Comprehensive Retina Care at UCLA: Advanced Treatments and Expert Specialists

UCLA Health offers a wide array of services provided by retina disease specialists for patients with conditions affecting the retina. With a focus on research, comprehensive services, and coordinated care, UCLA Health stands as a leading institution for those seeking advanced treatment for retinal and eye genetic conditions.

Why Choose UCLA Health for Retina Disease Care?

UCLA Health is recognized for its commitment to providing cutting-edge care for retinal diseases. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UCLA Health among the top hospitals for ophthalmology. Several factors contribute to this distinction:

Research Focus: UCLA Health specialists actively participate in research, constantly exploring new treatment options in collaboration with leading retinologists and eye genetics experts. This commitment allows eligible patients access to new and promising treatments through clinical trials. For example, the Vision Rehabilitation Center has spearheaded studies to customize robotic devices that assist patients with low vision. They are also actively involved in developing gene therapies and novel treatments for inherited retinal conditions, collaborating with multiple research groups worldwide to ensure patients can participate in the most advanced research available.
Comprehensive Services: UCLA Health offers advanced diagnostic tools and treatment for all types of retinal conditions, including rare and inherited retinal disorders evaluated by retina specialist doctors. The Vision Genetics Center utilizes advanced genetic testing and counseling to diagnose and manage inherited retinal diseases, offering expert care for patients with conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, and von Hippel-Lindau disease.
Coordinated Care: Recognizing that many eye diseases require the expertise of multiple specialists, UCLA Health fosters close collaboration between physicians in ophthalmic genetics, endocrinology, and oncology, ensuring comprehensive and coordinated care.
Teaching and Training: UCLA Health is committed to training residents and fellows, drawing international audiences with its teaching courses. This dedication to education ensures that patients are treated by recognized, highly trained experts.

Areas of Care in Retina & Eye Genetics

UCLA Health's retinal disease specialists and ophthalmic genetics specialists offer a wide range of services through several specialized centers and programs:

Diabetic Eye Disease Care by Retina Specialists

The Diabetic Eye Disease and Retinal Vascular Center provides comprehensive eye care for individuals with diabetes. Specialists collaborate with other experts to ensure comprehensive care, and a research focus allows for the continual expansion of treatment options.

Macular Disease Treated by Retinologists

The Macular Disease Center focuses on researching and treating macular degeneration. Patients in the Center may be eligible for new treatments through clinical trials, and specialists collaborate with experts in the Vision Rehabilitation Center to help people with low vision increase function and maximize their quality of life.

Ophthalmic Genetics and Inherited Eye Genetics Care

UCLA Health physicians possess rare, specialized expertise in eye disorders with genetic factors. They utilize every necessary tool to diagnose genetic eye conditions, including new techniques available through clinical trials. Their ophthalmic genetics physicians have the advanced expertise required to interpret these tests, ensuring that accurate, detailed diagnoses are provided. As a designated Clinical Care Center for von Hippel-Lindau disease, UCLA Health also cares for patients with complex multisystem genetic conditions and actively participates in research and clinical trials aimed at developing gene-based and other emerging therapies for inherited retinal diseases.

Ophthalmic Oncology for Retina-Related Tumors

The Ophthalmic Oncology Center specializes in researching, diagnosing, and treating eye tumors. The Center has served as a hub for national, longstanding studies to research eye cancers and partners with specialists in the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center to deliver team-based, comprehensive care.

Vision Rehabilitation for Retinal Disease

The Vision Rehabilitation Center offers treatment for individuals with low vision, providing assistive devices or digital technology to increase vision ability. When appropriate, referrals to occupational therapy are made to provide further assistance with independent living.

Retinal Diseases Treated at UCLA Health

UCLA Health treats a comprehensive range of diseases that affect the retina, including genetic conditions and rare eye diseases. Some of the most common conditions treated include:

Achromatopsia (incomplete and complete): A genetic condition that affects the perception of colors and reduce the ability to see fine details (central vision acuity)
Albinism (ocular and oculocutaneous): A genetic disorder that leads to unusually light hair, skin and eyes and affects retinal and visual development
Choroideremia: A rare disorder causing progressive vision loss, usually starting with night blindness
Cohen syndrome: A rare genetic disorder affecting multiple parts of the body, often causing nearsightedness and tissue breakdown at the back of the eye (retinal dystrophy)
Cone-rod dystrophies: A group of disorders that leads to breakdown in the rods and cones, the light-sensitive cells of the retina
Congenital stationary night blindness: A group of retinal disorders that causes difficulty seeing in low light but do not lead to breakdown of the retina
Diabetic retinopathy: Damage to blood vessels in the eyes that can lead to vision loss and possibly blindness
Epiretinal membrane: Also referred to as “macular pucker”; a very thin layer of scar tissue that grows over the macula (part of the retina) in the back of the eye; causes blurry or distorted vision; surgery stops the worsening and can result in improvement
Inherited retinal disorders: A group of genetic disorders, including retinitis pigmentosa, that causes cell breakdown in the retina
Macular degeneration: A condition that causes blurred vision and vision loss, either due to leaky blood vessels or a deteriorating retina
Macular dystrophies: A group of disorders that causes breakdown in the macula, the central part of the retina containing a large concentration of light-sensitive cells
Macular hole: A small hole in the center of the light-sensitive eye tissue (retina) that causes blurred or distorted vision
Marfan syndrome: A genetic disorder that affects connective tissues, often causing multiple eye problems such as low vision, glaucoma, crossed eyes (strabismus) or retinal detachment
Phakomatoses (neurocutaneous syndromes): Neurological conditions, such as neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, Sturge-Weber syndrome and ataxia telangiectasia that can affect the eye, optic nerve and other parts of the body
Retinal detachment: A medical emergency that occurs when the layer of tissue in the back of the eye (retina) pulls away from supporting tissues and blood vessels
Retinal tear: A small break in the retina, often due to traumatic injury, aging or eye surgery
Retinitis pigmentosa (rod-cone dystrophy): A group of genetic disorders that cause retina damage and slow, progressive vision loss
Stargardt disease: A more specific form of macular dystrophy that causes vision loss due to buildup of material under the retina that primarily affects the macula and central vision
Usher syndrome (types I, II and III): A genetic condition that causes progressive hearing and vision loss
von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL): A type of phakomatoses that causes tumors and cysts to form throughout the body, including in the retina (retinal hemangioblastoma)

