Retina Program

Your child’s vision depends on a healthy retina—tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into the images your child sees. Retinal disease can threaten your child’s eyesight and be highly complex to treat.

The Retina Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is one of the largest pediatric retina programs in the country. We have ophthalmologists who subspecialize in retinal disorders and are leaders in the field. They deliver innovative therapies and perform complicated surgeries to preserve and restore your child’s vision.

Pediatric Retina Program: Why Choose Us

When your child receives care through the Retina Program, they’ll receive personalized and compassionate care. Your child also benefits from:

• Advanced surgical techniques: Our specialists perform retinal surgery using a microscopic endoscope inserted through an incision on the side of the eye whenever possible. An endoscope helps us visualize and operate on the retina without needing to remove the front of the eye.
• Gene therapy expertise: CHLA is the first center on the West Coast authorized to deliver FDA-approved retinal gene therapy to children. Performing gene therapy surgery requires unique specialization and a highly experienced team.
• Child- and family-centered care: We offer the same services and technology that adult retina programs offer, but everything we do centers around children. Our operating rooms contain a full suite of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment specially designed for pediatric use. We adapt our testing and treatments to your child’s age and developmental level.
• High-level research program: Our dedicated research efforts enhance our understanding of pediatric eye disease and guide the treatments we provide. Research topics include inherited retinal diseases, gene therapy and retinoblastoma diagnosis.

Retinal Diseases and Conditions We Treat

Our ophthalmologists specialize in the medical and surgical management of all pediatric retinal diseases, including:

• Coats disease
• Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy
• Leber congenital amaurosis
• Norrie disease
• Ocular trauma
• Persistent fetal vasculature
• Retinal detachment
• Retinitis pigmentosa
• Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
• Stickler syndrome
• X-linked retinoschisis

Expertise Treating Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a serious eye disease that can occur in babies who are born early—before 30 weeks of pregnancy—or weigh less than 3 pounds at birth. Babies with ROP have blood vessels in their retina that are developing abnormally. If those blood vessels grow in the wrong direction, they can damage the retina and cause vision loss or blindness.

ROP can progress quickly. Without accurate diagnosis and timely treatment, it can cause rapid blindness. Our ophthalmologists are experts in identifying and treating ROP. We stop the progression of ROP using:

• Injections of medication
• Laser therapy
• Retinal detachment surgery

Our team also manages one of the largest telemedicine programs for ROP in the world. We help providers around the globe diagnose and treat ROP quickly and expertly.

Treating Inherited Retinal Disease With Gene Therapy

There are more than 300 gene mutations  that can cause blinding, genetic retinal diseases. In the past, there was no treatment for these conditions and no way to detect which genes had mutations. Now, thanks to research and innovation, we can identify gene mutations and find new ways to correct them with gene therapy.

At CHLA, we have one of the largest eye gene therapy programs in the country. Our Center for Personalized Medicine performs genetic testing to accurately identify genetic mutations affecting the eyes. Our retina specialists are renowned gene therapy experts. We are the first center on the West Coast authorized to deliver the FDA-approved retinal gene therapy, Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl) to children. Learn more about eye gene therapy at the Vision Center.

Leaders in Retinal Disease Research

Our ophthalmology researchers are dedicated to understanding retinal disease and finding the best ways to prevent blindness. We learn how retinal disease develops by growing and studying mini genetic replicas of retinas. We study new gene therapy approaches and have ongoing clinical trials testing these approaches.

CHLA’s retinal research is supported by NIH grants, The Saban Research Institute and several other supporters and endowments. Learn more about ophthalmology research at CHLA.

Expert Vision Care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Your child’s vision is our priority. Learn how we personalize your child’s diagnosis and treatment.

Contact us

To schedule an appointment at the Vision Center, call 323-361-2347.