
Stacy L. Pineles, MD
Los Angeles, California 90095
About
Stacy L. Pineles, MD, MS is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Residency Program Director at the Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Pineles completed her medical school training at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, followed by subsequent training as an ophthalmology resident (2005-2008) and fellow in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus at the Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (2009). She completed an additional fellowship in Neuro-Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania (2010), and a Master's degree in Clinical Investigation at UCLA (2013). In 2010, Dr. Pineles joined the faculty of the Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, one of the leading centers of vision science in the world. Dr. Pineles currently runs an NIH-sponsored research program evaluating binocular vision in children and adults with eye misalignment. Her research interests also include the systemic effects of pediatric eye disease as well as clinical trials in pediatric ophthalmology. She currently serves as the principle investigator of an NIH-sponsored multicenter study of pediatric optic neuritis. Dr. Pineles serves on numerous professional committees within the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. She travels regularly both nationally and internationally to speak on topics related to her research in pediatric neuro-ophthalmology and is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and 10 book chapters. In 2017, Dr. Pineles took over as the Director of the Residency Program in the Department of Ophthalmology at DGSOM, UCLA. In 2022, Dr. Pineles was named Chair-Elect of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), a collaborative network dedicated to facilitating multicenter clinical research in strabismus, amblyopia and other eye disorders that affect children. The network, which was formed in 1997, is funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI). T There are currently over 100 participating sites (offices) with over 300 pediatric ophthalmologists and pediatric optometrists in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom participating in the network.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowships
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- 2019 AAPOS Young Investigator Award
- 2018 University of California OptumLabs Research Credit Award
- 2017 Appointment of Jerome and Joan Snyder Chair in Ophthalmology See More
Locations

Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Research
Interests
- Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmology
- Adult and Pediatric Strabismus
Publications
Link to Dr. Pineles' PubMed publications >
- Pineles SL, Demer JL, Isenberg SJ, Birch EE, Velez FG .Improvement of Binocular Summation after strabismus surgery. JAMA Ophthalmol 2015;133(3):326-32.
- Pineles SL, Velez FG. Accessory Fibrotic Lateral Rectus Muscles in Exotropic Duane Syndrome with Severe Retraction and Upshoot JAAPOS 2015; 19(6):549-550.
- Kattan JM, Velez FG, Demer JL, Pineles SL. Relationship Between Binocular Summation and Stereoacuity After Strabismus Surgery. Am J Ophthalmol 2016; 165:29-32.
- Kim JA, Velez FG, Pineles SL. Strabismus Surgery in Patients With Ocular Neuromyotonia: Potential Unmasking of the Condition and Effective Management Tool. J Neuroophthalmol 2016; 36:259-63.
- Pineles SL, Repka MX, Yu F, Lum F, Coleman AL. Evaluating the impact of strabismus surgery on the association of musculoskeletal injuries, fractures, and falls with disorders of binocular vision in medicare beneficiaries. JAAPOS 2017; 21(3):239-41.
- Velez FG, Chang MY, Pineles SL. Inferior rectus transposition: a novel procedure for abducens palsy. Am J Ophthalmol 2017; 177:126-30.
- Chang MY, Demer JL, Isenberg SJ, Velez FG, Pineles SL. Decreased binocular summation in strabismic amblyopes and effect of strabismus surgery. Strabismus 2017; 25(2):73-80.
- Yulek F, Velez FG, Isenberg SJ, Demer JL, Pineles SL. Binocular summation and control of intermittent exotropia. Strabismus 2017; 25(2):81-6.
- Pineles SL, Kraker RT, VanderVeen DK, Hutchinson AK, Galvin JA, Wilson LB, Lambert SR. Atropine for the prevention of myopia progression in children: a report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology 2017 (in press)
- Chang MY, Velez FG, Demer JL, Bonelli L, Quiros PA, Arnold AC, Sadun AA, Pineles SL. Accuracy of diagnostic imaging modalities for classifying pediatric eyes as papilledema versus pseudopapilledema. Ophthalmology 2017 (in press)
Recognitions
- 2019 AAPOS Young Investigator Award
- 2018 University of California OptumLabs Research Credit Award
- 2017 Appointment of Jerome and Joan Snyder Chair in Ophthalmology
- 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award
- 2016 Selected to take part in UCLA Faculty Development "Stanford University Faculty Development for Medical Teachers" Workshop
- 2016 AAPOS Honors Award
- 2008 Sanford and Erna Schulhofer Fellowship
- 2008 Leonard Apt Fellowship
- 2008 Heed Fellowship, Society of Heed Fellow
- 2007 National Eye Institute ARVO Travel Grant
- 2007 Pepose-Saltzman Young Investigator Award
- 2004 Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, elected as a junior medical student
- 2004 Pincus Prize for Outstanding Achievement as a Clinician, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- 2004 Charles A. Oliver Memorial Prize, University of Pennsylvania (award given to the student with the highest record of performance in Ophthalmology in the medical school graduating class)
- 2004 Glasgow Rubin Award, University of Pennsylvania (award to the woman with the best overall performance in the medical school graduating class)
- 2001 Fight for Sight Summer Research Fellowship
- 2000-2004 Benjamin Measey and Mary Siddons Scholarship, University of Pennsylvania (merit-based tuition support)
- 2000 Helmholtz Award (best undergraduate research project), Duke University
- 2000 Phi Eta Sigma, Duke University
- 2000 Tau Beta Phi, Duke University
- 2000 Magna Cum Laude with Distinction, Duke University
- 1998-2000 National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship