Rabia Karani, MD, MPH

Meet Dr. Karani

Rabia Karani, MD, MPH, is a board-certified retina surgeon at Ophthalmology Consultants, serving patients in the St. Louis area. Dr. Karani graduated with Honors from Johns Hopkins University, where she received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for research, and also spent a semester at Oxford University in England. She earned her MD at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she was awarded the Harry C. Saltzstein Award in Medical Writing and an NIH TL1 Award to fund the completion of a Master of Public Health degree at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Karani went on to complete her ophthalmology residency at Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute where she received the Annual Resident Research Award. She returned to Johns Hopkins to complete her vitreoretinal surgery fellowship. There, she was the recipient of two consecutive Doximity Op-Med Fellowships, and was also selected to present at the Atlantic Coast Retina Conference.

Dr. Karani’s clinical experience has trained her to treat some of the most challenging cases in ophthalmology. She was a faculty member at the University of Texas Houston, where she cared for patients with complex retinal conditions, and helped teach ophthalmology residents and fellows. She has expertise in a broad range of retinal conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, macular hole/epiretinal membranes, macular edema, retinal detachments, and post-cataract complications. While in Texas, she gained extensive experience in treating medically and surgically advanced diabetic retinopathy.

She is currently an active writer and educator. She has contributed to and is actively working on several peer-reviewed and professional publications, presents at national conferences, and brings a public-health lens to individualized retinal care. Her research focuses include global health ophthalmology, diabetic retinopathy, and the use of novel ophthalmologic imaging techniques to improve daily retinal care. Her practice pattern blends advanced imaging, in-office procedures, and surgical expertise to help preserve and restore sight. She believes in a hands-on approach to her patients, and is committed to helping her patients maximize their vision. She strives to treat each patient with empathy and compassion, and endeavors to think about all of the systemic factors that may be contributing to a patient’s ocular disease.

Dr. Karani is now settled in St. Louis with her family, and enjoys exploring the beautiful parks in the area, visiting the city’s many museums and theaters, and diving into the local food scene. She is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Women in Ophthalmology, Vit-Buckle Society, and the American Society of Retinal Specialists. She speaks English, Spanish, and Urdu/Hindi.