Treatments Offered for Retinal Disease

UCLA Health's retinal disease and ophthalmic genetics specialists offer a comprehensive range of treatments, including:

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Intravitreal injections: Injects medications directly into the vitreous, a jelly-like fluid near the retina at the back of the eye, to control infection, inflammation, diabetic retinopathy symptoms or certain types of age-related macular degeneration
Laser surgery: Uses a laser to heat small parts of the retina and repair a retinal tear
Low vision aids: Eyeglasses, contact lenses, magnifiers, computer technology and assistive robotic devices are common tools to help people with low vision
Pneumatic retinopexy: Injects gas or air into the eye to treat retinal detachment
Retinal reattachment: Surgically reattaches the retina to the back of the eye
Scatter laser photocoagulation: Reduces blood vessel leakage in the retina and prevents new blood vessels from forming, often used to treat retinal vascular disease such as diabetic retinopathy
Scleral buckling: Attaches a piece of silicone material to the eye's surface to relieve the pulling of retinal detachment
Vision rehabilitation: Specialists at our Vision Rehabilitation Center help patients maximize visual function and quality of life
Vitrectomy: Removes the jelly-like substance (vitreous gel) inside the eye and replaces it with air, gas or liquid; procedure may be used during treatment for a retinal tear or detachment, diabetic retinopathy, macular hole or eye trauma

Clinical Trials in Retinal Disease and Eye Genetics

UCLA Health specialists continually research promising new treatments and medications, such as gene therapies, for genetic eye diseases. Eligible patients may receive treatment through a clinical trial.

Evaluation and Management of Complications by Retina Specialists

UCLA Health specialists evaluate and identify complications arising from a genetic eye disease, such as fluid buildup between cells in the retina (macular edema) or early-onset cataracts. Others may develop red lesions (vascular lesions) or small deposits of protein and calcium on the nerve that help you see (optic nerve drusen). These complications are treated using advanced techniques and tools.

Genetic Testing and Counseling for Inherited Retinal Diseases

Genetic testing can identify mutations in genes, chromosomes or proteins that increase the risk of or cause genetic eye conditions. It can help with family planning and assessing at-risk family members and may also help identify patients who may qualify for clinical trials. The results can help experts confirm a diagnosis, recommend treatments to help manage the disorder, or refer to a clinical trial. Genetic counselors review the tests and provide information about what it means for patients and their families to have an inherited eye disease. When appropriate, patients may work with UCLA Health’s medical genetics program long-term to manage side effects or complications of a hereditary condition.

Meet the Team of Retina Specialists & Retinologists

UCLA Health's retinal disorders and ophthalmic genetics specialists are experts in identifying all types of rare and inherited eye diseases. The institution houses state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and treatment facilities, including a visual function laboratory that offers full-service electrophysiology testing.

Notable UCLA Retina Specialists

Christian Sanfilippo, MD: A graduate with honors from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Dr. Sanfilippo completed his ophthalmology residency training and vitreoretinal surgery fellowship training at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute. He has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and presented research at national conferences on a broad range of topics, including the use of multimodal imaging, wide-field angiography, and OCT angiography in the diagnosis and management of retinal disease. Dr. Sanfilippo has also written several book chapters on topics ranging from hereditary retinal diseases to inflammatory, infectious, and vascular conditions of the posterior segment.
Atul Jain, MD: Dr. Jain received his medical degree from UCLA, where he served as class president. He completed his internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and ophthalmology residency at Stanford University. Dr. Jain then completed a two-year fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Jain has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles in leading publications. Dr. Jain has been a principal investigator on multiple clinical trials and continues to do so because it allows him to bring his patients the treatments of tomorrow, today. His research interests include macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and advanced genetic screening for the prediction of macular degeneration.

The Legacy of the UCLA Stein Eye Institute

Established in 1966, the UCLA Stein Eye Institute vision-science campus was founded by Jules Stein, MD, and Bradley R. Straatsma, MD, JD. The Institute’s philosophy about patient care has been unaltered in 50 years: care is both the primary goal and the ultimate expression of the Institute’s research and education. Patient care has expanded and flourished since the Institute was founded; from 23,000 patient visits in the first full year, the Institute now treats more than 1,000 patients a day at the Westwood vision-science campus, and hundreds more at UCLA-affiliated hospitals and vision care centers across Southern California. The primary areas of basic vision science represented within the Institute are biophysics, chemistry and biochemistry, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular and cell biology, neurobiology, pharmacology and physiology.

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