gena.heidary@childrens.harvard.edu
For investigator inquiries only
About My Research
As the director of the Pediatric Neuro-ophthalmology service at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Heidary’s research focuses on translational work towards the improved management and treatment of patients with visually threatening, pediatric neuro-ophthalmic disease and complex strabismus. Specific efforts have focused on the development of a method to non-invasively assess elevated intracranial pressure using otoacoustic emissions in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri. Additionally, Dr. Heidary has been working towards the development of a novel system to accurately assess visual field dysfunction in pediatric patients using Saccadic Vector Optokinetic Perimetry (SVOP). With this technique, “eye tracking” technology is used to evaluate pediatric patients for visual field loss.
Education
1995: BA, Classics, Stanford University
1996: BS, Biology, Stanford University
1996: MS, Biology, Stanford University
2003: PhD, Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania
2004: MD, University of Pennsylvania
Postgraduate Training
2005: Internship, Presbyterian Hospital
2008: Residency, Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
2009: Fellowship, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Boston Children’s Hospital
2010: Fellowship, Neuro-ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Academic Appointments
2010-2014: Instructor in Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
2015-2022: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
2022-Present: Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
Professional Memberships
1997-2003, 2010-present: Member, American Medical Association
2005-present: Member, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
2008-present: Member, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS)
2008-present: Member, Society of Heed Fellows
2009-present: Member, Massachusetts Medical Society
2013-present: Member, New England Ophthalmological Society (NEOS)
2013-present: Member, North American Neuro-ophthalmological Society (NANOS)
2014-present: Member, Consortium of Pediatric Neuro-ophthalmologists (CPNO)
Honors
2003: Robert M. Toll Prize for Best Research in Mental Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
2004: Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
2007: Heed Foundation Retreat Attendee
2007: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Travel Grant Recipient
2008: Farley Fellowship Award, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
2008: Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship Award
2011: Nomination for Best Abstract on Pediatric Cataracts (3 nominees), AAPOS 2011 Annual Meeting
2013: Best Poster Presentation, AAPOS 2013 Annual Meeting
2014: Best Poster Presentation, AAPOS 2014 Annual Meeting
2015: Best Poster Presentation, AAPOS 2015 Annual Meeting
2017: Achievement Award, AAO
- Aberrant regeneration of accommodation in pediatric inferior division oculomotor palsy. J AAPOS. 2024 Apr 06; 103917.
- The Relationship Between Choroidal Abnormalities and Visual Outcomes in Pediatric Patients With NF1-Associated Optic Pathway Gliomas. J Neuroophthalmol. 2024 Mar 01; 44(1):5-9.
- Genetic testing for infantile nystagmus syndrome with or without associated findings. J AAPOS. 2023 10; 27(5):259-264.
- Levodopa/Carbidopa to Augment the Treatment of Amblyopia: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2023 Nov; 130(11):1221-1227.
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the surgical volume of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus fellows. J AAPOS. 2023 10; 27(5):305-307.
- Neuro-ophthalmic Complications in Pediatric Leukemia. J Neuroophthalmol. 2023 Dec 01; 43(4):520-524.
- Aberrant regeneration in an international registry of patients with 3rd-nerve palsy. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2023 Nov; 33(6):2154-2161.
- The visual morbidity of optic nerve head drusen: a longitudinal review. J AAPOS. 2023 02; 27(1):30.e1-30.e5.
- The Impact of Strabismus on Psychosocial Equity. Semin Ophthalmol. 2022 Nov 29; 1-5.
- Surgical Treatments to Improve Visual Acuity in Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2023 03; 130(3):331-344.
- A decline in the strabismus surgical experience of ophthalmology residents in the United States from 2010 to 2019. J AAPOS. 2022 Oct; 26(5):263-265.
- An overview of peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2022 Nov 01; 33(6):494-500.
- Effectiveness of Laser Refractive Surgery to Address Anisometropic Amblyogenic Refractive Error in Children: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2022 11; 129(11):1323-1331.
