Bio
Professor Ruwan Amila Silva, MD, MPhil is board certified and fellowship trained vitreoretinal surgeon in the department of ophthalmology at Stanford University Medical Center. He received his BA in Neurobiology from Harvard University graduating Magna cum laude with Highest Honors. He then received his Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) in Neurobiology from Cambridge University in England. Following this, he received his medical degree from Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Silva completed his ophthalmology residency at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the top rated eye hospital in the country. While there he was awarded the Heed Fellowship, the most prestigious national award for ophthalmology residents in the country. Dr. Silva returned to Stanford University to complete his vitreoretinal surgery fellowship where he was awarded the Ronald G. Michels Foundation Award, the nation’s highest honor for a retina surgery fellow. During his fellowship at Stanford he was also awarded the prestigious Evangelos S. Gragoudas Award by the Macula Society. Following fellowship, Dr. Silva remained at Stanford University's School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Vitreoretinal Surgery in the Department of Ophthalmology. Since 2015, he has been named one of “America’s Top Ophthalmologists” by Consumers’ Research Council of America. He was also selected as a "Top Ophthalmologist" by the International Association of Ophthalmologists.
Dr. Silva's clinical practice focuses mainly on macular degeneration and retinal vascular disease (such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusions and central serous retinopathy). Surgically, he specializes in diseases of the vitreous and retina: including repair of retinal detachments, surgery for the macula (such as treatment of epiretinal membranes and macular holes) and correction of dislocated intraocular lenses. His research interests mainly involve developing novel therapies for these diseases (http://med.stanford.edu/artificial-retina.html) and have resulted in over 50 combined peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, book chapters and national meeting presentations.
Dr. Silva is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, as well as the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology.
Clinical Focus
- Retina, Retinal Disease
- Macular Degeneration, Drusen, Ocular injections
- Vitreoretinal Surgery, Retinal Detachment
- Epiretinal Membrane, Macular Pucker, Macular Holes
- Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinal Vein Occlusion, Retinal Artery Occlusion
- Myopia, Retinal Telangiectasis, Central Serous Retinopathy
- Ophthalmology
Honors & Awards
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Heed Fellowship Award, The Heed Ophthalmic Foundation (2012)
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Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Award, The Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation (2013)
Professional Education
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Residency: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (2012) FL
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Fellowship: Stanford University Retina and Vitreous Fellowship (2014) CA
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Board Certification: American Board of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology (2014)
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Internship: University of California Irvine (2009) CA
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Medical Education: Stanford University (2008) CA
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M.Phil., Cambridge University (UK), Neurobiology (2003)
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BA, Harvard University, Neurobiology (2002)