UTMB’s newest addition to the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (OVS) brings three decades’ worth of knowledge and experience to the Galveston area. To longtime UTMB patients, he is also a trusted and familiar presence.
Fredericus (Erik) van Kuijk, MD, PhD, previously spent 16 years at UTMB starting in 1995, departing UTMB to become Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School in 2011. After retiring from the University of Minnesota last year, he returned to UTMB earlier this year to resume caring for the community he called home for so long.
“I had a pretty large following through word of mouth. Some of my patients who knew I was coming back, will come back to me,” he says.
Originally from the Netherlands, Dr. van Kuijk earned his MD degree and a PhD in Biochemistry at Radboud University Nijmegen in his native country.
During his first tenure at UTMB, he completed his internship in medicine, ophthalmology residency, and retina fellowship training, then rose in the faculty ranks to eventually serve as Professor, Vice Chair for Clinical Services, and Medical Director within OVS.
Now a Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota and part-time clinical faculty at UTMB, his practice is based in Galveston. As the department grows its presence on the mainland with additional faculty, his presence at the University Eye Center will help meet ongoing needs on the island.
Dr. van Kuijk generally sees an older patient population, with expertise in medical retina and inherited retinal degeneration. He also provides general ophthalmology care, including diabetic eye exams.
Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in older adults. With this condition, damage to the central part of the retina causes blurred or distorted central vision – affecting activities like reading and driving and recognizing faces.
Dr. van Kuijk joins Dr. Renuka Mopuru, UTMB’s only other ophthalmologist specializing in medical retina and inherited retinal degeneration, to help address this need among UTMB patients.
In addition to his clinical service, research has been a cornerstone of Dr. van Kuijk’s career. Much of his earlier research has centered on nutritional intervention to help slow the progression of macular degeneration.
He is currently a collaborator on an NIH-funded project to develop a new tool for low vision rehabilitation, which he says has the potential to improve vision for many patients.
He also continues an affiliation with Moorfields Eye Hospital (MEH) in London, UK, where he completed advanced medical retina training. He notes that Moorfields is a specialty referral center and had a famous patient near the time of his training – Queen Elizabeth II.
Today Dr. van Kuijk spends a week in person at the MEH campus every year to attend research meetings, and he participates in weekly virtual medical retina and electrophysiology conferences of Moorfields’ global network.
“If we have a question about a patient, we have 100 brains from all over the world to think about the case,” he says. “It’s a worldwide network, mainly of ophthalmologists trained at MEH, and we look at cases from all over the world.”
He also holds an honorary appointment at King’s College in London at the St. Thomas Hospital, the site of a large longitudinal UK Twin Registry study to evaluate risk factors for macular degeneration.
Throughout Dr. van Kuijk’s distinguished career, he has served on numerous professional boards and committees, including the ARVO Foundation and the American Ophthalmological Society. He has also held leadership roles in academia and medicine, such as President of the Minnesota Academy of Medicine.
 | Fredericus (Erik) van Kuijk, MD, PhD, currently sees patients at the UTMB Health University Eye Center in Galveston. Learn more about vision care services at UTMB Health. |