The Harvard Pediatric Retina Lab
A division of Mass Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School
Our Work
We are dedicated to advancing care for retinal diseases through a blend of clinical insight, imaging technology, and data-driven research. The team focuses on three main areas: retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), sickle cell disease (SCD), and adult retinal disorders. We seek to better understand disease progression and tailor care to individual patients, emphasizing early detection and holistic care. With a vision to address disparities in eye health while improving patient outcomes and healthcare sustainability, we leverage innovative tools including AI, large datasets, and novel imaging modalities to serve patients at all stages of life.
You can learn more about the lab’s work and Dr. Patel’s publications through his PubMed and Harvard Catalyst profiles.
Retinopathy of Prematurity
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) affects premature infants receiving oxygen therapy, causing pathological vessel growth in the retina that can progress to retinal detachment and vision loss. While advances in neonatal care and screening have improved ROP outcomes, disparities persist worldwide and international guidelines are much-needed. Our group has begun working with some African countries to produce unified, risk-stratified screening protocols.
The Retinopathy of Prematurity Injection Consortium (ROPIC), led by Dr. Patel, seeks to facilitate this goal by comparing re-treatment rates between the US and non-US countries after certain injections for ROP treatment, looking to compare and standardize best practices internationally. In addition, technological advances such as TeleROP, which screens newborns for ROP remotely, also promise to improve accessibility and potentially alleviate disparities in care worldwide.
Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy that distorts red blood cells into maladaptive shapes that impair the body’s oxygen delivery capacity and causing microvascular damage. In the pediatric retina, SCD can lead to vision threatening complications such as proliferative sickle cell retinopathy (PSR), retinal hemorrhage, and choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
Our lab investigates the progression of retinal manifestations in children with SCD through advanced imaging and longitudinal analysis. We are also investigating retinal vascular imaging biomarkers in pediatric SCD that demonstrate significant correlation with systemic disease severity and cerebrovascular complications.
Adult Retina
We are investigating a number of different adult retina diseases and operations: the factors influencing operative times and outcomes in scleral buckle surgeries, cost analyses of digital therapeutics for amblyopia, and retinal detachment surgery outcomes.
For each of these studies, we continue to build databases and also for other sectors including secondary intraocular lens implantation (IOL), central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), open globe injuries, and ophthalmic examinations under anesthesia.
Publications
So Many Injections, So Much Waste: Understanding the Environmental Impact of Intravitreal Injections
Grodsky, Jacob D.; Schehlein, Emily M.; Chang, David F.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Scott, Nathan L.; Cole, Emily D.; Berrocal, Audina M.; Kim, Judy E.; Emerson, Geoffrey G.; ASRS Sustainability Committee
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264241308496
Temporal B-Scan Ultrasonography Findings and their Relation to Visual Outcomes in Endophthalmitis
Cotton, Caroline; Hoyek, Sandra; McTavish, Sloane; Tieger, Marisa; Chaaya, Celine; Rossin, Elizabeth; Wu, David; Harris, James; Patel, Nimesh A.
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264251364818
Timing of Retinopathy of Prematurity Diagnosis and Treatment in Micro-Premature and Nano-Premature Infants during Inpatient Screening
Yuan, Melissa; Altamirano, Francisco; Hu, Daniel; Hoyek, Sandra; Chaaya, Celine; Abidi, Muhammad; De Bruyn, Hanna; Fulton, Anne; Mantagos, Iason S.; Wu, Carolyn; Gonzalez, Efren; VanderVeen, Deborah K.; Gise, Ryan; Patel, Nimesh A.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2025
10.1016/j.oret.2025.05.026
Long-Term Outcomes of 4-Point Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene and 2-Point Polypropylene Fixation of Scleral-Sutured Intraocular Lenses
Herskowitz, William R.; Lai, James M.; Nguyen, Benjamin; Mar, Jessica; Merikansky, Salomon; Allaf, Abdulrahman; Zhou, Kevin K.; Rohowetz, Landon J.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Yannuzzi, Nicolas A.
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264251400720
Autofluorescence-Enabled Visualization of Macular Photostress Recovery
Meshkin, Ryan S.; Chaaya, Celine; Patel, Nimesh A.
OSLI Retina; 2025
10.3928/23258160-20250805-07
Environmental and Financial Cost Savings With Low-Consumption Intravitreal Injection Techniques
Hu, Daniel J.; Pandiri, Srujay; Chaaya, Celine; Cole, Emily D.; Grodsky, Jacob D.; Scott, Nathan L.; Berrocal, Audina M.; Surakiatchanukul, Thamolwan; Kim, Judy E.; Chang, David F.; Emerson, Geoffrey G.; Schehlein, Emily; Patel, Nimesh A.
