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Craig J. Chaya
( out of 548 reviews )

Craig J. Chaya, MD

Languages spoken: English, Thai

Clinical Locations

Primary Location

Midvalley Health Center

Moran Eye Center
243 East 6100 South
Murray , UT 84107

John A. Moran Eye Center

65 N Mario Capecchi
Salt Lake City , UT 84132

Redwood Health Center

1525 West 2100 South
Salt Lake City , UT 84119

Craig J. Chaya, MD, practices anterior segment ophthalmology and surgery, focusing on the medical and surgical management of routine/complex cataracts and glaucoma.

Dr. Chaya received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, and his BS degree from La Sierra University, Riverside, California. He completed residencies in internal medicine at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and ophthalmology at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Additionally, he received training in international ophthalmology as a Himalayan Cataract Project/Freedom Foundation Fellow in Kathmandu and Hetauda, Nepal, and completed a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Utah, John A. Moran Eye Center.

In addition to the main University of Utah campus location, he also practices at Moran’s clinics at the Redwood and Midvalley health centers, along with the Salt Lake Veterans Medical Center and Primary Children's Medical Center. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Utah Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Dr. Chaya has an interest in international ophthalmology and serves as Moran's Division Chief of Global Ophthalmology. He has worked as a consultant and volunteer in Guam, Micronesia, Ghana, Haiti, Thailand, and Nepal. His research interests include novel glaucoma surgical devices and international blindness prevention. His philosophy is to provide customized, compassionate eye care that considers the whole person.

Get to know Dr. Chaya by watching his profile video.

Specialties

Board Certification

American Board of Ophthalmology

Patient Rating

4.9 /5
( out of 548 reviews )

The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

Patient Comments

Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

REDWOOD HEALTH CENTER

Dr Chaya was wonderful from my visit in October and my surgery on Wednesday. He took time to explain things to me and took the unknown fear away.

REDWOOD HEALTH CENTER

Maybe my favorite doctor.

REDWOOD HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Chaya is a compassionate, caring physician who answered all my questions, explained the cataract surgical procedure thoroughly, and conducted the intricate surgical procedure which dramatically restored the deteriorated vision in my eye to 20/20. I'm beyond pleased with entire process and can hardly wait to have the other eye done.

REDWOOD HEALTH CENTER

Dr Chaya is incredible! His level of expertise is great and we could not have gotten more lucky when we started going to him for glaucoma care. He is absolutely the best provider of vision care.

MORAN EYE CENTER

Excellent!

REDWOOD HEALTH CENTER

I really like him. Very skilled, caring and professional.

MORAN EYE CENTER

Very patient and informative

MORAN EYE CENTER

Impressive provider! Knowledge base, evaluation, and bedside manners were unmatched!

REDWOOD HEALTH CENTER

Dr. Chaya is very kind, respectful, and also answers all questions very thoroughly.

Craig J. Chaya, MD, practices anterior segment ophthalmology and surgery, focusing on the medical and surgical management of routine/complex cataracts and glaucoma.

Dr. Chaya received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, and his BS degree from La Sierra University, Riverside, California. He completed residencies in internal medicine at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and ophthalmology at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Additionally, he received training in international ophthalmology as a Himalayan Cataract Project/Freedom Foundation Fellow in Kathmandu and Hetauda, Nepal, and completed a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Utah, John A. Moran Eye Center.

In addition to the main University of Utah campus location, he also practices at Moran’s clinics at the Redwood and Midvalley health centers, along with the Salt Lake Veterans Medical Center and Primary Children's Medical Center. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Utah Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Dr. Chaya has an interest in international ophthalmology and serves as Moran's Division Chief of Global Ophthalmology. He has worked as a consultant and volunteer in Guam, Micronesia, Ghana, Haiti, Thailand, and Nepal. His research interests include novel glaucoma surgical devices and international blindness prevention. His philosophy is to provide customized, compassionate eye care that considers the whole person.

Get to know Dr. Chaya by watching his profile video.

