Benjamin Yixing Xu, MD, PhD

Dr. Xu attended Yale University where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering. He received his MD and PhD degrees from Columbia University where he was part of the NIH-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed a well-received thesis studying how the brain uses eye position signals to coordinate accurate eye movements. Dr. Xu completed his residency in ophthalmology at the LAC+USC Medical Center and USC Roski Eye Institute, where he served as Chief Resident and was recognized for his academic and teaching achievements. He completed his glaucoma fellowship with Dr. Robert Weinreb at the UCSD Shiley Eye Institute and Hamilton Glaucoma Center.

Dr. Xu’s current research focus is developing novel interventions to enhance glaucoma care and prevent glaucoma-related vision loss. Dr. Xu’s research combines non-invasive ocular imaging and artificial intelligence to develop precise and convenient tools to detect and evaluate patients with or at risk for glaucoma. Dr. Xu studies the impact of glaucoma on diverse populations in the United States, using big data to identify and elucidate disparities in glaucoma care. He also uses data from NIH-funded population-based epidemiological studies, including the Chinese American Eye Study (CHES) and Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES), to study the prevalence and impact of glaucoma in the United States. Dr. Xu has a particular interest in studying primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG), a visually devastating form of glaucoma.

• Columbia University: NIH Medical Scientist Training Program Training Grant, 2004
   – 2008
• Columbia University: Columbia University Vision Sciences NEI Training Grant, 2008
   – 2009
• Columbia University: Dr. Alfred P. Steiner Dean’s Day Reseach Award, 2011
• University of Southern California: USC Ophthalmology Resident Teaching Award, 2016
• University of Southern California: USC Ophthalmology Attending Teaching Award, 2019
• Newsweek Magazine: America’s Best Eye Doctors, 2021
   – 2023

• Yale University — BS — 20024 — Biomedical Engineering
• Columbia University — MD, PhD — 2012 — Neuroscience
• University of Southern California Roski Eye Institute — Residency — 2016 — Ophthalmology
• University of California San Diego Shiley Eye Institute — Fellowship — 2017 — Glaucoma

• Clinical Evaluation and Risk Stratification of Angle Closure Disease Using Quantitative OCT
  NIH · R01EY035677 · Feb 1, 2024 – Jan 31, 2029 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Development and Validation of Quantitative Anterior Segment OCT-based Methods to Evaluate Patients with Primary Angle Closure Disease
  NIH · K23EY029763 · Feb 1, 2019 – Jan 31, 2024 · Role: Principal Investigator

• Jiang, Xuejuan
• McKean-Cowdin, Roberta
• Jang, Yuri
• Shahidi, Mahnaz
• Song, Brian
• Toy, Brian