Hossein Ameri, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology

Director of USC Retinal Degeneration Center

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Overview

Dr. Hossein Ameri graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and then served as a physician and managing director of Nahavand Health Network in Iran. He received his ophthalmology and vitreoretinal surgery training in Ireland, where he was also an official lecturer at University College Cork and was a founding member of the Irish Retinal Prosthesis Group. Dr. Ameri then moved to Los Angeles for a research fellowship and became an Assistant Professor of Research Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California. He was involved in preclinical studies of Argus II and the development of wide-field retinal prostheses. In addition, he produced quality research on retinal vascular disease, retinal angiogenesis, and ocular ultrasound.

Dr. Ameri completed his internship in general surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and moved to Texas for his ophthalmology residency, during which he simultaneously earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Ameri obtained additional fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery at USC Roski Eye Institute. An accomplished researcher and scholar, he has numerous peer-reviewed publications, holds a number of U.S. patents, and serves on the editorial board of journals. Currently, his lab is focused on developing gene therapy for acquired and inherited retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and retinitis pigmentosa.

Awards

  • Department of Ophthalmology, University of Southern California: Basic Science Award, 2007
  • Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology: International Travel Grant Award, 2007
  • Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch: Residency Academic Achievement Award, 2010
  • Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch: Academic Achievement Award, 2011
  • Heed Ophthalmic Foundation: Heed Residents Retreat, 2011
  • Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch: Senior Resident Teaching Award: Outstanding Commitment to Educating Junior Colleagues with Clinical, 2012
  • Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch: Leadership Award in Recognition of Exemplary Performance as a Resident Leader, 2012
  • Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch: Academic Achievement Award in Recognition of Exceptional Academic Performance, 2012

Education and Training

  • Tehran University of Medical Science — MD — 1993
  • Royal College of Surgeons — FRCSI — 2000
  • Royal College of Ophthalmologists — MRCOphth — 2000
  • University of Texas Medical Branch — Ophthalmology Residency — 2012
  • University of Texas Medical Branch — PhD — 2013
  • USC Roski Eye Institute — Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship — 2015

Publications

  • Ultra-Widefield Fluorescein Angiography Findings in Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa. J Vitreoretin Dis. 2026 Jun 24; 24741264261447506.. View in PubMed
  • Fundus autofluorescence imaging. Handb Clin Neurol. 2026; 218:87-108.. View in PubMed
  • Postmortem Retinal Structural and Metabolic Analysis After Human Embryonic Stem Cell-derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium Transplantation in a Patient With Stargardt Disease. J Vitreoretin Dis. 2025 Nov 26; 24741264251393958.. View in PubMed
  • Persistent disparities in diabetic retinopathy outcomes among socially deprived individuals despite treatment adherence. Eye (Lond). 2025 Dec; 39(18):3269-3277.. View in PubMed
  • Visual cortical thickness increases with prolonged artificial vision restoration. Cereb Cortex. 2025 May 01; 35(5).. View in PubMed
  • Developing Laterality-Specific Computable Phenotypes from Electronic Health Record Data, Employing Treatment-Warranted Diabetic Macular Edema as a Use Case. Ophthalmol Sci. 2025 Sep-Oct; 5(5):100797.. View in PubMed
  • Loss of Peripheral Retinal Vessels in Retinitis Pigmentosa. Ophthalmol Sci. 2025 Jul-Aug; 5(4):100767.. View in PubMed
  • Frequency and Pattern of Gene Therapy Clinical Trials for Inherited Retinal Diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025; 1468:89-93.. View in PubMed
  • Loss of Peripheral Retinal Vessels in Retinitis Pigmentosa. medRxiv. 2024 Oct 19.. View in PubMed
  • Visual Cortical Thickness Increases with Prolonged Artificial Vision Restoration. medRxiv. 2024 Jun 27.. View in PubMed