- Comparison of fellowship match opportunities and results across pediatric surgical subspecialities. J AAPOS. 2022 06; 26(3):145-148.
- The Pediatric Optic Neuritis Prospective Outcomes Study: Two-Year Results. Ophthalmology. 2022 08; 129(8):856-864.
- Interocular Difference in Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Predicts Optic Neuritis in Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis. J Neuroophthalmol. 2021 12 01; 41(4):469-475.
- Impact of Adding Augmented Superior Rectus Transpositions to Medial Rectus Muscle Recessions When Treating Esotropic Moebius Syndrome. Am J Ophthalmol. 2022 05; 237:83-90.
- Evaluation of the Relationship Between Preferential Looking Testing and Visual Evoked Potentials as a Biomarker of Cerebral Visual Impairment. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021; 15:769259.
- Adjustable Sutures in the Treatment of Strabismus: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2022 01; 129(1):100-109.
- Content Validation of Clinician-Reported Items for a Severity Measure for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. J Child Neurol. 2021 10; 36(11):998-1006.
- Botulinum Toxin Injection for the Treatment of Strabismus: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2021 12; 128(12):1766-1776.
- Home- and Office-Based Vergence and Accommodative Therapies for Treatment of Convergence Insufficiency in Children and Young Adults: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2021 12; 128(12):1756-1765.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features and Clinical Findings in Pediatric Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Case-Control Study. Life (Basel). 2021 May 27; 11(6).
- Cerebral visual impairment in CDKL5 deficiency disorder: vision as an outcome measure. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2021 11; 63(11):1308-1315.
- A 7-year old female with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Duane retraction syndrome, and Marcus Gunn phenomenon due to a ZC4H2 gene mutation: a clinical presentation of the Wieacker-Wolff syndrome. Ophthalmic Genet. 2021 10; 42(5):612-614.
- Office- or Facility-Based Probing for Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2021 06; 128(6):920-927.
- Assessment of Pediatric Optic Neuritis Visual Acuity Outcomes at 6 Months. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2020 12 01; 138(12):1253-1261.
- Visual field outcomes in children treated for neurofibromatosis type 1-associated optic pathway gliomas: a multicenter retrospective study. J AAPOS. 2020 12; 24(6):349.e1-349.e5.
- Incidence of symptomatic vertical and torsional diplopia after superior rectus transposition for esotropic Duane syndrome and abducens nerve palsy. J AAPOS. 2020 10; 24(5):270.e1-270.e5.
- Steroid-sparing maintenance immunotherapy for MOG-IgG associated disorder. Neurology. 2020 07 14; 95(2):e111-e120.
- Imaging Methods for Differentiating Pediatric Papilledema from Pseudopapilledema: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2020 10; 127(10):1416-1423.
- Reply. J AAPOS. 2020 04; 24(2):128.
- Update on Pediatric Optic Neuritis. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2020 03 03; 20(3):4.
- Pediatric Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. Semin Neurol. 2019 12; 39(6):704-710.
- Binocular Treatment of Amblyopia: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2020 02; 127(2):261-272.
- Outcomes of strabismus surgery in genetically confirmed congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles. J AAPOS. 2019 10; 23(5):253.e1-253.e6.
- Intraocular Lens Implantation during Early Childhood: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2019 10; 126(10):1454-1461.
- Rapid onset of orbital cellulitis after uncomplicated strabismus surgery. J AAPOS. 2019 10; 23(5):290-291.
- Diagnosis and Imaging of Optic Nerve Head Drusen. Semin Ophthalmol. 2019; 34(4):256-263.
- Imaging Amblyopia: Insights from Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Semin Ophthalmol. 2019; 34(4):303-311.
- Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment: A Need to Reassess Current Definitions of Visual Impairment and Blindness. Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2019 10; 31:25-29.
