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Paul Karpecki, O.D. is a nationally recognized optometrist with over three decades of experience specializing in cornea and external disease, particularly dry eye disease. He currently serves as Director of Cornea and external Disease at Kentucky Eye Institute. He is also an Associate Professor at the University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry where he teaches on corneal disease, infectious disease and anterior uveitis.
Dr. Karpecki began his academic journey at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with studies in science and business. He went on to complete his Doctor of Optometry degree with honors and Beta Sigma Kappa distinction at Indiana University. During his training, he completed several externships, including at the Pensacola Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Florida and Commonwealth Eye Services in Lexington, KY, followed by a residency at the Lexington Veterans Administration Medical Center.
He then pursued a postgraduate fellowship in medical cornea and refractive surgery at the Hunkeler Eye Clinic in Kansas City, affiliated with the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and the University of Kansas Department of Ophthalmology. There, he gained advanced experience in diagnosing and managing corneal disease, postoperative refractive care, and ocular surface disease protocols. Most recently, Dr. Karpecki completed a two-year preceptorship in advanced retinal disease management at Retina Associates of Kentucky, focusing on diagnostics and complex retinal pathology.
Dr. Karpecki is widely regarded as a pioneer in dry eye research and clinical care. He has served on the National Eye Institute’s Dry Eye Committee, co-chaired the Optometric Dry Eye Summit, contributed to the TFOS DEWS II Diagnostic Methodology subcommittee, TFOS DEWS III Treatment subcommittee and is a member of the Delphi International Society Wilmer-Johns Hopkins. He has also helped develop national guidelines and education protocols for dry eye disease management. Dr. Karpecki has served as co-chair of the last two TFOS Symposia and the upcoming symposia.
A prolific speaker and author, he has delivered more than 1,000 lectures across four continents and published extensively in journals, books, and clinical publications. He is the Chief Medical Editor of Review of Optometry and Director of Clinical Content. He also chairs the New Technology and Treatment Conferences and serves on the board as well as the position of Treasurer for the charity Optometry Giving Sight.
Outside of his clinical and academic roles, Dr. Karpecki values his faith, his wife Chandria, and their three children.
