Name Sangita P. Patel
Credentials MD, PhD
Specialty Cornea and External Disease

Education and Training

Medical School

Postdoctoral Fellowship
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

Internship (Internal Medicine)
Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY

Residency (Ophthalmology)
Mayo Clinic, College of Medicine, Rochester, MN

Fellowship (Cornea, External Diseases and Refractive Surgery)
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA

Sangita Patel, M.D., Ph.D. is a Cornea and External Disease specialist at the Ross Eye Institute and Research Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo/State University of New York.  Dr. Patel obtained her M.D. and Ph.D. (Physiology) in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University at Buffalo.  After an internship at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY, she trained at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN for her Ophthalmology residency.  She completed further subspecialty training in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School and a research fellowship at Schepens Eye Research Institute/Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA.

Dr. Patel treats patients with a wide range of eye problems with a focus on diseases of the cornea and external surface of the eye including Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, keratoconus, and corneal infections.  She also performs a variety of surgical procedures including corneal transplantation, cataract surgery, conjunctival tumor surgery, and transplantation of the artificial cornea when standard corneal transplantation has failed.

Dr. Patel’s research focuses on determining the molecular mechanisms that regulate corneal swelling as seen in diseases such as Fuchs endothelial dystrophy and bullous keratopathy.  Currently, the only vision restoring treatment for these diseases is corneal transplantation.  Through her research efforts, Dr. Patel seeks to determine how fluid balance is regulated in the cornea and also to identify the specific molecules that may be involved in removing water from the cornea.  The goal of her research is to develop alternative medical therapies for diseases that cause corneal swelling.