Overview
Penn Ophthalmology is a pioneer in basic and clinical research, leading some of the most advanced ophthalmic research centers and initiatives in the world. The Department is a top recipient of National Eye Institute funding. Nearly all of the department's researchers are also practicing physicians, with specialized clinical knowledge.
Last year, Penn Ophthalmology faculty:
- Produced 140 publications
- Achieved a research impact (H-index) of 117
- Please view the Department of Ophthalmology's acclaimed research faculty and their research interests on our faculty webpage.
Members of the Department of Ophthalmology conduct a wide variety of clinical trials. To learn more about Penn Ophthalmology's most recent advances, check out the news page, including some of our featured research articles.
A Letter from the Vice Chair for Research
The K12 Clinician Vision Science Program
FM Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology
Vrathasha Vrathasha Awarded Knights Templar Grant
3 Faculty Awarded Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research
Benjamin Kim MD Awarded NIH Grant
Dr. Cideciyan, Dr. Aleman Mark Innovation in Gene Therapy
Expansion to One uCity Square
Innovating Vision Science with the Vision Science Symposium
Jessica Morgan PhD Honored by Pfizer Ophthalmics
Ophthalmology research faculty and labs
Please view our research faculty's lectures at the 2nd inaugural Vision Science Symposium in 2024, available at this link.
Please view our research faculty's lectures at the 3rd inaugural Vision Science Symposium in 2025, available at this link.
Open Positions
Many labs and centers are seeking members at the postdoctoral, graduate student, and undergraduate student levels. Please confer with individual principal investigators regarding their specific searches and timelines by navigating to the corresponding lab or center webpage.
For general assistance locating a specific contact person, please contact Maressa.Park@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Reversing blindness with new FDA approved retinal gene therapy
Talk recorded by CureTalks on June 12, 2018 at 1 pm ET
In December 2017, Scheie physicians received FDA approval for Luxturna, the first gene therapy to treat an inherited disease. Developed by Jean Bennett, MD, PhD, and Albert M. Maguire, MD, Luxturna is a DNA-altering gene therapy that can reverse a rare, inherited form of blindness.
In the following CureTalks interview, Drs. Bennett and Maguire discuss the 25 years of work they dedicated to develop the therapy and how it is able to improve vision.
