About Us

Christopher J. Rapuano, MD

Chris Rapuano MD

Dr. Rapuano joined the Cornea Service at Wills Eye Hospital in 1991 after his fellowship with Dr. Jay Krachmer at the University of Iowa and his residency at Wills. Dr. Rapuano is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in corneal diseases, with a special interest in refractive surgery. He has published several books, numerous book chapters and over 250 articles in the peer-reviewed literature on corneal diseases, refractive surgery and excimer laser PTK surgery. During his ophthalmology residency, Dr. Rapuano co-authored a best-selling textbook in ophthalmology, The Wills Eye Manual, which is currently in its 8th edition. He is also the series editor for the Wills Eye Color Atlas Series, which is in its 4th edition. Dr. Rapuano has served on many committees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, including chairing the Cornea Preferred Practice Patterns Committee. He is currently the AAO’s Senior Secretary for Clinical Education. He received the Achievement Award, Senior Achievement Award, Life Achievement Honor Award and Secretariat Award (four times) from the AAO. He was recently nominated to be the President-Elect of the AAO. He is a member of the Board of Directors of OMIC and Chair of the Claims Committee. He is on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals including Cornea and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook of Ophthalmology for 14 years. He has been President of the Cornea Society. In 2023, he received the Claes Dohlman Award for a lifetime of teaching excellence in the field of cornea and external disease by the Cornea Society. Dr. Rapuano was named to the “Power List” of the 100 most influential ophthalmologists in the world by The Ophthalmologist Magazine in 2023 & 2024. He is a member of the American Ophthalmological Society; his thesis involved outcomes of excimer laser PTK in patients with corneal stromal dystrophies. He has 4 children and one grandchild and lives with his wife in the Philadelphia suburbs.