Retina Research Center

The Retina Research Center's activities are supported by the Department of Surgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and research grants from the NIH, the Macula Society, and generous patients and benefactors.

We are currently accepting applications for a one- or two-year International Retina Research Fellowship position. The overall goal of the position is not only to develop the research and teaching techniques necessary to maximize their future academic career potential, but also expose the fellow to the latest medical and surgical retina diagnostics and treatments. Please find more information about the position in the full posting.

International Retina Research Fellowship Notice (English Version)
International Retina Research Fellowship Notice (Chinese Version)

If you are interested in learning more about our research or would like to support our research endeavors, please contact me or my clinical research associate, Rachel Tandias, at 617-667-3391.

Jorge G. Arroyo, MD, MPH
Director, Retina Research Center
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School

Ongoing Clinical Studies

We are committed to pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge in the area of retinal diseases and surgery. Some of the ongoing clinical research projects that we are involved in our listed below. For more information on these studies and/or to enroll, contact Sushant Wagley at (617) 667-3391.

Kenalog Study (Completed - Paper coming soon)

The purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of a steroid called triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog) in the eye fluid after an injection of the steroid around the eye. Steroids are commonly injected into the eye of patients with many different types of eye problems. It is considered safer to inject steroids around the eye rather than inject the steroid directly into the eye. We are interested in determining how much of the steroid that is injected around the eye actually penetrates into the eye to get into the eye fluid. This study is now complete and you can view our findings here. Our paper in the American Journal of Ophthalmology will be posted soon.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Epiretinal Membranes

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is frequently used by retina specialists to examine the structure of the retina. In this study, we categorized epiretinal membranes (ERMs) into four distinct groups based on various characteristics seen on the OCT. We used these differences to predict outcomes following pars plana vitrectomy and membrane peel surgery. Findings from this study have been published in the journal Retina.

Macular Hole Study

In this study we are looking at the benefits of treating macular holes with either silicone oil tamponade or gas tamponade. Since past studies have produced conflicting results, we would like to find out which of the two treatments is more beneficial for patients. With gas tamponade you have to maintain strict head positioning and cannot go to high altitudes. Silicone oil does not require much head positioning but you do have to get a second surgery to remove the silicone oil. We are currently conducting the study and will post our findings very soon.

Combined Cataract Surgery and Vitrectomy Study

The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is one of a few places that offer combined cataract surgery and vitrectomy surgery performed together. It is very convenient for the patient since they do not have to have two separate surgeries. We would like to know the surgical results and outcomes of these combined operations versus cases in which we do them separately. We are currently conducting the study and will post our findings very soon.

Regeneron VEGF Trap-Eye

The Longwood Retina Research Center is one of the international clinical test centers for this Phase 3 trial evaluating VEGF Trap-Eye in the neovascular form of wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Selected Publications

1. Yu G, Duguay J, Marra KV, Gautam S, Le Guern G, Begum S, Sharifzadeh A, Arroyo JG. Efficacy and safety of treatment options for vitreomacular traction: A Case Series and Meta-AnalysisRetina. 2016 Jul;36(7):1260-70.

2. Chang JS, Marra K, Flynn HW Jr, Berrocal AM, Arroyo JG. Scleral Buckling in the Treatment of Retinal Detachment Due to Retinal Dialysis. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2016 Apr 1;47(4):336-40.

3. Marra KV, Wagley S, Kuperwaser MC, Campo R, Arroyo JG. Care of Older Adults: Role of Primary Care Physicians in the Treatment of Cataracts and Macular Degeneration. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Feb;64(2):369-77.

4.Kovacs K, Marra KV, Yu G, Wagley S, Ma J, Teague GC, Nandakumar N, Lashkari K, Arroyo JG. Angiogenic and Inflammatory Vitreous Biomarkers Associated With Increasing Levels of Retinal Ischemia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015 Oct;56(11):6523-30.

