Nisha Acharya, MD
Elizabeth C. Proctor Distinguished Professor
Professor of Ophthalmology, UCSF
Director, Uveitis and Ocular Inflammatory Disease Service
Research Focus:
Dr. Acharya’s research focuses on the design and implementation of epidemiological studies to identify risk factors that impact clinical outcomes in ocular inflammatory diseases, as well as clinical trials aimed at determining optimal treatments. Her current projects include epidemiologic studies on immunosuppressive therapies, juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis, sarcoidosis, and the relationship between smoking and uveitis, along with clinical trials addressing corneal ulcers and uveitis.
Education and Training
- BS, MS: Stanford University – Biological Sciences, Health Services Research
- MD: University of California, San Francisco
- Internship: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School – Internal Medicine
- Residency: Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School – Ophthalmology
- Fellowship: Cornea and Uveitis, F.I. Proctor Foundation, UCSF
- Clinical Research Fellowship: UCSF Proctor Foundation / Genentech
Research Interests
Technology innovation, Ocular health, Immunology, Infectious diseases, Pharmacology, Emerging diseases
Global Research Regions
Australia, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Seychelles, United Kingdom, United States
Affiliations
UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences
Research Activities and Funding
- ADJUST Trial (Adalimumab withdrawal) – NIH UG1EY029658 (2019–2024), PI
- Herpes Zoster Vaccine and Ophthalmic Disease – NIH R01EY028739 (2018–2022), PI
- FAST Uveitis Trial – NIH U10EY021125 (2012–2019), PI
- Outcomes in Bacterial Keratitis – NIH K23EY017897 (2007–2012), PI
Clinical Trials
- Mindfulness Approach for Reducing Anxiety and Gloom in Ocular Inflammatory Diseases (Aug 2024–Aug 2025) – Active (not recruiting)
- Adalimumab in JIA‑associated Uveitis Stopping Trial (ADJUST) (Mar 2020–Apr 2025) – Completed
- Macular Edema Ranibizumab vs Intravitreal Anti‑inflammatory Therapy Trial (MERIT) (Mar 2017–Feb 2022) – Completed
- Methotrexate and Mycophenolate Mofetil for UVEITIS (Aug 2013–Aug 2018) – Completed
- Mycotic Ulcer Treatment Trial II: Oral Voriconazole vs Placebo (MUTT II) (May 2010–Mar 2016) – Completed
- Lucentis for Inflammatory Macular Edema Trial (Jul 2007–Dec 2009) – Completed
Most Cited Publications
- Subgroup analysis of the MARINA study of ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2007 Feb; 114(2):246–52.
- Ranibizumab for predominantly classic neovascular age-related macular degeneration: subgroup analysis of first-year ANCHOR results. Am J Ophthalmol. 2007 Dec; 144(6):850–857.
- The mycotic ulcer treatment trial: a randomized trial comparing natamycin vs voriconazole. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013 Apr; 131(4):422–9.
- Incidence and prevalence of uveitis: results from the Pacific Ocular Inflammation Study. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013 Nov; 131(11):1405–12.
- Illuminating uveitis: metagenomic deep sequencing identifies common and rare pathogens. Genome Med. 2016 Aug 25; 8(1):90.
- Corticosteroids for bacterial keratitis: the Steroids for Corneal Ulcers Trial (SCUT). Arch Ophthalmol. 2012 Feb; 130(2):143–50.
- Revised criteria of International Workshop on Ocular Sarcoidosis (IWOS) for the diagnosis of ocular sarcoidosis. Br J Ophthalmol. 2019 Oct; 103(10):1418–1422.
- Periocular Triamcinolone vs. Intravitreal Triamcinolone vs. Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant for the Treatment of Uveitic Macular Edema (POINT Trial). Ophthalmology. 2019 Feb; 126(2):283–295.
- Angiographic and optical coherence tomographic results of the MARINA study of ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmology. 2007 Oct; 114(10):1868–75.
- The clinical differentiation of bacterial and fungal keratitis: a photographic survey. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 Apr 2; 53(4):1787–91.
Recent Publications (2024–2025)
- Authors' reply to Herpes zoster vaccine and cardiovascular disease risk. J Infect Dis. 2025 Apr 30.
- Effectiveness of Frequently Used TNF Inhibitors vs. Conventional Immunosuppressive Therapies for Noninfectious Uveitis. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2025 Apr 15.
- Protective Effects of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine and Antiviral Therapy Against Cardiovascular Disease Following Herpes Zoster Infection. J Infect Dis. 2025 Feb 28.
- Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Initiation Therapy for Noninfectious Uveitis. Ophthalmol Sci. 2025 Jul–Aug; 5(4):100718.
- Stopping of adalimumab in juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis (ADJUST): a multicentre, double-masked, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2025 Jan 25; 405(10475):303–313.
- Recombinant zoster vaccine and the risk of dementia. Vaccine. 2025 Feb 6; 46:126673.
- Association between immunosuppressive medications and COVID-19 hospitalisation and death: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open. 2024 Dec 26; 14(12):e087467.
- Inhibition of choroidal osteoma progression using bisphosphonate and RANKL-inhibitory treatment. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2024 Dec 1; 36:102167.
- Multimodal Deep Learning for Differentiating Bacterial and Fungal Keratitis Using Prospective Representative Data. Ophthalmol Sci. 2025 Mar–Apr; 5(2):100665.
- Macular Edema Ranibizumab versus Intravitreal Anti-inflammatory Therapy Trial: 24-Week Outcomes of Uveitic Macular Edema Re-treatment. Ophthalmology. 2025 May; 132(5):527–537.
For full publication list, visit: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/nisha.acharya