USC Roski Eye Institute

10/02/2026

Mohammad Soleimani, MD, FICO, an internationally recognized cornea and ocular surface specialist and surgeon, designed an AI model to diagnose corneal disease after colleagues sent him images of patients' eyes early in the pandemic.

“The cornea is the window through which we are communicating with other people and the world around us,” he explained.

Today, he is using the model to help surgeons who lack experience or access to expensive diagnostic instruments manage corneal disease. He has authored more than 200 peer reviewed publications on topics such as keratitis, ocular trauma, regenerative medicine and AI in ophthalmology.

He recently joined the Keck School of Medicine of USC as professor and division chief, and he looks forward to helping patients, physicians and trainees.

09/17/2026

🎙️ New Podcast Alert!

Benjamin Y. Xu, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology (clinical scholar) at Keck School of Medicine of USC, chief of the Glaucoma Service and director of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the USC Roski Eye Institute, joined an EyeSmart - American Academy of Ophthalmology podcast to discuss why experts still differ on glaucoma’s diagnostic criteria and what those definitions mean for clinical care.

Give it a listen here: https://www.aao.org/education/audio/we-know-it-when-we-see-it-defining-glaucoma

09/15/2026

Curious what it takes to become an eye doctor or vision researcher? The USC Roski Eye Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC just wrapped its 4th annual "Eye Care for All: An Introduction to a Career in Eye Care" program, giving USC undergraduates a real look at optometry, ophthalmology, and vision research.

Students heard directly from faculty about their career journeys, explored topics like retinal disease, myopia management, cataract surgery, and artificial intelligence in eye care, and connected with a current Keck School medical student. The day wrapped with one of the program's most popular activities: a hands-on cow eye dissection lab. Organized by Kent Nguyen, OD, and Lernik Torossian, OD, the program continues to help students find their own path into health care.

08/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Kimberley Yu on a double honor this season!

We're thrilled to celebrate two incredible achievements: selection as a HEED Fellow and an Honorable Mention for the Nesburn Award from the Los Angeles Society of Ophthalmology (LASO)!

🥼 HEED Fellowship
Established in 1945, the Heed Fellowship recognizes and supports ophthalmology fellows pursuing scholarly activity. In Dr. Yu's words: "It is a great honor to receive the Heed Merit Award, and I look forward to connecting with the long lineage of Heed Fellows who have made many pioneering discoveries in ophthalmology."

🔬 LASO Nesburn Award, Honorable Mention
This recognition honors Dr. Yu's research using structured multimodal clinical data from a tertiary academic glaucoma center to develop a computational classification framework distinguishing glaucoma from glaucoma suspect, advancing scalable, reproducible approaches to glaucoma classification. As she shared: "I am honored to receive the LASO Honorable Mention recognition and excited that others are excited about the work!"

We are so proud of your accomplishments and can't wait to see where your career takes you next. Congratulations, Dr. Yu!

08/14/2026

USC orbital and oculofacial plastic surgeon Farzad Pakdel, MD, takes compassion and curiosity as his guide.

When mucormycosis cases surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, rising from a handful to more than 100 at his Tehran clinic, Dr. Pakdel helped develop new diagnostic and surgical strategies that saved patients' vision and their lives.

Pakdel recently joined the Keck School of Medicine of USC as an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the USC Roski Eye Institute. A surgeon-scientist, his research addresses thyroid eye disease, orbital tumors, traumatic optic neuropathy and other conditions that can threaten a patient's sight.

"If you can do something to improve human life and science, you should just do it," Pakdel said.

Learn more about Dr. Pakdel here:

In the course of his medical education, oculoplastic surgeon Farzad Pakdel, MD, encountered patients with eye conditions so serious that the experience influenced his choice of specialties — and his approach to science.“During my training in ophthalmology, I encountered a remarkable number of pa...

08/03/2026

Proud to share that Kent Nguyen, OD, FAAO, Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology for the Keck School of Medicine, presented at the USC Student Health CME Speaker Series last week, discussing the treatment and management of common contact lens complications.

The session highlighted practical approaches to recognizing, treating, and preventing some of the most frequently encountered contact lens-related issues, helping support better patient outcomes through education and early intervention.

07/29/2026

Congratulations to Rahul Dhodapkar on receiving the prestigious Dr. Henry and Lilian Nesburn Award from the Los Angeles Society of Ophthalmology (LASO), recognizing the most outstanding resident research manuscript in the greater Los Angeles area.

This honor celebrates his innovative work on the automated measurement of horizontal strabismus in children using computer vision and artificial intelligence.

“I feel blessed to be recognized for our work by LASO and to have the opportunity to share findings with our community of ophthalmologists in Southern California,” said Dhodapkar.

We are proud of this remarkable achievement and its potential to advance pediatric eye care.

07/20/2026

Congratulations to Srinivas R. Sadda, MD, recipient of the 2026 Narsing A. Rao, MD, Endowed Lecture Award. Presented by the USC Roski Eye Institute, this distinguished award recognizes an outstanding ophthalmologist for exceptional contributions to the field. Named and sponsored by Narsing A. Rao, MD, Professor Emeritus of the USC Roski Eye Institute, the award honors excellence in ophthalmology and celebrates leaders whose work has advanced vision science and patient care.

Photo credit: Filgraphix Photography

07/08/2026

USC researcher Longwei Liu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, uses ultrasound and genetic engineering to develop targeted treatments for blindness and other diseases. The ophthalmology researcher and biomedical engineer aims to create cures that remotely trigger cell and gene therapies for conditions ranging from a genetic disorder that can rob infants of their vision to cancer.

07/07/2026

Celebrating 50 years of innovation, discovery, and excellence in vision care.

The USC Roski Eye Institute recently marked its golden anniversary with a forward-looking symposium that brought together faculty, alumni, trainees, and leaders in ophthalmology to reflect on five decades of preserving, protecting, and restoring sight while looking ahead to the future of eye care.

The symposium featured presentations on cutting-edge research and emerging innovations in artificial intelligence, retinal disease, glaucoma, myopia, and precision ophthalmology, alongside meaningful discussions about the values that continue to drive patient-centered care. The event also honored distinguished leaders whose contributions have advanced the field of ophthalmology.

Here's to the next 50 years of advancing vision science, transforming patient care, and shaping the future of ophthalmology.