5. Marra KV, Wagley S, Omar A, Kinoshita T, Kovacs KD, Silva P, Kuperwaser MC, Arroyo JG. Case-matched comparison of vitrectomy, peripheral retinal endolaser, and endocyclophotocoagulation versus standard care in neovascular glaucoma. Retina. 2015 Jun;35(6):1072-83.

6. Marra KV, Yonekawa Y, Papakostas TD, Arroyo JG. Indications and techniques of endoscope assisted vitrectomy. J Ophthalmic Vis Res. 2013 Jul;8(3):282-90.

7. Yonekawa Y, Papakostas TD, Marra KV, Arroyo JG. Endoscopic pars plana vitrectomy for the management of severe ocular trauma. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2013 Fall;53(4):139-48.

8. BIDMC Division of Ophthalmology 2013-2014 Research Summary.

9. Tornambe P, Arroyo JG, Garg S, Spirn M, Regillo C. When cataracts complicate surgery for vitreoretinal disease. Retina Times. 2013 Fall;31(50):48-50.

10. Yiu G, Marra KV, Wagley S, Krishnan S, Sandhu H, Kovacs K, Kuperwaser MC, Arroyo JG. Surgical outcomes after epiretinal membrane peeling combined with cataract surgery. Br J Ophthalmol. 2013 July; (Online First).

11. Arroyo, JG. The Role of Endoscopy in Vitreoretinal Surgery Today. Retina Today. 2013 Feb; 54-56.

12. Kovacs KD, Wagley S, Quirk MT, Ceron OM, Silva PS, Singh RJ, Gukasyan HJ, Arroyo JG. Pharmacokinetic study of vitreous and serum concentrations of triamcinolone acetonide after posterior sub-tenon's injection. American Journal of Ophthalmology.

13. Wagley S., Yuan J., Hoffert DS, Arroyo JG. Postoperative choroidal hemorrhage shows elevated concentration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Retinal Cases and Brief Reports. 2011 Summer;6(3):261-262.

14. Kinoshita T, Kovacs KD, Wagley S, Arroyo JG. Morphological Differences in Epiretinal Membranes on Ocular Coherence Tomography as a Predictive Factor for Surgical Outcome. Retina. 2011.

15. Kovacs KD, Quirk MT, Kinoshita T, Gautam S, Ceron OM, Murtha TJ, Arroyo JG. A retrospective analysis of triple combination therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab, posterior sub-tenon's triamcinolone acetonide, and low-fluence verteporfin photodynamic therapy in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Retina. 2011 Mar;31(3):446-52.

16. Tran AT, Bula DV, Kovacs KD, Savageau J, Arroyo JG. Apoptosis in diabetic fibrovascular membranes after panretinal photocoagulation. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging. 2010 Jun 30;41 Online.

17. Yang L, Kim JH, Kovacs KD, Arroyo JG, Chen DF. Minocycline inhibition of photoreceptor degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Nov;127(11):1475-80.

18. Bertram KM, Bula DV, Pulido JS, Shippy SA, Gautam S, Lu MJ, Hatfield RM, Kim JH, Quirk MT, Arroyo JG. Amino-acid levels in subretinal and vitreous fluid in patients with retinal detachment. Eye (Lond). 2008 Apr;22(4):582-9.

19. Kim JH, Bertram KM, Quirk MT, Arroyo JG. Modified external needle drainage of subretinal fluid in primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a prospective, consecutive, interventional, single-surgeon study. Retina. 2007 Nov-Dec;27(9):1231-7.

20. Arroyo JG. A 76-year-old man with macular degeneration. JAMA. 2006 May 24;295(20):2394-406.

21. Menke MN, Kim EC, Bula DV, Bertram KM, Arroyo JG. The question of macular hole: avulsed epiretinal membrane shadowing artifact in optical coherence tomography testing. Retina. 2006 Apr;26(4):473-5.

Book Chapters

1. Arroyo JG. What should I do when I see a patient with one or more Cotton-Wool Spots? In: Fekrat S, Moshfeghi D, Eliott D, editors. Curbside consultations in retina: 49 questions.Thorofare: SLACK Incorporated, 2010:41-45.