Dr. Jonathan Sears MD

Practice: Cleveland Clinic

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Website: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/

Phone: 216-444-2030

Email: SEARSJ@ccf.org

Jonathan Sears, MD, is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic. He received his undergraduate education at Yale College, graduating cum laude with a BS in chemistry. He continued with medical school at Yale University School of Medicine, where he developed a novel method of screening B-cell epitopes, which was used to help develop the Lyme vaccine. He was a Resident in Ophthalmology at Yale as well, and next completed a two-year surgical fellowship at Emory University, where he developed an interest in pediatric retinal detachment and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Dr. Sears' research interest is in ROP. He uses a mouse model of ROP to test the hypothesis that small-molecule activators of hypoxia-inducible factor are able to drive retinal development early in life to prevent ROP detachment.

  • Appointed

    1998

    Education & Fellowships:

    • Fellowship - Emory Eye Clinic

    • Vitreoretinal Fellowship Atlanta, GA USA, 1998

    Residency :

    Yale-New Haven Hospital, Ophthalmology, New Haven, CT USA, 1996

    Internship:

    • Yale-New Haven Hospital, Internal Medicine, New Haven, CT USA, 1993

    Medical Education:

    Yale University School of Medicine, MD New Haven, CT USA, 1992

    Undergraduate:

    Yale University, Chemistry, New Haven, CT USA, 1988

  • Professional Highlights

    • AAO Achievement Award

    • The Hartwell Foundation Research Fellow

    • Matilda Zeigler Foundation Research Fellow

    Awards & Honors

    • Distinction in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Yale University, 1988$0$0Cum Laude, Yale University, 1988

    • Yale Medical Student Research Fellowship, sponsored by National Institutes of Health; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Section of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, 1990-1992

    • Harold J. Lamport Prize, awarded for the most creative biomedical research by a Yale medical student, Department of Biochemistry, Yale School of Medicine, 1992

    • Yale Resident Research Prize, Department of Ophthalmology, 1995 and 1996

    • Heed Ophthalmic Fellowship, in support of clinical research, 1997

    • Emory Medical Care Fellowship, in support of basic science research, Emory University School of Medicine, 1997

    • Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology, Fellow Research Competition, Finalist, 1998

    • Clinical Teacher of the Year Award, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1998

    • Clinical Investigator Development Award, Cleveland Clinic, 2003

    • Best Doctors in America, 2005-2009

    • Best Doctors in Cleveland, 2005-2009

    • American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, 2007

    • Editorial Board Member Online News and Education (O.N.E.), 2007

    • Editorial Board Member British Journal of Ophthalmology

    • Best Research, Poster American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2008

    • Strathmore Who's Who 2009

    • Innovations & Patents

    • Stimulating angiogenesis to prevent ischemic retinopathy

    • Memberships

    • American Academy of Ophthalmology

    • Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

    • International Congress of Eye Research

    • Association of Pediatric Retinal Surgeons

    • Cleveland Ophthalmic Society

    • Heed Ophthalmic Society

  • Certifications:

    Ophthalmology

    Specialty Interests:

    • Retinal detachment secondary to degenerative disorders such as myopia or trauma or diabetes

    • Retinopathy of prematurity and other acquired vitreoretinal diseases

    • Vitreoretinal diseases

    • Pediatric retina

FAQ

At the Jack McGovern Coats’ Disease Foundation, we are often contacted by anxious parents or patients who are seeking information after receiving a diagnosis of Coats’ Disease. The questions below are provided as a resource to assist you as you and your doctor decide the best approach for treatment. These questions do not constitute any form of medical advice or diagnosis. Each patient is unique. An experienced retinal specialist who has examined the patient is the best source of information for diagnosis and treatment. We always recommend getting a second opinion.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor (Download PDF)

  • Ahead of any treatments or procedures, it is important to ask yourself and the doctor the following questions:

    • How do you know that this is Coats’ Disease?

    • Has your doctor treated other patients with Coats’ Disease?

    • Have you sought a second opinion? If not, please consult our Doctor Directory for knowledgeable doctors in your area.

    • What Stage of Coats’ Disease is he/she in?

    • Will his/her vision get worse over time?

    • Will the eye have pain?

    • Will his/her eye start to turn out? Is muscle corrective surgery an option?

    • Are cataracts likely?

    • How likely is glaucoma? (due to retinal detachment)

    • Is there calcification?

    • What is the anticipated disease progression?

    • Is there a thorough vision exam available?

    • Where is the vision affected? (central/peripheral/distance)

    • Does he/she have depth perception? (3D visibility)

    • What about the non-Coats’ eye?

    • To what extent is his/her vision affected?

    • Will we be able to use this as a baseline to measure progress/decline?

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