian is a board-certified ophthalmic surgeon with nearly 20 years of experience in virtually all aspects of comprehensive ophthalmology and has performed thousands of eye surgeries using the latest advances in technology with personalized attention to detail. In parallel, Dr. Karageozian is an industry veteran in ophthalmic drug development and research. He has more than 20 years of experience building, leading, and fundraising companies in the ophthalmic pharmaceutical space. A resourceful, disciplined, and driven leader, he brings a strong vision to companies he works with and the ability to inspire his team, investors, and advisors to share the same vision. Dr. Karageozian was the co-founder of ISTA Pharmaceuticals (sold to Bausch & Lomb), Chief Medical Officer at Vitreoretinal Technologies (sold to Kato Pharmaceuticals), and until recently led Allegro Ophthalmics.
Dr. Karageozian received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1991 and his Medical Degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1995. He did his Internal Medicine Internship at UCLA from 1995-1996, and his Ophthalmology Residency at the UC Irvine Department of Ophthalmology from 1997-2000 where he was the Chief Resident.
As both the co-founder and CEO of Allegro Ophthalmics, Dr. Karageozian invented and developed a new class of drugs to restore vision in dry macular degeneration, a condition that affects several of his family members. He was the founder and a Board Member of Newport Bay Surgery Center, and the co-founder and CMO of Vitreoretinal Technologies where he invented and developed the medication Vitreosolve® to aid in diabetic retinopathy. He practiced as an ophthalmic surgeon, co-founder, and Managing Partner at Clarity Eye Group from 2000-2018. He was also the co-founder of ISTA Pharmaceuticals which developed several medications currently used after cataract surgery and glaucoma, including Xibrom®, Prolensa®, and Istalol®.
Dr. Karageozian is a prolific inventor with 87 issued patents in the US and worldwide in ophthalmic biotech and drug development.
Outside of the clinic, Dr. Karageozian enjoys spending time with his wife, three children, and a large extended family that all live nearby.
Much of Dr. Karageozian’s free time is spent hiking, biking, and working out. He loves reading, gardening, and traveling. He is an avid movie buff, techie, foodie, and wine collector.
He is also a prolific inventor and all-around tinkerer constantly learning new skills and concepts both inside and outside of medicine.