Bio

Dr Kataria was born and raised in London, England. After moving to Florida for high school and completing her undergraduate education at the University of Florida, she took the plunge and sped up the east coast to attend optometry school in Boston, Massachusetts. Focusing her academic career on ocular disease, she excelled in clinical assignments, achieving “Best Clinician Award” and Clinical Honors Standing. She was appointed the Presidential Scholarship all 4 years for her academic achievements. Dr Kataria was also the recipient of the esteemed John Carter, Net Witkin Leadership in Low Vision and NECO Alumni scholarships and contributed to research in myopia management in adjunct to the National Eye Institute. She was invited to the National Optometric Honor society, Beta Sigma Kappa, where she mentored students in clinical skills. After training at the world-renowned Bascom Palmer, she moved on to complete her residency in Ocular Disease at the Baltimore VAMC. Rotating through Wilmer Eye Institute at John’s Hopkins University allowed her numerous opportunities for managing complicated disease processes such as uveitic glaucoma and macular degeneration. She presented a poster at the American Academy of Optometry, outlining a case of Bilateral maculopathy secondary to use of Docetaxel and proceeded to submit a literature review of The effect of intra-vitreal injections in non-vitrectomized versus vitrectomized eyes. Following completion of residency, Dr Kataria then earned a Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry. She is passionate about educating healthcare professionals and colleagues about the growing prevalence of medical optometry.

Dr Kataria now practices as a medical optometrist in a multi-specialty ophthalmology group focusing primarily on the management of medical glaucoma and dry eye. She is always eager to mentor aspiring optometry students, often presenting as a guest lecturer on prominent medical optometry topics.

Community service and participation is invaluable to Dr Kataria, as she recently started a community service vision clinic in partnership with the local Salvation Army and Rotary Club. She travels to Central America for medical missions, providing free eye care to underserved populations. Her favorites are the communities of Nicaragua and the beautifully diverse country of Panama.

Dr Kataria is also a member of the California Optometric Association and previously served as a Board member of the local Optometric society.

In her spare time, she enjoys weightlifting, hiking along the scenic coastline of Southern California and reading historical fiction.

Speaking Topics

  • Leadership, Professional Development, Wellness
  • Eye Care Medical Optometry

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