Steven D. Ness, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Steven Ness, MD is an Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and serves as the Chief of the Retina Service and Director of the Vitreoretinal Surgery and Medical Retina Fellowships at Boston Medical Center. He sees patients both at Boston Medical Center and the Taunton office of Boston University Eye Associates and also serves as an Attending Physician at the Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System. His clinical interests include the medical and surgical management of chorioretinal vascular disease including diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusions, and age related macular degeneration and the surgical treatment of retinal detachment, epiretinal membranes and macular holes.

After graduating with a degree in neurobiology from Yale University and summa cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Ness completed a 1 year transitional internship at the Frankford Healthcare System. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Boston University, serving as chief resident in his final year. After a 2 year vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Boston Medical Center and VA Boston Healthcare System, he joined the faculty of both institutions in 2008.

Dr. Ness serves as Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Ophthalmology and has several ongoing projects focusing on advanced novel retinal imaging systems, diabetic retinopathy, and the social determinants of healthcare and patient adherence. He is a co-investigator in an RO1 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke entitled "Predictive markers from diabetic retinopathy via quantitative imaging of retinal capillary functions".

Dr. Ness has been an invited speaker at regional, national, and international meetings. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and serves on national committees through the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retinal Specialists and on the editorial boards of Surveys of Ophthalmology and Focal Points.

Publications

  • Published 6/5/2026

    Yarala R, Karnam S, Prasad M, Mittal R, Chen X, Ness S, Poulaki V, Siegel NH, Subramanian ML. Postoperative Outcomes in Combined Phacovitrectomy vs Vitrectomy Alone in Severe Diabetic Retinopathy. J Vitreoretin Dis. 2026 Jun 05; 24741264261451495. PMID: 42255508.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/30/2026

    Prasad M, Pulukuri S, Sampani K, Yarala R, Mittal R, Xia W, Stein TD, Aytan N, Chen X, Ness S, Siegel NH, Subramanian ML. Association of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light chain with retinal cell layer thickness: A cross-sectional study of ophthalmic surgical patients. J Alzheimers Dis. 2026 Jul; 112(2):768-779. PMID: 42216665.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/17/2026

    Davoudi S, Islam Y, Ebrahimiadib N, Roohipourmoallai R, Grieser E, Poulaki V, Chen X, Beal CJ, Siegel NH, Subramanian ML, Tuli SS, Ness S. Association of Low Vitamin D with Infectious and Non-Infectious Inflammatory Ocular Disease. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2026 May; 34(4):731-736. PMID: 41843660.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/13/2026

    Khangura MS, Spratt MA, Gao A, Manhapra A, Siegel NH, Chen X, Poulaki V, Ness S, Stein T, Subramanian ML. The Association Between Diabetic Retinopathy Severity and Dementia Risk: A TriNetX Longitudinal Cohort Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2026 May; 285:300-309. PMID: 41692179.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/22/2025

    Subramanian ML, Sampani K, Ness S, Tuz-Zahra F, Alluri S, Chen X, Siegel NH, Aytan N, Xia W, Tripodis Y, Alosco ML, Stein TD. Biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease are upregulated in patients with diabetic retinopathy. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Nov; 108(2):586-596. PMID: 40982223.

    Read at: PubMed

Education

  • University of Maryland School of Medicine, MD
  • Yale University, BA