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264251388104
Ultra-Widefield Swept-Source OCTA Findings in Coats Plus Syndrome
Chaaya, Celine; Ploumi, Ioanna; Pandiri, Srujay; Ding, Xinyi; Hoyek, Sandra; Chen, Chong; Nodecker, Kayla N.; Kim, Audrey; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.
OSLI Retina; 2025
10.3928/23258160-20250417-02
Expanded Field OCTA Biomarkers Associated with Future Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy
Lu, Edward S.; Cui, Ying; Phu, Krystal K.; Ding, Xinyi; Nodecker, Kayla N.; Le, Rongrong; Zhu, Ying; Garg, Itika; Baldwin, Grace; Rodriguez, Jocelyn; Finn, Matthew J.; Razavi, Peyman; Laíns, Inês; Wu, David M.; Husain, Deeba; Kim, Leo A.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Miller, John B.
Retina; 2025
10.1097/IAE.0000000000004695
Validation of the "TWO-ROP" Algorithm at a Multi-Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Tertiary Referral Center
Patel, Nimesh A.; Altamirano, Francisco; Hoyek, Sandra; De Bruyn, Hanna; Fulton, Anne; Gise, Ryan; Mantagos, Iason S.; Wu, Carolyn; Gonzalez, Efren; VanderVeen, Deborah K.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2025
10.1016/j.oret.2024.07.010
Subretinal Hemorrhage Associated With Scleral Buckle Surgery for Retinal Detachment: A Consecutive Case Series
Pandiri, Srujay; Patel, Pooja; Meshkin, Ryan S.; Chaaya, Celine; Woodard, Richmond; Fazal, Owais; Stovall, Nasir M.; Hoffman, Samantha E.; Hoyek, Sandra; Miller, John B.; Patel, Nimesh A.
OSLI Retina; 2025
10.3928/23258160-20250818-01
Late Reactivation of Retinopathy in a Treatment-Naive Female Adult Patient With History of Prematurity and ZNF408 Mutation
Sperber, Jacob; Hoyek, Sandra; Chaaya, Celine; Pandiri, Srujay; Patel, Nimesh A.
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264251393951
Comparison of Adult and Pediatric Eyes With Coats Disease Using Multimodal Imaging
Hoyek, Sandra; Patel, Nimesh A.; Parikh, Ayush Ashit; Yaghy, Antonio; Mukai, Shizuo; Baumal, Caroline R.
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264251355635
Correlation between quantitative OCT metrics and contrast sensitivity function in retinal artery occlusion
Chen, Chong; Sastry, Rajiv M.; Wang, Leiyu; Romano, Francesco; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Ding, Xinyi; Zhu, Ying; Ploumi, Ioanna; Garg, Itika; Nodecker, Kayla Nicole; Gumustop, Selin S.; Shah, Shivesh Himanshu; Bannerman, Augustine; Overbey, Katherine; Stettler, Isabella; Bennett, Cade F.; Laíns, Inês; Patel, Nimesh A.; Kim, Leo; Vavvas, Demetrios; Husain, Deeba; Miller, Joan W.; Miller, John B.
Br J Ophthalmol; 2025
10.1136/bjo-2025-327641
Nondiabetic Vitreous Hemorrhage: A Review of Management Strategy and Outcomes
Strand, Eric; Meshkin, Ryan S.; Hoyek, Sandra; Miller, John B.; Patel, Nimesh A.
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240620-01
A Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Avacincaptad Pegol for the Treatment of Geographic Atrophy with Comparison to Pegcetacoplan
Patel, Nimesh A.; Hoyek, Sandra; Al-Khersan, Hasenin; Yannuzzi, Nicolas A.; Smiddy, William E.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2024
10.1016/j.oret.2024.05.011
Fluorescein Angiography Parameters in Premature Neonates
da Cruz, Natasha F. S.; Hoyek, Sandra; Sengillo, Jesse D.; Rodríguez, Ana; de Oliveira, Giselle; Negron, Catherin I.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Berrocal, Audina M.
Ophthalmol Sci; 2024
10.1016/j.xops.2024.100561
Cross-Sectional Survey of Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship Training in Secondary Intraocular Lens Placement
Ghalibafan, Seyyedehfatemeh; Cai, Louis Z.; Chou, Brandon Graham; Patel, Nimesh A.; Shaheen, Abdulla; Yannuzzi, Nicolas A.
