Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD

👁️ #Ophthalmology 👁️ #Glaucoma 🤖 #AI 💻 #DigitalHealth ⚖️ #HealthEquity 💾 #DataScience 🏥 #KeckMedUSC

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Last paper of 2025! Foundation model vs classic CNN for teleretinal glaucoma screening:
•RETFound ≈ VGG-19 with plentiful data
•RETFound wins with small datasets & domain shift
•Image cropping boosts accuracy but hurts generalizability
#AI @AAOjournal
https://t.co/OEfgGXFRRy

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

2025 ends on a high note! Congratulations to my @USCEye faculty mentee Dr. Kyle Bolo for being awarded the competitive @USC @SoCalCTSI KL2 Career Development Award! This 3-year award will ensure Dr. Bolo has the time and support to develop into a leading clinician-scientist!💻

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Does dilation cause acute #angleclosure?
26.5M dilations, 11.4M patients
AAC risk overall: <1 in 7,000
AAC risk in #angleclosure: <1 in 500
Takeaway: Dilation is far safer than perceived, with 🔑implications for screening + care. @AJOphthalmology
https://t.co/EC7Ktiq0Kb

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Congratulations to my @USCEye MS4 mentee Ryan Shean on receiving the prestigious Research to Prevent Blindness (@RPB_org) Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship! This award supports immersive research training in ophthalmology and vision science. Well deserved, Ryan!👏

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

LPI works, but not for everyone! Our analysis of 5-year RCT data shows 1/3 of @angleclosure persists after LPI. Thicker iris + narrower angles predicted worse response. Time for anatomy-guided risk stratification, not one-size-fits-all care? @AAOjournal
https://t.co/IOpBVr8geR

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Congratulations to my @USCEye PGY3 mentee Rahul Dhodapkar on being selected for the @AIM_AHEAD @Bridge2AI AI-READI Training Program! This competitive national award supports future leaders at the intersection of #AI, #DataScience, and biomedical research. Well deserved, Rahul! 🚀

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

In our latest publication, Dr. Kyle Bolo and I review how #AI is transforming OCT-based glaucoma care by enhancing image analysis and disease detection while advancing explainable, equitable eye health. #digitalhealth @USCReye

OPEN ACCESS: https://t.co/fOrtbKglyr

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Thanks to @EssiLux and Heidelberg Engineering for organizing the forward thinking, thought provoking Visionary Horizons Forum in beautiful #Milano, Italy. Exciting advances in wearables, ocular imaging, and #AI promise a bright future for patients and clinicians alike! @USCEye

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Fantastic weekend at #AAO2025 in sunny Orlando, FL! Exciting to share updates on our #angleclosure and #AI research and moderate a session on the sustainability and environmental impact of eye care. Always wonderful to see so many friends and colleagues! 🌎👁️ @USCEye @AGSDocs

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

I have to agree that sometimes the peer review process really does feel like this...

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

New consensus out from the APOSTEL-AS panel @JAMAOphth! 👁️
We agreed on terminology for 31 anatomic landmarks visible on anterior segment #OCT to standardize reporting and boost reproducibility in ocular imaging.

Open access here 👉 https://t.co/QJSR2Wsapw

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

My new @cybersight_org / @OrbisIntl lecture is live! 🎥
“Gonioscopy & Angle Evaluation: Fundamentals to Advanced Techniques & Technologies”
Covers core gonioscopy skills, AS-OCT imaging, AI tools, & future directions in angle closure care.

👉 Watch here: https://t.co/mjNr9dVLQx

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

New work from the Xu lab @JAMAOphth!
In countywide @LADHS teleretinal screening program (84,008 patients, 168,796 dilations), only 4 acute angle closure events occurred. 2.4 per 100,000 dilations supports the safety of pharmacologic dilation.
Read more: https://t.co/ylZxGhiBMc

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

New from our team 👁️💰
We analyzed 2-year eye care costs for newly diagnosed PACG. Average cost ≈ $2,960, but the top 5% (> $9,800) accounted for 21% of spending. Older age increased risk for high-cost care.

Free to read: https://t.co/kiY00IBGln
#Glaucoma #HealthEconomics

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Whirlwind 4-day trip to beautiful Sri Lanka for the 16th Asian Angle Closure #Glaucoma Club and Singapore to visit SNEC. Wonderful to share advances in #angleclosure research and see so many amazing friends and sights. Thanks to @TOphth and @snec_seri for the warm hospitality!

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

New review from our group 🧠👁️
How #AI and deep learning are advancing anterior and posterior segment OCT imaging for glaucoma diagnostics — plus key challenges & opportunities for #Glaucoma and #Ophthalmology care. @USCEye

Free to read: https://t.co/cXBEKTwjmV

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

For those interested in #AI use in eye care, I recently lectured on this topic at the @HD_Engineering International #Glaucoma Symposium. I presented our current AI collaboration with @ladhs and implementation barriers we have encountered. @USCEye

https://t.co/WR0UnjbL7g

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Better late than never? A few highlights from ASCRS in LA and ARVO in Salt Lake City. It was wonderful to share our work on #AI and #DataScience, including stellar talks by my @USCEye PGY3 mentees, Kendra Hong and Kimberley Yu. See you next again next year! @ARVOinfo @ASCRStweets

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

Ryan's second #AI paper compares the performance of @OpenAI o1 to other LLMs, including a lite version of @deepseek_ai. Impressively, Deepseek lite outperformed o1 in first-order (recall) questions. This bodes well for accessible AI use in ophthalmology!
https://t.co/qp2T3nw4MC

[Benjamin Xu, MD, PhD @BenXuLab]

I am excited to share the first of two #AI papers by @USC MS4, Ryan Shean! We found that @OpenAI o1 outperforms human trainees and other LLMs in ophthalmology board-style questions. This has important implications for AI use in education. @AAOjournal
https://t.co/FqhVFx9X5v