Academic Background

A/Prof. Donny Hoang is a Senior Consultant in NUH Ophthalmology, and directs a laboratory focused on High and Pathologic myopia (extreme short-sightedness) at NUS. He has been funded by over $6,700,000 locally as PI, including two NMRC Clinician-Scientist Awards, two Clinician-Scientist Individual Research Grants and as a project PI/Co-I for $39.4 million. He graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago, USA with triple-major with honors in Chemistry, Biology and Integrated Science in 1997. He then received a joint Medical Degree (M.D.) and Ph.D. (Anatomy and Cell Biology) from the University of Illinois where he was awarded the 2006 Top Life Sciences Ph.D. Thesis Award. He undertook Ophthalmology training at the esteemed Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago, where he won Top Research Awards in 2009 and 2010.

He completed a 2-year surgical and medical retina fellowship at Columbia University and the Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York (VRMNY) in 2012 under world-renowned specialists Stanley Chang, Lawrence Yannuzzi, Richard Spaide and Bailey Freund. Since 2012, he split his time as a vitreo-retinal surgeon and Director, High Myopia Laboratory at Columbia University where he received an NIH Clinician-Scientist Career Development Award.

Professional Recognition

A/Prof. Hoang is a fellow of the prestigious Macula Society, Retina Society, AAO, American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and Academy of Medicine Singapore (FAMS). He has received numerous awards, including selection as one of America's Top Ophthalmologists prior to immigrating to Singapore in 2016. He is well-published with over 120 peer-reviewed high-impact articles and is Editorial Board member and/or reviewer for 10+ journals.

Current Research Focus

At NUH/NUS, his work profile is divided between clinical work (seeing patients) and research, with both endeavors focused on extreme short-sightedness, an important blinding condition in Singapore. Although minimal myopia levels are an inconvenience, pathologic myopia occurs at extreme levels of lifelong, progressive eye elongation and eyewall thinning potentially leading to blindness. He employs cutting-edge non-invasive imaging to identify patients at greatest risk of vision loss. Concurrently, he leads laboratory-based studies to discover novel treatments to stunt short-sightedness and prevent blindness.

As a clinician-scientist, he feels it is his patients who ultimately fuel his passionate focus on advancing treatments and cures for retinal disease and blinding disorders. He treasures his time with patients, and strives to provide the best possible care, including both treatments that currently exist as well as developing novel treatments in the laboratory.

Overall, A/Prof Donny Hoang's research has three major areas:

• Translational biomechanical research geared toward the diagnosis and treatment of High and Pathologic Myopia
• Lab-bench basic research on developing novel therapies for Pathologic Myopia in animal models
• Clinical research on multimodal imaging in medical and surgical retinal diseases, including High and Pathologic Myopia

These areas are closely intertwined, linking to each other with the ultimate goal of improving the diagnosis and management of blinding diseases.

A/Prof. Hoang holds concurrent appointments as Deputy Head, Myopia Unit at the Singapore Eye Research Institute and Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University, New York.

Media Coverage

• Straits Times: "Rising cases of high myopia in adults in Singapore" Read more
• Channel News Asia: "Health Matters – Slow Myopia Progression now" Watch video
• Channel News Asia: "Health Matters – Preventing Pathologic Myopia & Myopic Maculopathy" Watch video

Ongoing Research Projects

• A Model for Myopic Traction Maculopathy Progression Based on Retinal Biomechanics (NMRC/CSIRG/MOH-001481/2024)
• Role of Peripheral Scleral and Choroidal Remodelling in Low, High and Pathologic Myopia (NMRC/CSA-INV/MOH-001103)
• Scleral Biomechanical properties in Pathologic Myopia and Myopic Glaucoma (NMRC/CSA/MOH-000151/2019)
• A Biomechanical Sensing Model of Scleral Remodeling in High Myopia (NMRC/CSIRG/MOH-000531/2021)
• Prediction of Myopia Level and Risk of Progression based on Real-Time Measure of Anterior Scleral Biomechanics Using a Novel Device

Open Research Positions

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Optical Engineer)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Electrical Engineer)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow (AI-Engineer)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Clinician-Scientist)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Visual Neuroscientist)
• PhD Students

For more details, please contact: Assoc. Prof Donny HOANG Quan V(donny.hoang@duke-nus.edu.sg).