JVRD; 2024
10.1177/24741264241261440
Full-Thickness Macular Hole in a Pediatric Patient With Normal Vision
Forati, Rasadokht; Hoyek, Sandra; Romano, Francesco; Miller, John B.; Patel, Nimesh A.
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240621-02
Associations of quantitative contrast sensitivity with vascular metrics on widefield swept-source OCT angiography across stages of diabetic retinopathy
Vingopoulos, Filippos; Baldwin, Grace; Katz, Raviv; Cui, Ying; Moon, Jade Y.; Garg, Itika; Zeng, Rebecca; Patel, Nimesh A.; Wu, David; Husain, Deeba; Miller, Joan W.; Kim, Leo A.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Miller, John B.
Br J Ophthalmol; 2024
10.1136/bjo-2023-323900
Contrast Sensitivity Better Reflects Wide-Field Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Vascular Metrics Among Healthy Eyes Compared to Visual Acuity
Baldwin, Grace; Tracy, Jack; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Munsell, Mary; Bennett, Cade; Rodriguez, Jocelyn Marie; Choi, Hanna; Garg, Itika; Tandias, Rachel; Wescott, Hannah; Finn, Matthew J.; Razavi, Peyman; Bannerman, Augustine; Zeng, Rebecca; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Husain, Deeba; Kim, Leo A.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240411-01
Recovery of Vision in Open Globe Injury Patients with Initial No Light Perception Vision
Sherif, Noha A.; Hoyek, Sandra; Wai, Karen; Makhoul, Kevin G.; Bitar, Racquel; Tieger, Marisa; Lorch, Alice C.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Armstrong, Grayson W.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2024
10.1016/j.oret.2024.04.010
HYPERACUTE CUTIBACTERIUM ACNES ENDOPHTHALMITIS AFTER CATARACT SURGERY
Hauser, Blake M.; Hoyek, Sandra; Greenstein, Scott H.; Patel, Nimesh A.
Retin Cases Brief Rep; 2024
10.1097/ICB.0000000000001450
Choriocapillaris Loss in a Pediatric Patient With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Seen on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Kozek, Lindsay K.; Morcos, David; Hoyek, Sandra; Patel, Nimesh A.
JVRD; 2024
10.1177/24741264241271707
Nystagmus and Foveal Hypoplasia in a Carrier of Oculocutaneous Albinism
Arora, Neha; Hoyek, Sandra; Patel, Nimesh A.
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240207-03
Academic versus Community Retinal Surgery for Primary Retinal Detachment: Characteristics, Duration, and Value Analysis of Teaching Modifier
Meshkin, Ryan S.; Blumenthal, Jonah; Hoyek, Sandra; Strand, Eric; Manz, Sarah; Akrobetu, Dennis; Feng, Yilin; Miller, John B.; Patel, Nimesh A.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2024
10.1016/j.oret.2024.04.021
Improved Visual Outcomes With Dedicated Retina Call Block Time in Primary Retinal Detachment Repair
Finn, Matthew J.; Martinez-Velazque, Luis; Zeng, Rebecca; Feng, Yilin; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.
OSLI Retina; 2025
10.3928/23258160-20240813-01
Clinical Characteristics, Outcomes, and Complications Associated With Delayed Diagnosis of Intraocular Foreign Body
Yuan, Melissa; Kozek, Lindsay K.; Hoyek, Sandra; Davila, Jose; Kim, Leo; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Gong, Dan; Young, Lucy; Wu, Frances; Armstrong, Grayson; Eliott, Dean; Breazzano, Mark P.; Seth, Rajeev; Russell, Jonathan F.; Sengillo, Jesse; Lin, Benjamin; Fowler, Benjamin; Sobrin, Lucia; Miller, John B.; Patel, Nimesh A.
JVRD; 2025
10.1177/24741264251339090
INCIDENCE OF STEROID-RELATED OCULAR HYPERTENSION AND CATARACT FORMATION AFTER SUB-TENON TRIAMCINOLONE IN NONUVEITIC PEDIATRIC PATIENTS
Patel, Nimesh A.; Hoyek, Sandra; López-Font, Francisco J.; Shah, Serena; Ha, Sierra; da Cruz, Natasha F. S.; Vu, Daniel M.; Chang, Ta Chen; Berrocal, Audina M.
