Director, Emeritus, of the Mass Eye and Ear Retina Service, Dr. Dean Eliott enjoys a national reputation as a gifted vitreoretinal surgeon and is sought by colleagues for difficult surgical cases. He is especially interested in treating retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, non-diabetic retinal vascular disease, trauma, and complex surgical problems.

After receiving his medical training from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Eliott completed his ophthalmology residency at Wilmer Eye Institute/Johns Hopkins Hospital. This was followed by a vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University where he was also Chief Resident and a faculty member. Dr. Eliott then spent twelve years on the faculty at Kresge Eye Institute in Detroit where he was Director of the Retina Service and Retina Fellowship Director. Before coming to Mass Eye and Ear, Dr. Eliott was Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of Clinical Affairs, and Director of Vitreoretinal Fellowship at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine's Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles.

Dr. Eliott co-directs the Diabetic Eye Disease Center of Excellence at Harvard Medical School-a multidisciplinary collaboration among clinicians and scientists who are pooling their knowledge and resources with the goal of advancing breakthroughs in treatment for patients with diabetic eye disease. Additionally, he plays an important role training ophthalmology residents and fellows in the clinic and in the operating room as Director of the Retina Fellowship and Co-Director of Mass Eye and Ear's Vitrectomy Course. He also is a sought after regional, national, and international speaker.

In addition, Dr. Eliott has established a focused translational research program, where he is investigating ways to improve the diagnoses and outcomes for proliferative vitreoretinopathy; age-related macular degeneration; diabetic macular edema; and complex vitreoretinal surgical conditions, such as retinal detachment. As a clinical innovator and clinician scientist, Dr. Eliott is particularly interested in implantable and sustained-release steroid devices, vision-restoring electrical devices, and stem cell therapy. He continually receives research funding from the government and industry, and he has received several honors, including an American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, the Crystal Apple Teaching Award from the Young Physicians group of the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the Vitreous Society Honor Award.

Clinical Interests

Diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, surgery for retina-vitreous disorders and ocular trauma