Dr. Safal Khanal

Dr. Safal Khanal is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he holds a joint fellowship appointment in the Ocular Surface and Myopia Laboratories. His current research focusses on understanding how the eye regulates its growth and refractive state and what causes the development of refractive errors, including myopia. The long-term goal of his research is to devise convenient, safe, and effective optical, pharmacological and chromaticity-based strategies to prevent the onset and slow the progression of myopia. His research also extends to tear film and ocular surface in which he is currently investigating the role of fatty acids in lipid layer structure and function in health and dry eye disease. His other research interests include defocus detection, ocular imaging and electrophysiology, and glaucoma. Dr. Khanal received clinical training in Optometry and Vision Science in Nepal and the Philippines and earned his Bachelor of Optometry and Doctor of Optometry degrees, before moving to New Zealand to undertake a Ph.D. under Dr. John Phillips at the University of Auckland Myopia Lab. His Ph.D. work investigated physiological responses of the human eye using advanced imaging (deep range imaging optical coherence tomography, arterial spin labelling MRI) and electrophysiological techniques (global flash multifocal electroretinogram), and informed the mechanistic basis of myopia (short-sight). Following completion of his Ph.D., he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Auckland Myopia Lab to complete an industry-funded project on the ocular effects of a novel spectacle lens design for myopia. Dr. Khanal has published over 20 peer-reviewed research articles in various areas of Optometry and Vision Science. He holds professional membership in several organizations, including Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV), and Cornea and Contact Lens Society of New Zealand. In 2016, he was inducted as a clinical fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Optometry (AAO). Dr. Khanal has received a number of scholarships, grants and awards, which include Eberhard Dodt Memorial award, Centre for Brain Research Knowledge Exchange grant, Velocity innovation challenge award, New Zealand Higher Degree Research Write-Up grant, and travel fellowships from AAO, ISCEV, Optometry Australia, APAO, and WCO. He continues to serve as an ad-hoc peer reviewer for leading journals in the field, including IOVS, Experimental Eye Research, Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, Clinical and Experimental Optometry, and Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.