Referral Notes:

  • Retinal specialist Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD, has joined NYU Langone as vice chair of research in ophthalmology.
  • Her clinical practice will focus on complex retinal conditions, including retinal detachments.
  • She will lead research programs that integrate genetics, microbiome, imaging, and clinical data to study modifiable drivers of AMD and other retinal diseases.
  • She will also advance retinal imaging for monitoring systemic health and expand clinical trials.

Disease prevention research has entered a new era, driven by the expanding availability of high-resolution patient data from emerging technologies and the application of AI to help identify targeted, personalized prevention strategies. Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD, is advancing this vision in her new role as vice chair of research in Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health.

A distinguished vitreoretinal surgeon and translational researcher, Dr. Skondra is recognized for her expertise in managing complex retinal detachments and for pioneering topical therapies for macular hole closure.

Her research program focuses on modifiable risk factors in retinal disease and the development of prevention and early-detection strategies. This work has identified metformin and other repurposed medications as potential strategies to protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It’s also led to landmark discoveries linking gut dysbiosis to AMD and retinopathy of prematurity,

“In contrast to other factors in AMD that we’ve been focused on for decades that we cannot change, like age or genetics, the gut microbiome is something we can act on,” Dr. Skondra says. “By targeting the gut microbiome, we can influence multiple pathways at once and have an opportunity not to just treat disease at early stages but prevent it.”

In her role as vice chair of research, she will lead multidisciplinary initiatives aimed at advancing personalized approaches to retinal disease prevention. She will also expand the use of advanced retinal imaging and vascular analytics to assess neurologic and cardiovascular disease, and grow the departments portfolio of clinical trials, including gene therapy trials in AMD.

“The eye provides a unique window—it’s like looking through a keyhole into the patient’s brain and blood vessels.”

Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD

“The eye provides a unique window—it’s like looking through a keyhole into the patient’s brain and blood vessels,” Dr. Skondra says. “The changes we observe can reflect disease processes occurring throughout the body before they are clinically significant, enabling earlier risk stratification and more personalized intervention.”

“The goal is to move from reactive to proactive and stop the problem before it happens,” she says.

Learn more in the video above.