About

Vicente Diaz, MD, MBA, is an associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science at Yale University. He specializes in ocular inflammatory and infectious diseases, including comprehensive ophthalmology conditions such as dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, and cataracts. His research interests focus on novel immunomodulatory therapies for non-infectious inflammatory diseases, management of Stevens Johnson’s Syndrome, and innovative therapies in glaucoma. Dr. Diaz is actively involved in clinical trials of immunomodulatory treatments for inflammatory diseases, serving as a co-investigator on several FDA-sponsored studies. He is the Chief of Ophthalmology at Yale Health and Bridgeport Hospital, where he oversees care for patients with complex autoimmune eye conditions, including Stevens Johnson’s Syndrome. Dr. Diaz is also the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at Yale University and the Director of Ophthalmology for the Bridgeport Hospital Burn Unit. He has contributed to advancing ophthalmic surgical techniques, being one of the first in Connecticut to perform femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, and utilizes advanced technologies such as ORA aberrometry and various lens implants to optimize surgical outcomes. His clinical practice and research are driven by a commitment to improving patient care and expanding the understanding of autoimmune and inflammatory eye diseases.

Research topics

• Ophthalmology
• Medicine
• Anesthesia
• Surgery
• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Selected publications

• A new species of Andean frog of the genus Phrynopus (Anura: Strabomantidae) from southeastern Peru

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A new species of Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) from southern Peru

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17

  datasetOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• A new species of Andean frog of the genus Phrynopus (Anura: Strabomantidae) from southeastern Peru

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A new species of Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) from southern Peru

  The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16

  datasetOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Mammal collections in Peru

  Revista Peruana de Biología · 2025-07-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Las colecciones de mamíferos desempeñan un papel fundamental en la documentación de la diversidad de mamíferos de nuestro planeta y en el apoyo al crecimiento de diversas disciplinas. Sin embargo, a pesar de que Perú es reconocido como el tercer país más diverso en mamíferos del mundo, el número de instituciones que albergan colecciones de mamíferos en el país es limitado. Además, no se ha realizado una evaluación detallada del estado y rol científico de dichas colecciones. Para evaluar las colecciones de mamíferos en Perú, contactamos 16 colecciones reconocidas por SERFOR (Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre) y obtuvimos con éxito información de 13 de ellas (hasta abril de 2022). Estas colecciones albergan aproximadamente 84842 especímenes, con el 93% de estos concentrados en dos instituciones nacionales: MUSM (Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) y MUSA (Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Agustín), mientras que las otras son consideradas colecciones pequeñas. Es de gran preocupación que 16 de los 24 departamentos no tengan ninguna colección de mamíferos. Nuestros datos indican que la mayoría de los registros están representados por especímenes, y aunque todas las colecciones tienen bases de datos digitalizadas, los formatos utilizados no son estándar entre las instituciones. Además, la mayoría de las colecciones no tiene sus bases disponibles en línea. La cobertura geográfica de MUSM y MUSA es nacional, mientras que las demás son regionales. En cuanto al número de especímenes, los órdenes Rodentia y Chiroptera son los mejor representados, seguidos, ni siquiera de cerca, por los demás órdenes. En cuanto a la representación de especies, es preocupante que 49 especies actualmente no están representadas en ninguna colección peruana. Por otro lado, 45 holotipos están depositados en alguna colección peruana. Este estudio revela que Perú alberga un volumen importante de especímenes de mamíferos, pero pocas colecciones. Sin embargo, considerando la alta diversidad de mamíferos, estos números están lejos de ser una buena representación. Los resultados destacan la urgente necesidad de realizar más encuestas y colecciones de especímenes para abordar la subrepresentación de la diversidad de mamíferos de Perú.

  PublisherDOI

• Notes on the trophic ecology of a Population of <i>Proctoporus chasqui </i>(Squamata; Gymnophthalmidae) in Montane Forests of Southern Peru