Selected Publications

• Hoang QV, Rizzieri N, Flitcroft I. Can we predict which high myopes will develop pathological myopia? Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2025 Mar 10;45(4):906–10. doi: 10.1111/opo.13462. Epub ahead of print.
• Tan B, Shah JN, McNabb RP et al. Hoang QV (shared senior author), Schmetterer L. Distortion-Corrected Posterior Ocular Shape in Myopic Eyes Assessed by Ultrawide OCT Detects Deformations Associated With Vision-Threatening Changes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Nov 4;65(13):22.
• Chuangsuwanich T, Tun TA, Braeu FA, Chong RS, Wang X, Ho CL, Aung T, Girard MJA, Hoang QV. Comparing IOP-induced Scleral Deformations in the Myopic and Myopic Glaucoma Spectrums. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2024 Nov 4;65(13):54. doi: 10.1167/iovs.65.13.54.
• Ito K, Hoerig C, Dan YS, McFadden SA, Mamou J, Hoang QV. Biomechanical changes occur in myopic choroidal stroma and mirror those in the adjacent sclera. Communications Engineering (Nature Portfolio). 2024 Oct 9;3(1):139. doi: 10.1038/s44172-024-00280-7.
• Jiang L, Koh JHZ, Seah SHY, Dan YS, Wang Z, Chan X, Zhou L, Barathi VA, Hoang QV. Key role for inflammation-related signaling in the pathogenesis of myopia based on evidence from proteomics analysis. Scientific Reports. 2024 Oct 8;14(1):23486. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-67337-7.
• Hoerig C, Hoang QV (shared senior author), Mamou J. In-vivo high-frequency quantitative ultrasound-derived parameters of the anterior sclera correlated with level of myopia and presence of staphyloma. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2024 Nov;52(8):840-852. doi: 10.1111/ceo.14415.
• Hoang QV, Wen Q, Paik D, Chun YY, Silverman R, Nagasaki T, Trokel S, Zyablitskaya M. Scleral Growth Stunting via Sub-Tenon Injection of Cross-linking Solutions in Live Rabbits. Br J Ophthalmol. 2023 Jun;107(6):889-894.
• Cheong KX, Lim SY, Dan YS, Silverman RH, Chang S, Yannuzzi LA, Freund KB, Ito K, Hoang QV. Ultrasound Assessment of Gaze-induced Posterior Eyewall Deformation in Highly Myopic Eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2023 Oct 3;64(13):38. doi: 10.1167/iovs.64.13.38.
• Liu X, Jiang L, Ke M, Sigal I, Chua J, Hoang QV et al. Schmetterer L. Scleral birefringence is a predictive biomarker of myopia progression using triple input polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2023 Aug;7(8):986-1000. doi: 10.1038/s41551-023-01062-w.
• Chuangsuwanich T, Tun TA, Braeu FA, Yeoh CHY, Chong RS, Wang X, Aung T, Hoang QV (shared senior author), Girard MJA. How Myopia and Glaucoma Influence the Biomechanical Susceptibility of the Optic Nerve Head. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2023 Aug 1;64(11):12.
• Cheong KX, Xu L, Ohno-Matsui K, Sabanayagam C, Saw SM, Hoang QV. An evidence-based review of the epidemiology of myopic traction maculopathy. Surv Ophthalmol. 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2022.03.007.
• Zheng F et al. Schmetterer L, Wong CW, Hoang QV. Macular Sensitivity and Capillary Perfusion in Highly Myopic Eyes with Myopic Macular Degeneration. RETINA. 2022 Mar 1;42(3):529-539.
• Wang X, Chang S, Grinband J, Yannuzzi LA, Freund KB, Hoang QV (shared senior author), Girard MJ. Optic nerve tortuosity and displacements during horizontal eye movements in healthy and highly myopic subjects. Br J Ophthalmol. 2021. bjophthalmol-2021-318968.
• Zheng F, Chua J, Ke M, Tan B, Yu M, Hu Q, Cheung C, Ang M, Lee SY, Wong TY, Schmetterer L, Wong CW, Hoang QV. Quantitative OCT Angiography of the Retinal Microvasculature and Choriocapillaris in Highly Myopic Eyes with Myopic Macular Degeneration. Br J Ophthalmol. 2021. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2020-317632.
• Hoang QV, Chang S, Yu DJG, Yannuzzi LA, Freund KB and Grinband J. 3-D Assessment of Gaze-Induced Eye Shape Deformations and Downgaze-Induced Vitreous Chamber Volume Increase in Highly Myopic Eyes with Staphyloma. Br J Ophthalmol. 2021 Aug;105(8):1149-1154.
• Matsumura S, Sabanayagam C, Wong CW, Tan CS, Kuo A, Wong YL, Ohno-Matsui K, Wong TY, Cheng CY, Hoang QV, Saw SM. Characteristics of myopic traction maculopathy in myopic Singaporean adults. Br J Ophthalmol. 2021 Apr;105(4):531-537.
• Tan TE…Hoang QV et al. Retinal photograph-based deep learning algorithms for myopia and a blockchain platform to facilitate artificial intelligence medical research: a retrospective multicohort study. Lancet Digit Health. 2021 May;3(5):e317-e329.
• Saw SM, Matsumura S, Hoang QV. Prevention and management of myopia-related blindness. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019 Feb 1;60(2):488-499.
• Hoang QV, Rohrbach D, McFadden SA, Mamou J. Regional changes in the elastic properties of myopic Guinea pig sclera. Exp Eye Res. 2019 Sep;186:107739.

Collaborations

View more details on the collaborations here