Melinda Chang, MD

Dr. Chang specializes in the management of neurologic disorders that affect the eyes in children, including optic neuritis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, myasthenia gravis, cortical visual impairment, metabolic and genetic disorders, and brain and optic nerve tumors. She also has an interest in ophthalmologic problems that occur in children with neuro-developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, she sees patients with general pediatric ophthalmologic concerns, such as amblyopia and strabismus.

As a dual fellowship trained pediatric and neuro-ophthalmologist, Dr. Chang is committed to providing the highest level of specialty care to children with neurologic and neuro-developmental disorders that affect the eyes. She combines medical and surgical expertise with a translational research program focused on improved understanding and treatment of pediatric neuro-ophthalmologic disorders.

Dr. Chang completed a double bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Kinesiology, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Southern California. She earned her medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis, then completed ophthalmology residency and pediatric ophthalmology fellowship at the Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. She concluded her training as the first neuro-ophthalmology fellow at the combined Stein Eye Institute-Doheny Eye Institute at UCLA.

Dr. Chang is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS), and Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). She serves as an editor for Cochrane Eyes and Vision, and is a reviewer for numerous journals. She has published in major ophthalmology journals and is the recipient of the prestigious Heed Ophthalmic Fellowship, in addition to institutional and national awards during medical school, residency, and fellowship.

• North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS): Best Fellow Abstract Award, 2017
• ARVO National Eye Institute: Travel Grant, 2016
• Heed: Heed Ophthalmic Fellow, 2016
• Stein Eye Institute: Excellence in Research Award, 2015-2017
• AOA: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 2011