Retina; 2025
10.1097/IAE.0000000000004272
Clinical and imaging characteristics associated with foveal neovascularization in proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Yuan, Melissa; Romano, Francesco; Ding, Xinyi; Garcia, Mauricio; Garg, Itika; Overbey, Katherine Millner; Bennett, Cade; Ploumi, Ioanna; Stettler, Isabella; Lains, Ines; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Rodriguez, Jocelyn; Patel, Nimesh A.; Kim, Leo A.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Husain, Deeba; Miller, Joan W.; Miller, John B.
Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol; 2025
10.1007/s00417-024-06660-1
Ophthalmological manifestations in a cohort of Cowden syndrome patients in a large tertiary healthcare system
Baroutis, Konstantinos G.; Hoyek, Sandra; Correa, Victor S. M. C.; Ntentakis, Dimitrios P.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.
Eye; 2025
10.1038/s41433-025-03966-0
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PREDOMINANT PERIPHERAL LESIONS AND SYSTEMIC COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES MELLITUS
Ploumi, Ioanna; Ding, Xinyi; Romano, Francesco; Gan, Jenny; Lu, Edward S.; Cui, Ying; Phu, Krystal; Zhu, Ying; Nodecker, Kayla N.; Shah, Shivesh H.; Ntentakis, Dimitrios P.; Garg, Itika; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Husain, Deeba; Kim, Leo A.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.
Retina; 2025
10.1097/IAE.0000000000004620
Increasing Incidence of Retinal Vein Occlusion Among Young Adults Following the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shah, Shivesh H.; Lu, Edward S.; Ploumi, Ioanna; Hoyek, Sandra; Nodecker, Kayla; Gumustop, Selin; Wagner, Sarah L.; Ding, Xinyi; Zhu, Ying; Chen, Chong; Kim, Leo A.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Miller, Joan W.; Husain, Deeba; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.
OSLI Retina; 2025
10.3928/23258160-20250701-01
Expanded Field OCT Angiography Biomarkers for Predicting Clinically Significant Outcomes in Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Ding, Xinyi; Romano, Francesco; Garg, Itika; Gan, Jenny; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Garcia, Mauricio D.; Overbey, Katherine M.; Cui, Ying; Zhu, Ying; Bennett, Cade F.; Stettler, Isabella; Shan, Mridula; Finn, Matthew J.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Husain, Deeba; Patel, Nimesh A.; Kim, Leo A.; Miller, John B.
AJO; 2025
10.1016/j.ajo.2024.10.016
Wearable health devices for pediatric ophthalmology
Ikram, Naira; Patel, Nimesh A.; Kvedar, Joseph C.
npj Digit Med; 2025
10.1038/s41746-025-01718-8
Clinical characteristics and management outcomes of pediatric full-thickness macular holes
Parikh, Ayush A.; Hoyek, Sandra; Cakir, Bertan; Chaaya, Celine; Mukai, Shizuo; Patel, Nimesh A.
Can J Ophthalmol; 2025
10.1016/j.jcjo.2025.10.007
INTRAVITREAL SUSTAINED RELEASE STEROID IMPLANTS ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS WITH GLAUCOMA DRAINAGE DEVICES
Zhou, Henry W.; Tandias, Rachel; Lu, Edward S.; Hoyek, Sandra; Lin, Michael M.; Miller, John B.; Valle, David Sol√°-Del; Patel, Nimesh A.
Retina; 2025
10.1097/IAE.0000000000004396
ASSESSING THE REPEATABILITY OF INNER CHOROID FLOW DEFICIT PERCENTAGE IN INTERMEDIATE AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION AND CONTROLS: A Comparative Study Between Different Post-Processing Approaches
Romano, Francesco; Ding, Xinyi; Garcia, Mauricio; Zhao, Yan; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Garg, Itika; Stettler, Isabella; Bennett, Cade; Overbey, Katherine; Finn, Matthew J.; Ploumi, Ioanna; Laìns, Inês; Patel, Nimesh A.; Wu, David M.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Husain, Deeba; Miller, Joan W.; Miller, John B.
Retina; 2025
10.1097/IAE.0000000000004345
Ultrawidefield Swept-Source OCT Angiography of Retinopathy of Prematurity
Ploumi, Ioanna; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.
