About
Titles
Robert R. Young Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Chair, Ophthalmology; Chief of Ophthalmology, Yale New Haven Hospital
Biography
Lucian V. Del Priore, MD, PhD specializes in the surgical and medical treatment of retinal disease, including age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, and ocular trauma.
He received his BS in Physics from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an MD with Distinction in Research from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and an MS and PhD in Physics from Cornell University. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology and fellowships in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Glaucoma at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He has served on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine and Columbia University, where he rose to the ranks of Professor and Robert L. Burch III Scholar in the Department of Ophthalmology and was a member of the Stem Cell Consortium. Prior to coming to Yale, he was the Pierre G. Jenkins Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Professor of Regenerative Medicine and Director of the Albert Florens Storm Eye Institute at MUSC in Charleston, SC.
Dr. Del Priore is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Macula Society, the Retina Society, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the International Society for Eye Research. Dr. Del Priore has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature and has given numerous invited lectures throughout the world on the treatment of retinal diseases. He maintains an active research laboratory in the biology of retina in health and disease. He was recently elected to the New York Ophthalmological Society, and is a Life Fellow and Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, having previously received a Senior Achievement Award in recognition of commitment to advancing the profession. He has also received a Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists, and is a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He has received an MA (honorary) from Yale University, and a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins in recognition of outstanding contributions to ophthalmology as a Wilmer Graduate. He has received the Lew R. Wasserman Award from Research to Prevent Blindness and a Teacher of the Year Award. He is listed consistently within the Castle Connolly Guide to America’s Top Doctors, as well as Connecticut Magazine Best Doctors.
Appointments
Ophthalmology
ChairDualOphthalmology
ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Diabetic Eye Care
- Macular Degeneration
- Ophthalmology
- Retina & Vitreous
- Vitreoretinal Fellowship Faculty
- Yale Cancer Center
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Stem Cell Center
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Surgeon
- The Wilmer Eye Institute and The Johns Hopkins Hospital (1989)
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- The Wilmer Eye Institute (1988)
- Resident
- The Wilmer Eye Institute (1987)
- PhD
- Cornell University (1984)
- MD
- The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (1982)
- MS
- Cornell University, Physics (1977)
- BS
- Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Physics (1975)
Research
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Luciano V. Del Priore, MD, PhD, is chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, leading a sophisticated group of eye specialists. He also is a highly skilled retinal surgeon who cares for patients with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes and pucker, eye trauma, and many other conditions.
Eye problems that are diagnosed early are often very treatable, especially at an academic medical center, where ophthalmologists have access to the latest tools and techniques for any condition that arises, Dr. Del Priore says. “Ophthalmology sort of reinvents itself every five to 10 years,” he says. “The current trend is something I would call micro-miniaturization, where surgical instruments we use just keep getting smaller and smaller.” Since much of the discomfort people feel after eye surgery is related to the instrument size and surgical incisions, smaller instruments result in less pain and a quicker recovery, he says.
Dr. Del Priore, who is the Robert Young Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science at Yale School of Medicine, says one of his favorite memories is from early in his career when he assisted with surgery to treat a patient who had retinal detachments in both eyes. “The patient was from fairly far away—about four hours by car to the medical center,” Dr. Del Priore says. “He was led by the hand into the examination room because he could not see out of either eye. We operated on both eyes, but because he lived so far away, he didn’t come back until a few months after surgery. I still remember him coming into the room three months later. I introduced myself and the attending physician introduced himself, and the patient said, ‘I was wondering what you all looked like.’"
Since then, Dr. Del Priore has seen his field change with improvements in care that have led to better outcomes for more and more patients. “Yale has been at the forefront of many changes over the last 10 years, and has both pioneered and implemented a variety of new surgical techniques,” he says. For instance, Yale researchers’ efforts have led to the identification of genes for macular degeneration.
Because early intervention is important for cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma and other eye diseases, the challenge, in many cases, is getting people into the office for an early diagnosis, Dr. Del Priore says. This can be difficult considering many people either don’t have symptoms or don’t notice them, especially if the changes in their vision occur gradually. So the best strategy, Dr. Del Priore says, is to schedule a dilated eye exam once a year with an ophthalmologist, and, if anything unusual comes up in between, visit the eye doctor right away. “Eyesight is extremely important,” he says, adding that surveys show that when it comes to preserving health and function, most people rank loss of eyesight second only to life-threatening illness. “We only get one set of eyes,” he says.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Retinal Detachment
Learn More on Yale MedicineMacular Degeneration
Learn More on Yale MedicineDiabetic Eye Disease
Learn More on Yale MedicineType 2 Diabetes: Symptoms and Treatments
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Ophthalmology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Ophthalmology
- Original Certification Date
- 1989
Yale Medicine News
Links & Media
News
- January 31, 2023
Yale Ophthalmology & Visual Science Faculty Nominated for Castle Connolly Top Doctors 2023
- June 04, 2020
Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital physicians recognized as CT Magazine Best Doctors
- June 14, 2019
Over 200 Yale Medicine Physicians Make 2019 ‘Best Doctors’ List
- April 02, 2018Source: Medicine@Yale
David W. Wallace, 1924-2017, generous and loyal benefactor