March 3, 2025- New York, NY: – Dr. Alexandra Benavente-Perez, a Research Professor in the Department of Biological and Vision Sciences at SUNY College of Optometry, will be a guest speaker on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at the 77th Annual Wills Eye Conference. She will speak at the Research Symposium, within Session 1: Current Challenges in Myopia and Refractive Error Research
Dr. Benavente will be presenting “The Effect of Myopia on the Retinal Neurovascular Unit”, which is the current research focus of her lab, originally led by Dr. Reynolds Ablordeppey and Dr. Carol Lin, former PhD students in her lab. Her talk will address the effect that myopia (nearsightedness) has on a unique set of cells within the eye that make up the so-called retinal neurovascular unit. This is particularly important to understand the mechanisms that lead to myopia-associated blinding consequences. A myopic eye is out of focus because it continues to grow, which increases the risk for retinal changes and ocular diseases including glaucoma and macular degeneration, among others.
Dr. Benavente received her degree in Optometry and Optics from the College of Science and Medicine in Valladolid, Spain; MS in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science from the University of Manchester, UK; and PhD in Vision Science from Aston University, Birmingham, UK. She is the Principal Investigator of her federally- and industry-funded research lab, focused on identifying the mechanisms that lead to myopia and associated degenerative diseases. She was a part of the clinical research effort at the college through the Clinical Vision Research Center from its creation in 2013 until 2024, where she was the Principal Investigator in a multi-center research study and sub-Investigator in more than 20 clinical studies. Since joining SUNY Optometry, Dr. Benavente has published 30 peer-reviewed research papers, 2 book chapters and over 90 conference abstracts on her doctoral research, work on experimental myopia models and ongoing multidisciplinary collaborations.
Dr. Benavente would like to thank the past and present members of her research team, Dr. Reynolds Ablordeppey, Dr. Carol Lin, Dr. Franklin Bui, Dr. Gulnoza Azieva, Dr. Rita Nieu, Dr. Stephen Dellostritto, Donnicia James, Manish Subedi, Bailey Deng, Brian Song, Claire Goucher, Manoj Mahat, Ana Nour; her collaborators Dr. David Troilo, Dr. Stewart Bloomfield, Dr. Miduturu Srinivas, Dr. Stefanie Wohl, Dr. Jose Manuel Alonso, Dr. Suresh Vishwanathan, Dr. Xiaoying Zhu, Dr. David Krizaj, Dr. Scott Read; and the members of the Biological Research Facility Dr. Carol Novotney, Rossy Angel, Vanessa Lopez, Samuel Alphonse, and Amilka Brathwaite, for their tireless efforts in bringing this research to life and sharing it with the optometric community and beyond.
The groundbreaking and innovative research in Dr. Benavente’s lab at SUNY Optometry is one of many research projects currently being conducted at the college. You can learn more about the different researchers and their labs at SUNY Optometry, along with some of the cutting-edge clinical trials being conducted in the college’s Clinical Vision and Research Center.
About SUNY Optometry
Founded in 1971 and located in New York City, the State University of New York College of Optometry is a leader in education, research, and patient care, offering the Doctor of Optometry degree as well as MS and Ph.D. degrees in vision science. The College conducts a robust program of basic, translational and clinical research and has 65 affiliated clinical training sites. SUNY Optometry is regionally accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; its four-year professional degree program and residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. All classrooms, research facilities, and the University Eye Center, which is one of the largest optometric outpatient facilities in the nation, are located on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in midtown Manhattan. To learn more about SUNY Optometry, visit www.sunyopt.edu.
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Contact: Rob Rosiello, communications@sunyopt.edu