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences -Associate Professor (Clinical)
Board Certification
American Board of Ophthalmology

Education history

Undergraduate Human Biology - La Sierra University B.S.
Professional Medical Medicine - Loma Linda University M.D.
Internship Internal Medicine - West Los Angeles VAMC Intern
Residency Internal Medicine - West Los Angeles VAMC Resident
Chief Resident Internal Medicine - West Los Angeles VAMC Chief Resident
Residency Ophthalmology - Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Resident
Fellowship Glaucoma Fellowship/Clinical Instructor - University of Utah/John A. Moran Eye Center Fellow
Fellowship Small Incision Cataract Surgery/Glaucoma - Himalayan Cataract Project/Freedman Foundation Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Han S, Chaya C, Hoo GW (2006). Thrombolytic therapy for massive pulmonary embolism in a patient with a known intracranial tumor. J Intensive Care Med, 21(4), 240-245.
  2. Aung T, Ozaki M, Lee MC, Schlötzer-Schrehardt U, Thorleifsson G, Mizoguchi T, Igo RP Jr, Haripriya A, Williams SE, Astakhov YS, Orr AC, Burdon KP, Nakano S, Mori K, Abu-Amero K, Hauser M, Li Z, Prakadeeswari G, Bailey JNC, Cherecheanu AP, Kang JH, Nelson S, Hayashi K, Manabe SI, Kazama S, Zarnowski T, Inoue K, Irkec M, Coca-Prados M, Sugiyama K, Järvelä I, Schlottmann P, Lerner SF, Lamari H, Nilgün Y, Bikbov M, Park KH, Cha SC, Yamashiro K, Zenteno JC, Jonas JB, Kumar RS, Perera SA, Chan ASY, Kobakhidze N, George R, Vijaya L, Do T, Edward DP, de Juan Marcos L, Pakravan M, Moghimi S, Ideta R, Bach-Holm D, Kappelgaard P, Wirostko B, Thomas S, Gaston D, Bedard K, Greer WL, Yang Z, Chen X, Huang L, Sang J, Jia H, Jia L, Qiao C, Zhang H, Liu X, Zhao B, Wang YX, Xu L, Leruez S, Reynier P, Chichua G, Tabagari S, Uebe S, Zenkel M, Berner D, Mossböck G, Weisschuh N, Hoja U, Welge-Luessen UC, Mardin C, Founti P, Chatzikyriakidou A, Pappas T, Anastasopoulos E, Lambropoulos A, Ghosh A, Shetty R, Porporato N, Saravanan V, Venkatesh R, Shivkumar C, Kalpana N, Sarangapani S, Kanavi MR, Beni AN, Yazdani S, Lashay A, Naderifar H, Khatibi N, Fea A, Lavia C, Dallorto L, Rolle T, Frezzotti P, Paoli D, Salvi E, Manunta P, Mori Y, Miyata K, Higashide T, Chihara E, Ishiko S, Yoshida A, Yanagi M, Kiuchi Y, Ohashi T, Sakurai T, Sugimoto T, Chuman H, Aihara M, Inatani M, Miyake M, Gotoh N, Matsuda F, Yoshimura N, Ikeda Y, Ueno M, Sotozono C, Jeoung JW, Sagong M, Park KH, Ahn J, Cruz-Aguilar M, Ezzouhairi SM, Rafei A, Chong YF, Ng XY, Goh SR, Chen Y, Yong VHK, Khan MI, Olawoye OO, Ashaye AO, Ugbede I, Onakoya A, Kizor-Akaraiwe N, Teekhasaenee C, Suwan Y, Supakontanasan W, Okeke S, Uche NJ, Asimadu I, Ayub H, Akhtar F, Kosior-Jarecka E, Lukasik U, Lischinsky I, Castro V, Grossmann RP, Sunaric Megevand G, Roy S, Dervan E, Silke E, Rao A, Sahay P, Fornero P, Cuello O, Sivori D, Zompa T, Mills RA, Souzeau E, Mitchell P, Wang JJ, Hewitt AW, Coote M, Crowston JG, Astakhov SY, Akopov EL, Emelyanov A, Vysochinskaya V, Kazakbaeva G, Fayzrakhmanov R, Al-Obeidan SA, Owaidhah O, Aljasim LA, Chowbay B, Foo JN, Soh RQ, Sim KS, Xie Z, Cheong AWO, Mok SQ, Soo HM, Chen XY, Peh SQ, Heng KK, Husain R, Ho SL, Hillmer AM, Cheng CY, Escudero-Domínguez FA, González-Sarmiento R, Martinon-Torres F, Salas A, Pathanapitoon K, Hansapinyo L, Wanichwecharugruang B, Kitnarong N, Sakuntabhai A, Nguyn HX, Nguyn GTT, Nguyn TV, Zenz W, Binder A, Klobassa DS, Hibberd ML, Davila S, Herms S, Nöthen MM, Moebus S, Rautenbach RM, Ziskind A, Carmichael TR, Ramsay M, Álvarez L, García M, González-Iglesias H, Rodríguez-Calvo PP, Fernández-Vega Cueto L, Oguz Ç, Tamcelik