- Predictors of Primary Intracranial Hypertension in Children Using a Newly Suggested Opening Pressure Cutoff of 280 mm H2O. Pediatr Neurol. 2019 02; 91:27-33.
- Pediatric Papilledema: Review and a Clinical Care Algorithm. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2018; 58(4):1-9.
- Neuro-Ophthalmic Manifestations of Pediatric Neurodegenerative Disease. J Neuroophthalmol. 2017 09; 37 Suppl 1:S4-S13.
- Visual and ocular motor outcomes in children with posterior fossa tumors. J AAPOS. 2017 Oct; 21(5):375-379.
- Introduction. Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2017 05; 24(2):81-82.
- Analysis of patient outcomes following proton radiation therapy for retinoblastoma. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2017 Jan-Mar; 2(1):44-52.
- Orbital/Periorbital Plexiform Neurofibromas in Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Multidisciplinary Recommendations for Care. Ophthalmology. 2017 01; 124(1):123-132.
- Update on the evaluation of pediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2016 Nov; 27(6):493-497.
- Neuroimaging Findings in Patients With Down Syndrome and Nystagmus. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2016 Nov 01; 53(6):383.
- Evaluation and Management of Acute Acquired Comitant Esotropia in Children. Semin Ophthalmol. 2017; 32(1):8-13.
- Pediatric Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Age, Gender, and Anthropometric Features at Diagnosis in a Large, Retrospective, Multisite Cohort. Ophthalmology. 2016 11; 123(11):2424-2431.
- Long-term visual outcomes of optic pathway gliomas in pediatric patients without neurofibromatosis type 1. J Neurooncol. 2016 08; 129(1):173-8.
- Characterizing Visual Field Deficits in Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Using Combined Diffusion Based Imaging and Functional Retinotopic Mapping: A Case Study. Front Syst Neurosci. 2016; 10:13.
- Reply: To PMID 24907434. Am J Ophthalmol. 2015 Jan; 159(1):211.
- Using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography to detect optic neuropathy in patients with craniosynostosis. J AAPOS. 2014 Dec; 18(6):543-9.
- Congenital optic nerve anomalies and hereditary optic neuropathies. J Pediatr Genet. 2014 Dec; 3(4):271-80.
- Abnormal white matter tractography of visual pathways detected by high-angular-resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) corresponds to visual dysfunction in cortical/cerebral visual impairment. J AAPOS. 2014 Aug; 18(4):398-401.
- Visual outcomes in pediatric optic neuritis. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 Sep; 158(3):503-7.e2.
- Optic atrophy and a Leigh-like syndrome due to mutations in the c12orf65 gene: report of a novel mutation and review of the literature. J Neuroophthalmol. 2014 Mar; 34(1):39-43.
- Morning glory disc anomaly: characteristic MR imaging findings. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2013 Oct; 34(10):2010-4.
- Optic nerve appearance in patients with Down syndrome. J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2013 Jan-Feb; 50(1):60.
- Relationship between the timing of cataract surgery and development of nystagmus in patients with bilateral infantile cataracts. J AAPOS. 2012 Dec; 16(6):554-7.
- Use of optical coherence tomography to evaluate papilledema and pseudopapilledema. Semin Ophthalmol. 2010 Sep-Nov; 25(5-6):198-205.
- Retinopathy of prematurity: current concepts in molecular pathogenesis. Semin Ophthalmol. 2009 Mar-Apr; 24(2):77-81.
- Congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles. Semin Ophthalmol. 2008 Jan-Feb; 23(1):3-8.
- The association of astigmatism and spherical refractive error in a high myopia cohort. Optom Vis Sci. 2005 Apr; 82(4):244-7.
- Identification and characterization of the Drosophila tau homolog. Mech Dev. 2001 Oct; 108(1-2):171-8.
- Exclusion of the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) locus as a candidate gene for Rett syndrome. Am J Med Genet. 1998 Jun 30; 78(2):173-5.
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