Get to Know Dr. Okeke

Dr. Constance Okeke is a highly regarded cataract surgeon and a leader in micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). Among her many pioneering accomplishments in treating glaucoma and cataracts, she was the first in the Hampton Roads area to offer iStent and the first in the country to combine Trabectome glaucoma surgery with femtosecond laser in cataract surgery.

Dr. Okeke joined Virginia Eye Consultants in July, 2009. Prior to that, she practiced ophthalmology as a glaucoma specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Scheie Eye Institute in Philadelphia, where she headed the glaucoma division’s clinical research efforts. In addition to clinical and surgical management of complex glaucoma, she was also the Director of the community outreach efforts for screening for glaucoma and other common eye diseases in the community of West Philadelphia.

Dr. Okeke went to both undergraduate and medical school at the prestigious Yale University in New Haven, CT, where she won several awards for her academic achievements and research efforts. She then moved on to Baltimore, MD where she performed her residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Okeke pursued subspecialty fellowship training in glaucoma at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Dr. Okeke has extensive experience in clinical research and has designed and implemented numerous clinical trials and serves as a reviewer for many professional journals. She is a passionate advocate of peer-to-peer education and has undertaken numerous proctoring and training initiatives to support a number of innovative new treatment techniques in the management of glaucoma. She sits on the editorial advisory board of Glaucoma Today, Collaborative Eye, and Glaucoma Physician journals.

Dr. Okeke also has educational YouTube channels featuring glaucoma surgical techniques: iGlaucoma (for eye care professionals) and iGlaucomaPatient (for patient education and support).  She is also the author of The Building Blocks of Trabectome Surgery Vol.1, which discusses patient candidacy and best practices for ophthalmologists performing Trabectome surgery. Additionally, as part of her effort to educate patients, she wrote The Glaucoma Guidebook: Learn the Risks and Save Your Sight – An Expert’s 12 Tips to Prevent Blindness, coming out soon.

When she is not working, Dr. Okeke enjoys spending time with her husband and their three beautiful children. They enjoy family time, especially the Okeke traditional Friday family movie nights. She also loves to laugh and a favorite pastime with her husband is to watch live comedy. Dr. Okeke may be very soft spoken, but she does know how to turn up the volume. She was a football cheerleader in high school and team captain of the squad for two of the four years. Go Eagles!

Assistant Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Author of “The Building Blocks of Trabectome Surgery Vol.1”
Author of “Glaucoma? Learn the Risks and Save Your Sight”