N, Atalay E, Batu B, Aktas D, Kas'm B, Wilson MR, Coleman AL, Liu Y, Challa P, Herndon L, Kuchtey RW, Kuchtey J, Curtin K, Chaya CJ, Crandall A, Zangwill LM, Wong TY, Nakano M, Kinoshita S, den Hollander AI, Vesti E, Fingert JH, Lee RK, Sit AJ, Shingleton BJ, Wang N, Cusi D, Qamar R, Kraft P, Pericak-Vance MA, Raychaudhuri S, Heegaard S, Kivelä T, Reis A, Kruse FE, Weinreb RN, Pasquale LR, Haines JL, Thorsteinsdottir U, Jonasson F, Allingham RR, Milea D, Ritch R, Kubota T, Tashiro K, Vithana EN, Micheal S, Topouzis F, Craig JE, Dubina M, Sundaresan P, Stefansson K, Wiggs JL, Pasutto F, Khor CC (2017). Genetic association study of exfoliation syndrome identifies a protective rare variant at LOXL1 and five new susceptibility loci. Nat Genet, 49(7), 993-1004.
  3. Aung T, MD, Ozaki M, MD, Lee MC, MD, Chaya CJ, MD, et al (2017). Genetic association study of exfoliation syndrome identifies a protective rare variant at LOXL1 and five new susceptibility loci. Nat Genet, 49(7), 993-1004.
  4. Rajamani M, MD, Ramamurthy C, MD, Ramamurthy S, MD, Chaya CJ, MD, et al (2020). Outcome of a low-cost glaucoma drainage device with posterior chamber / pars plana insertion of the tube. Eye (Lond), 35, 901-9012.
  5. Paulson C, MD, Thomas SC, MD, Gonzalez O, MD, Taylor S, MD, Chaya CJ, MD, et al (2021). Exfoliation Syndrome in the Baja Verapaz Region of Guatemala. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 62(8), 70.
  6. Levin, AM, MD, Chaya CJ, MD, Simpson RG, MD. (2020). The burden of required preoperative history / physicals on veterans undergoing cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg, 46(6), 918.
  7. Schneider NG, Koury MA, Cortner C, Olmstead RE, Hartman N, Kleinman L, Kim A, Chaya C, Leaf D (2006). Preferences among four combination nicotine treatments. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 187(4), 476-485.
  8. Ramirez AM, Chaya CJ, Gordon LK, Giaconi JA (2008). A comparison of semiautomated versus manual Goldmann kinetic perimetry in patients with visually significant glaucoma. J Glaucoma, 17(2), 111-7.
  9. Bettis DI, Morshedi RG, Chaya C, Goldsmith J, Crandall A, Zabriskie N (2015). Trabeculectomy With Mitomycin C or Ahmed Valve Implantation in Eyes With Uveitic Glaucoma. J Glaucoma, 24(8), 591-9.
  10. Levin AM, Chaya CJ, Kahook MY, Wirostko BM (2021). Intraocular Pressure Elevation Following Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Injections: Short and Long-term Considerations.(Epub ahead of print). J Glaucoma.
  11. Barrett A, Chaya (2014). Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy: Blending Tradition With Innovation. 90, 87-8.
  12. Chaya CJ, McCoy Lori (2021). Global Outreach in the Era of COVID-19. 33-34.
  13. Conrady CD, MD, Shakoor A, MD, Patel R, MD, Chaya CJ, MD, et a (2020). Combined Phacoemulsification and Pars Plana Vitrectomy for the Treatment of Cataract in Patients With Noninfectious Uveitis. 4(5), 393-400.
  14. Agraz, D, MD, Phillips DL, MD, Chaya CJ, M Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy (GATT) with 5-O Prolene Suture. Submitted to Moran CORE August 2016.
  15. Weldy E, MD, Chaya CJ, M Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy (GATT) with iTrack catheter. Submitted to Moran CORE September 2016.
  16. Huang MJ, Samuelson TW, De Francesco T, Levin A, Sieck E, Gazzard G, Porter M, Gallardo M, Chang RT, Liu WW, Chaya C, Gulati S, Shah (2023). Managing primary open-angle glaucoma in the setting of suboptimal surgical outcomes in the fellow eye. Journal of cataract and refractive surgery, 49(7), 764.
