Advanced surgical care for pediatric retinal conditions
The Pediatric Surgical Retina Service at Boston Children’s Hospital provides specialized surgical care for infants, children, and young adults with complex retinal conditions. We specialize in treating a wide range of retinal disorders, including:
- Coats disease
- Coloboma
- Congenital retinal conditions
- Dyskeratosis congenita
- Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR)
- Incontinentia pigmenti
- Inherited retinal disease
- Ocular trauma
- Retinal detachment (trauma-related, congenital, and disease-related)
- Retinal holes and tears
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) – late-stage complications
- Sickle cell retinopathy
Using specialized surgical techniques and a whole-child approach to care, our program provides the best support for your child’s vision and long-term health. When appropriate, we also offer Luxturna™ subretinal gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases — an advanced treatment that can help preserve or restore vision.
Why choose the Pediatric Surgical Retina Service?
Our program is one of few pediatric retina centers in the country with two full-time, fellowship-trained pediatric retina surgeons. Our specialists understand the unique aspects of treating young patients, including how children’s eyes develop and the specific issues that affect their vision. Drawing on their extensive training, our experts use advanced techniques tailored to children’s needs, ensuring the best possible care and outcomes.
With advanced imaging and diagnostic equipment on site, our surgeons can make real-time assessments and perform surgeries with pinpoint precision. This ensures the most successful results while allowing our team to provide personalized care tailored to your child’s individual needs.
Our program is known for:
- Advanced surgical techniques – We specialize in innovative retinal surgeries, including treatment for retinal detachment, trauma, and congenital retinal conditions. And we use cutting-edge procedures such as intraoperative imaging to enhance our precision during complex retinal surgeries.
- Comprehensive multidisciplinary care – We collaborate with specialists and teams across Boston Children’s to treat all aspects of a child’s condition. This cross-specialty model of care allows us to help patients pursue innovative non-surgical care as well, including the use of gene therapy to treat medical retinal degenerations.
- Internationally recognized expertise – We serve as a national and international referral center for second opinions and complex pediatric retinal surgeries.
- Clinical trials in gene therapy – We are leading the way in treating inherited retinal diseases. We offer advanced clinical trials for conditions like X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, using cutting-edge gene therapies delivered through precise surgical procedures. We’re also a Certified Center of Excellence for LUXTURNA®, an FDA-approved gene therapy for the treatment of inherited retinal disorders in patients older than 12 months who have mutations in the RPE65 gene. Through these efforts, we’re bringing new hope to children and families affected by genetic vision loss.
How we approach retinal surgery
At the Pediatric Surgical Retina Service, we take a comprehensive approach to care that’s guided by each child’s condition and individual needs. Our team works closely with experts across multiple pediatric fields, including, but not limited to:
- Cataract surgery
- Glaucoma treatment
- Oculoplastic surgeons
- Optometry and low-vision support
- Hematology
- Endocrinology
We also collaborate with specialists in the Ocular Oncology Center to ensure coordinated care for children with retinoblastoma and other complex eye tumors involving the retina. This integrated approach allows for streamlined diagnostics, treatment planning, and follow-up.
Because we specialize in pediatric care, our anesthesia and nursing teams are highly experienced in treating children of all ages — from premature infants through young adulthood — with complex medical needs.
Our team is also dedicated to caring for children and young adults with disabilities. For patients who have difficulty tolerating diagnostic tests and imaging, we offer sedated testing right in the operating room. This helps patients stay calm and comfortable while ensuring accurate results. Our specialists follow these patients as they grow, ensuring a continuity of care when it’s time to transition to an adult practice. And we offer extra support, including social work, low-vision referrals, and access to Boston Children’s psychological and prosthetic teams.
Our services
The Pediatric Surgical Retina Service is at the forefront of advanced treatments for pediatric retinal diseases. Our program offers:
- State-of-the-art surgical care – Using advanced surgical procedures, we’re able to treat serious retinal conditions, repair damage, and protect vision, giving each child the best chance at long-term eye health
- Specialized intraoperative imaging – Intraoperative imaging allows our surgeons to see the internal structures of the eye while performing delicate operations. This real-time precision improves surgical accuracy, helping us achieve the best outcomes.
- Access to cutting-edge treatments – Through collaborations with specialists across the hospital, we’re able to help patients access gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases and active clinical trials that are exploring new therapies, technologies, and approaches to care.
- Supportive services – We understand that children and families may need help navigating the emotional, social, and practical challenges that often accompany pediatric retinal conditions. We offer a range of supportive services, including social work, low-vision referrals, and psychological care to ensure every child receives holistic care.
Research and innovation
Our team is committed to advancing pediatric retinal surgery through ongoing research and clinical innovations. Some of our key areas of innovation include:
- Clinical trials in surgical treatment of inherited retinal disorders. We are actively leading clinical trials that involve subretinal surgical delivery of gene therapies for conditions such as X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and other inherited retinal disorders.
- Advancements in Retinopathy of Prematrity screening, such as the TWO-ROP and FIRST-ROP algorithms, that can decrease exams while maintaining safety. Explore recent advancements in ROP screening:
- Research on the effects of sickle cell disease on the eyes, focusing on macular thickness and microvascular changes in children. See recent findings:
- Descriptions and outcomes in patients with retinal coloboma. Learn more:
- We’re advancing pediatric vitrectomy through the use of small-gauge instrumentation, intraoperative OCT, and customized surgical approaches for complex retinal conditions in children. Our Pediatric Vitreoretinal Surgery and Ocular Oncology Fellowship supports this work by training surgeons in these specialized techniques and fostering innovation in the operating room. Visit the fellowship’s website to learn more.