Ophthalmology; 2025
10.1016/j.ophtha.2024.07.023
Assessment of Microvascular Changes After Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Repair Using Wide-Field Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Tandias, Rachel; Garg, Itika; Duich, Margaret J.; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Katz, Raviv; Zeng, Rebecca; Kim, Leo A.; Husain, Deeba; Eliott, Dean; Patel, Nimesh A.; Miller, John B.; Tandias, Rachel; Garg, Itika
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240130-01
Faricimab in Previously Treated Eyes With Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Assessment of Durability and Treatment Outcomes
Shaheen, Abdulla; Ashkenazy, Noy; Magraner, Maria; Patel, Nimesh A.; Fortun, Jorge; Rosenfeld, Philip J.; Schwartz, Stephen G.; Haddock, Luis J.; Dubovy, Sander R.; Sridhar, Jayanth; Yehoshua, Zohar; Kovach, Jaclyn L.; Townsend, Justin H.; Smiddy, William E.; Flynn, Harry W.; Yannuzzi, Nicolas A.
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240410-04
Neonatal Macular Hemorrhage in a Term Healthy Infant: 18-Year Follow-up
Moshfeghi, Henry P.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Callaway, Natalia Fijalkowski
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240222-01
Reply
Patel, Nimesh A.; Al-Khersan, Hasenin; Yannuzzi, Nicolas A.; Lin, James; Smiddy, William E.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2024
10.1016/j.oret.2024.04.007
MENISCUS MICROPYON: An Ophthalmoscopic Sign Possibly Associated With Epiretinal Proliferation After Retinal Surgery With Gas Tamponade
Russell, Jonathan F.; Fowler, Benjamin J.; Al-Khersan, Hasenin; Lazzarini, Thomas A.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Syed, Nasreen A.; Russell, Stephen R.
Retina; 2024
10.1097/IAE.0000000000004176
Widefield, Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Metrics as Predictors of Anti-VEGF Treatment in Retinal Vein Occlusions
Finn, Matthew J.; Baldwin, Grace; Lains, Ines; Garg, Itika; Wescott, Hannah; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Zeng, Rebecca; Choi, Hanna; Tracy, Jack; Razavi, Peyman; Sayeh, Diane; Patel, Nimesh A.; Wu, David M.; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Miller, John B.
OSLI Retina; 2024
10.3928/23258160-20240208-02
Pediatric Traumatic Macular Hole-A Review
Cakir, Bertan; Hoyek, Sandra; Parikh, Ayush A.; Patel, Nimesh A.
Int Ophthalmol Clin; 2024
10.1097/IIO.0000000000000494
Widefield Swept-Source OCTA Findings in HELLP Syndrome: Choroidal Infarcts
Martinez-Velazquez, Luis; Begaj, Tedi; Garg, Itika; Zhou, Paul; Hoyek, Sandra; Wai, Karen M.; Miller, John B.; Patel, Nimesh A.
Retin Cases Brief Rep; 2024
10.1097/ICB.0000000000001608
Unusual Posterior Atrophy from Persistent Fetal Vasculature-associated Peripapillary Retinoschisis
Meshkin, Ryan S.; Hoyek, Sandra; Patel, Nimesh A.
Ophthalmol Retina; 2024
10.1016/j.oret.2024.05.012
Longitudinal Assessment of Intraretinal Microvascular Abnormalities in Diabetic Retinopathy Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Ding, Xinyi; Romano, Francesco; Garg, Itika; Gan, Jenny; Overbey, Katherine M.; Garcia, Mauricio D.; Vingopoulos, Filippos; Cui, Ying; Zhu, Ying; Baldwin, Grace; Choi, Hanna; Rodriguez, Jocelyn M.; Finn, Matthew J.; Razavi, Peyman; Vavvas, Demetrios G.; Husain, Deeba; Wu, David M.; Patel, Nimesh A.; Kim, Leo A.; Miller, Joan W.; Miller, John B.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci; 2024
10.1167/iovs.65.8.29
Characteristics, associations, and outcomes of children with posterior segment coloboma
Altamirano, Francisco; Hoyek, Sandra; Savant, Shravan V.; De Bruyn, Hanna; Altschwager, Pablo; Oke, Isdin; Patel, Nimesh A.; Gonzalez, Efren
J AAPOS; 2024
10.1016/j.jaapos.2024.104005
Atypical Presentation of Vitreous Inflammation in a Patient With Hypertensive Retinopathy
Davis, Amani; Blumenthal, Jonah; Hoyek, Sandra; Rizzo, Joseph F.; Patel, Nimesh A.
JVRD; 2024
10.1177/24741264241264361