  17. Wang B, Wallace RT, Musser JA, Chaya CJ, Kraus C (2024). Micropulse cyclophotocoagulation compared to continuous wave cyclophotocoagulation for the management of refractory pediatric glaucoma. PloS one, 19(1), e0291247.
  18. Ayesha A, Wallace RT, Mai AP, Simpson RG, Chaya C (2023). Iris atrophy after administration of Dexycu: Additional evidence and possible mechanism for a rare complication. American journal of ophthalmology case reports, 30, 101806.
  19. Sharfi D, Finklea B, Ehrlich JR, Chaya CJ, Farris BK, Macintosh P, Alter DC, Gilbert SS, Reiter S, Oliva MS, Pettey J, Tabin G, Chan RVP, O'Banion JA, American Academy of Ophthalmology Task Force on Academic Global Ophthalmolog (2023). Global Ophthalmology Fellowships: Then and Now. International ophthalmology clinics, 63(1), 33-38.
  20. Patil A, Swiston C, Wallace RT, Paulson C, Conley ME, McCoy L, Chaya C, Wirostko (2022). Exfoliation Syndrome and Exfoliation Glaucoma in the Navajo Nation. Vision (Basel, Switzerland), 6(4),
  21. Levin AM, McGlumphy EJ, Chaya CJ, Wirostko BM, Johnson T (2022). The utility of home tonometry for peri-interventional decision-making in glaucoma surgery: Case series. American journal of ophthalmology case reports, 28, 101689.
  22. Wallace RT, Murri M, McCoy L, Peralta E, Pettey JH, Chaya C (2022). Patterns of Blindness in the Navajo Nation: A 9-Year Study. Vision (Basel, Switzerland), 6(3),
  23. Asafali F, Rajamani M, Ramamurthy C, Chaya CJ, M (2023). Relationship of degrees of gonioscopy assisted transluminal trabeculotomy and trabecular shelf to success using a marker suture technique. Eye (London, England), 37(1), 132-138.
  24. Konuganti PY, Rajamani M, Chaya CJ, Ramamurthy (2024). Short-Term Outcomes of a Modified Safer Surgery Trabeculectomy Technique. Journal of current ophthalmology, 36(1), 23-30.
  25. Chaya CJ, Herndon LW, Lince J, Radcliffe N, Sadri E, Yadgarov A, Ianchulev (2024). Surgical Outcomes, Ocular Safety and Tolerability of Bio-Interventional Cyclodialysis with Allograft Scleral Reinforcement: Clinical Experience of More than 240 Cases. Journal of clinical medicine, 13(16),
  26. Ayesha A, Wallace RT, Mai AP, Simpson RG, Chaya C (2023). Iris atrophy after administration of Dexycu: Additional evidence and possible mechanism for a rare complication. American journal of ophthalmology case reports, 30, 101806.
  27. Sharfi D, Finklea B, Ehrlich JR, Chaya CJ, Farris BK, Macintosh P, Alter DC, Gilbert SS, Reiter S, Oliva MS, Pettey J, Tabin G, Chan RVP, O'Banion JA, American Academy of Ophthalmology Task Force on Academic Global Ophthalmolog (2023). Global Ophthalmology Fellowships: Then and Now. International ophthalmology clinics, 63(1), 33-38.

Review

  1. Asrani SG, McGlumphy EJ, Al-Aswad LA, Chaya CJ, Lin S, Musch DC, Pitha I, Robin AL, Wirostko B, Johnson T (2024). The relationship between intraocular pressure and glaucoma: An evolving concept. Progress in retinal and eye research, 103, 101303.

Book Chapter

  1. Pettey JH, Chaya C, Lavin K (2016). The Capsular Opening.

Case Report

  1. Liu ET, Seery LS, Arosemena A, Lamba T, Chaya C (2016). Corneal edema and keratitis following selective laser trabeculoplasty. American journal of ophthalmology case reports, 6, 48-51.

Video/Film/CD/Web/Podcast

  1. Ferguson T, Chaya C (2017). Supraciliary Microstent Implantation.
  2. Ferguson T, Chaya C (2017). Implantation of Two Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stents for POAG.
  3. Swan R, Chaya C (2016). Glaucoma Ahmed Tube Shunt.
  4. Swan R, Chaya C (2016). Phaco-Trabeculectomy.
  5. Nakatsuka AS, MD, Mifflin MD, MD, Chaya CJ, M (2020). Yamane Intraocular Lens Fixation in a Patient with a Large Iris Defect.