• Validity and reliability of eye tracking for visual acuity assessment in children with cortical visual impairmentJ AAPOS. 2021 12; 25(6):334. e1-334. e5. . View in PubMed
• Ophthalmologic characteristics and outcomes of children with cortical visual impairment and cerebral palsyJ AAPOS. 2021 08; 25(4):223. e1-223. e6. . View in PubMed
• Ophthalmologic disorders and risk factors in children with autism spectrum disorderJ AAPOS. 2019 12; 23(6):337. e1-337. e6. . View in PubMed
• Delayed Diagnosis of Childhood-Onset Huntington Disease in an 8-Year-Old Boy With Ocular Motor Apraxia J Neuroophthalmol. 2023 Dec 01; 43(4):e304-e305. . View in PubMed
• Reply Ophthalmology. 2023 Aug; 130(8):e30. . View in PubMed
• 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. . View in PubMed
• Characteristics and Outcomes of Idiopathic and Non-idiopathic Ocular Motor Apraxia in Children J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2022 Sep-Oct; 59(5):326-331. . View in PubMed
• Neovascularization of the optic disc and peripheral retinal ischemia in a child with a novel variant in ALMS1 (Alström syndrome) Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2022 Jun; 26:101506. . View in PubMed
• 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. . View in PubMed
• Adjustable Sutures in the Treatment of Strabismus: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ophthalmology. 2022 01; 129(1):100-109. . View in PubMed
• Increase in Pediatric Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome Emergency Department Visits, Inpatient Admissions, and Surgeries During the COVID-19 Pandemic J Neuroophthalmol. 2022 03 01; 42(1):e87-e92. . View in PubMed
• Evaluation of Streamed Hardware-to-Software Telemedicine Strabismus Consultations Utilizing Video Glasses Clin Ophthalmol. 2022; 16:3927-3933. . View in PubMed
• Etiology and Outcomes of Acquired Pediatric Sixth Nerve Palsies J Neuroophthalmol. 2022 03 01; 42(1):e254-e259. . View in PubMed
• Prospective Cross-Sectional Study of Repeatability of Peripapillary Capillary Density Measurement Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Eyes With Optic Nerve and Retinal Vascular Pathology J Neuroophthalmol. 2022 03 01; 42(1):73-78. . View in PubMed
• 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. . View in PubMed
• Botulinum Toxin Injection for the Treatment of Strabismus: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ophthalmology. 2021 12; 128(12):1766-1776. . View in PubMed
• Paroxysmal tonic upgaze (PTU) associated with CACNA1A mutation and gross motor delayJ AAPOS. 2021 12; 25(6):353-353. e1. . View in PubMed
• 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. . View in PubMed
• Prevalence of Ophthalmologic Diagnoses in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using the Optum Dataset: APopulation-Based Study Am J Ophthalmol. 2021 01; 221:147-153. . View in PubMed
• Methods of visual assessment in children with cortical visual impairment Curr Opin Neurol. 2021 02 01; 34(1):89-96. . View in PubMed
• Cortical Visual Impairment Treated by Plasmapheresis in a Child With Metronidazole-Induced Encephalopathy J Neuroophthalmol. 2021 03 01; 41(1):e66-e68. . View in PubMed
• Advances in the evaluation and management of cortical/cerebral visual impairment in children Surv Ophthalmol. 2020 Nov – Dec; 65(6):708-724. . View in PubMed
• Compartmental Strabismus J Binocul Vis Ocul Motil. 2020 Jul-Sep; 70(3):71-78. . View in PubMed
• Imaging Methods for Differentiating Pediatric Papilledema from Pseudopapilledema: A Report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ophthalmology. 2020 10; 127(10):1416-1423. . View in PubMed
• Review of Cohort Studies: A Companion Article to Malmqvist et al “Progression Over 5 Years of Prelaminar Hyperreflective Lines to Optic Disc Drusen in the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 Eye Study” J Neuroophthalmol. 2020 09; 40(3):286-291. . View in PubMed
• Papilledema Treated by Cranial Expansion in a 5-Year-Old Boy with Camurati-Engelmann Syndrome Ophthalmology. 2019 11; 126(11):1579. . View in PubMed
• Innovative techniques for the treatment of adult strabismus J AAPOS. 2019 06; 23(3):132-139. . View in PubMed
• Risk Factors for Fellow Eye Involvement in Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy J Neuroophthalmol. 2019 06; 39(2):147-152. . View in PubMed
• Reply Ophthalmology. 2018 09; 125(9):e63. . View in PubMed
• Reply Ophthalmology. 2018 03; 125(3):e24. . View in PubMed
• Necrotizing Tenon’s capsule infection in a lymphopenic Down syndrome patient following strabismus surgery J AAPOS. 2017 Aug; 21(4):333-335. . View in PubMed
• Inferior Rectus Transposition: A Novel Procedure for Abducens Palsy Am J Ophthalmol. 2017 May; 177:126-130. . View in PubMed
• Deformation of Optic Nerve Head and Peripapillary Tissues by Horizontal Duction Am J Ophthalmol. 2017 Feb; 174:85-94. . View in PubMed
• Accuracy of Diagnostic Imaging Modalities for Classifying Pediatric Eyes as Papilledema Versus Pseudopapilledema Ophthalmology. 2017 12; 124(12):1839-1848. . View in PubMed
• Reply Am J Ophthalmol. 2017 07; 179:210. . View in PubMed
• Decreased Binocular Summation in Strabismic Amblyopes and Effect of Strabismus Surgery Strabismus. 2017 06; 25(2):73-80. . View in PubMed
• Pediatric Optic Neuritis Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2017 05; 24(2):122-128. . View in PubMed
• Aqueous shunts for glaucoma Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 07 28; 7:CD004918. . View in PubMed
• Foveal and Peripapillary Vascular Decrement in Migraine With Aura Demonstrated by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2017 10 01; 58(12):5477-5484. . View in PubMed
• Surgical interventions for vertical strabismus in superior oblique palsy Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 11 27; 11:CD012447. . View in PubMed
• Optic disk drusen in children Surv Ophthalmol. 2016 Nov – Dec; 61(6):745-758. . View in PubMed
• Surgery for superior oblique tendon anteriorization and entrapment following scleral buckleJ AAPOS. 2016 Apr; 20(2):165. e1-2. . View in PubMed
• UNTREATED IRIS MELANOMA COMPLICATED BY HYPHEMA AND UNCONTROLLED GLAUCOMA RESPONSIVE TO IODINE-125 BRACHYTHERAPY Retin Cases Brief Rep. 2016; 10(1):44-7. . View in PubMed
• Adjustable small-incision selective tenotomy and plication for correction of incomitant vertical strabismus and torsion J AAPOS. 2015 Oct; 19(5):410-6. . View in PubMed
• Quality of life in adults with strabismusAm J Ophthalmol. 2015 Mar; 159(3):539-44. e2. . View in PubMed
• Comparison of uveal melanoma cytopathologic sample retrieval in trans-scleral versus vitrectomy-assisted transvitreal fine needle aspiration biopsy Br J Ophthalmol. 2014 Dec; 98(12):1654-8. . View in PubMed
• Local treatment failure after globe-conserving therapy for choroidal melanoma Br J Ophthalmol. 2013 Jul; 97(7):804-11. . View in PubMed
• Heterogeneity of monosomy 3 in fine needle aspiration biopsy of choroidal melanoma Mol Vis. 2013; 19:1892-900. . View in PubMed
• Intraoperative ultrasonography-guided positioning of iodine 125 plaque brachytherapy in the treatment of choroidal melanoma Ophthalmology. 2012 May; 119(5):1073-7. . View in PubMed
• Multi-year follow-up of fine-needle aspiration biopsy in choroidal melanoma Ophthalmology. 2012 Mar; 119(3):606-10. . View in PubMed

• Borchert, Mark