Philosophy of Care

I strongly believe in patient education, and work with patients together as a team to develop their treatment plans. I encourage my patients to ask questions, and take the time to carefully explain their condition to them.

By helping each patient understand the nature of their eye disease, and also providing up-to-date information about clinical trials and retina research, I strive to help them make informed decisions about their eye care.

I strive to provide compassionate care to all my patients, and enjoy developing a long-term relationship of mutual trust and respect with each individual that I see.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Yiu is a board-certified vitreoretinal specialist and surgeon at the UC Davis Eye Center. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School, where his graduate research explored mechanisms of nervous system regeneration and earned him a dual MD-PhD degree. After residency at Harvard, he underwent a vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Duke University, where he also became involved in ocular imaging research to study age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy.

As a vitreoretinal specialist and surgeon at UC Davis, he specializes in both the medical and surgical management of various retinal diseases, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular conditions, retinal detachments, and macular diseases such as epiretinal membranes and macular holes. He is also a federally-funded clinician-scientist with expertise in AMD, diabetic retinopathy, gene therapy, ocular imaging, and telemedicine.

Research/Academic Interests

Dr. Yiu is involved in translational research to study the pathogenesis and develop therapies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other retinal diseases, with focuses on gene therapy, ocular imaging technologies, and animal models of retinal disease. He reported the first use of CRISPR-based genome editing as a treatment strategy for wet AMD, discovered the use of microneedles for suprachoroidal viral injections for gene delivery, and pioneered important studies on drusen evolution in rhesus monkeys. He also employs ocular imaging technologies to develop an optically-triggered animal model of geographic atrophy, and study vascular roles in retinal diseases. He currently serves as Director of the UC Davis Reading Center and Director of Tele-ophthalmology, where he has pioneered a tele-retinal screening program to expand eye screening among diabetic patients in Northern California.

His translational research program spans animal models from mice to non-human primates to human patients, and he is actively involved in major national clinical trials for new treatments for AMD and other retinal diseases. He has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, and has given lectures nationally and internationally. He is the editor of the textbook "Vitreoretinal Disorders", serves as editor and reviewer for several academic journals, and is a course lecturer at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Yiu has received numerous awards including the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship, the Heed Fellowship, the Retina Society Fellowship Research Award, and the Macula Society Evangelos S. Gragoudas Award. He is also supported by the National Eye Institute, the BrightFocus Foundation, the E Matilda Ziegler Foundation, the ARVO Foundation, Lions Club International Foundation, the Alcon Research Institute, the CITRIS/Banatao Institute, and the Macula Society. In 2016, he was named as one of 21 "Emerging Vision Scientists" by the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research for his cutting-edge research.

Division

Vitreo-Retinal Disease and Oncology