Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Chief, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Medical School

Yale University School of Medicine

Residency

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

Fellowship

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

Background

Ivan Suñer, MD, is a board-certified retinal surgeon specializing in diseases of the macula, retina, and vitreous. His areas of expertise include the diagnosis and management of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, and retinal detachments. Suñer is involved in a variety of research activities, including ocular drug development and clinical trials for macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. He is also involved in novel retinal imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and ultra-wide field retinal angiography using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. He performed the initial studies in this exciting, new technology in the United States and was instrumental in the FDA-approval of the technique.

Phone

919.668.1876

Fax

919.681.6474

Research Interests

Biological mechanisms of cigarette smoking, hypertension, and inflammation in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration with a focus on development of novel pharmacotherapeutic modalities.

Retinal imaging including ultra-widefield angiography with scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in diagnosis and management of retinal vascular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular occlusive diseases.

Digital imaging modalities for patient-friendly, cost-effective diabetic retinopathy screening.

Representative Publications

1. Suñer IJ, Espinosa-Heidmann DG, Marin-Castaño ME, Hernandez EP, Pereira-Simon S, Cousins SW. Nicotine increases size and severity of choroidal neovascularization, Invest Ophthal Vis Sci 2004;45(1):311-317.
2. Miller DM, Espinosa-Heidmann DG, Legra J, Dubovy SR, Suñer IJ, Sedmak DD, Dix RD, Cousins SW. The association of prior cytomegalovirus infection with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, Am J Ophthalmol 2004;138:323-328.
3. Suñer IJ. Ultra-widefield angiography in diagnosis of severe peripheral nonperfusion associated with diabetic macular edema. Rev Ophthalmol 2004;11(10)(suppl);3-5.
4. Espinosa-Heidmann DG, Suñer IJ, Hernandez EP, Monroy D, Csaky KG, Cousins SW. Macrophage depletion diminishes lesion size and severity in experimental choroidal neovascularization. Invest Ophthal Vis Sci 2003;44(8):3586-3592.
5. Suñer IJ. Diagnostic optical coherence tomography, Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today 2004; August: 33-38.
6. Espinosa-Heidmann DG, Suñer IJ, Hernandez EP, Frazier WD, Csaky KG, Cousins SW. Age as an independent risk factor for severity of experimental choroidal neovascularization. Invest Ophthal Vis Sci 2002;43:1567-1573.