  Revista Peruana de Biología · 2025-10-11

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This study analyzes the diet composition and seasonal variation of Proctoporus chasqui in a population of Chiquintirca, Ayacucho, Peru. The fieldwork was carried out during the wet (October 2018) and dry (June 2019) seasons. Analysis of the stomach contents of 18 individuals revealed 105 preys grouped into 11 dietary categories. Coleoptera (19.05%) was the most abundant type of prey, followed by Hemiptera (16.19%) and Araneae (16.19%). In terms of volume, Araneae (28.66%) dominated, followed by Coleoptera (12.92%) and Hemiptera (8.29%). The most frequent prey was Coleoptera (61.11%), while plant material was present in 50% of the individuals, but only contributed 8.57% in number and 4.27% in volume. Species exhibited seasonal changes in diet: during the wet season, beetles (39.96%) and winged hymenoptera (21.02%) were dominant prey, while in the dry season, hemiptera (33.82%) and plant material (32.30%) increased in proportion. The amplitude of the trophic niche (Bij) was 7.37, varying from 5.15 in the wet season to 5.29 in the dry season. These results classify P. chasqui as an insectivorous generalist with seasonal omnivorous tendencies and would have a "sit and wait" feeding strategy. This study provides the first documented evidence of plant consumption in Proctoporus, suggesting that dietary flexibility may be an adaptive response to fluctuating food availability in mountainous environments. Understanding such trophic adaptations is crucial to assessing the ecological dynamics of high-altitude reptile communities in the tropical Andes.

  PublisherDOI

• Music during cataract surgery: effect on anxiety

  Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery · 2024 · 4 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Anesthesia
  • Psychology

  PURPOSE: To determine the effect of playing patient-selected music intraoperatively on patient self-reported anxiety and the amount of sedative administered during cataract surgery. SETTING: Yale New Haven Hospital health system, New Haven, Connecticut. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. METHODS: Patients were randomized to either a music group or a control group, which had no music played. Patients were blinded to the purpose of the study. On postoperative day 1, patients were consented to participate in the study and asked to complete a 6-question Likert-style survey (modified from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) assessing anxiety at baseline and during surgery. Patients' intraoperative and postoperative vitals were recorded. The medication, dosage, and number of sedative injections given were also recorded. Paired t tests were used to assess for significant differences between the 2 groups. RESULTS: 107 patients (mean age 71.2 years) were enrolled in the study. There was no significant difference in baseline anxiety between the 2 groups. Patients randomized to the music group had significantly lower total self-reported anxiety (mean 5.98) than the control group (mean 7.13, P = .006). Moreover, patients exposed to music felt significantly less frightened, nervous, and confused during surgery ( P = .002, .007, and 0.017, respectively). There was no significant difference between the groups in number and dosage of sedatives given. CONCLUSIONS: Playing patient-selected music during cataract surgery is an effective way to decrease anxiety. Music directly affects patient experience and is an inexpensive, low-risk method of reducing patient anxiety during surgery.

  PublisherDOI

• A new species of Andean frog of the genus Phrynopus (Anura: Strabomantidae) from southeastern Peru

  Zootaxa · 2023-05-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The Cordillera de los Andes is one of the most important regions for biodiversity. Among amphibians, many endemic species of terrestrial-breeding frogs have recently been discovered. Herein we describe Phrynopus sancristobali from the Andes of southeastern Peru based on molecular and morphological data. The new species is known from the ecotone between humid puna and montane forest at 3910 m a.s.l. on the left side of the Apurímac Valley in the Department of Ayacucho. The new species differs from congeners by having dorsum bearing pustules and light brown with dark brown reticulations surrounding the areolas, and coloration consisting of flanks golden brown with gray or dark brown marks, palms pale orange, soles deep orange, toes IV and V dark brown in dorsal and ventral view, belly cream to yellow with gray to light brown marks, and groin and throat deep orange. The snout-vent length (SVL) is 20.7 and 22.2 in two females, and 19.5 mm in one male. According to our phylogeny inferred using Maximum Likelihood with a concatenated dataset of three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes, P. sancristobali is sister taxon of P. apumantarum, recently described from Department Huancavelica. Our description extends the known geographic range of Phrynopus 73 km to the south, and P. sancristobali is the only species in the genus known to occur south of the Mantaro River, whose deep valley is hypothesized to be a biogeographic barrier for high-Andean organisms. The discovery of P. sancristobali confirms the high levels of endemism and beta diversity of Phrynopus in the moist puna grasslands and montane forests of the high Andes of Peru, and suggests that further work will reveal the presence of additional species in southern Peru.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Surgical Time and Postoperative Symptoms Study in Pterygium Excision and Amniotic Membrane Graft Using Celularity Triple Layer Dehydrated Amniotic Membrane

  Clinical ophthalmology · 2023 · 4 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Ophthalmology
  • Surgery

  Purpose: To evaluate a novel sutureless glueless technique using a triple-layer dehydrated amniotic membrane (TLDAM) for pterygia excisions in surgical time, postoperative pain, epiphora, irritation, and FBS. Methods: Twenty eyes with pterygia underwent excision with mitomycin C. The conjunctival defect was closed with TLDAM placed on the dried scleral bed with the edges of the amniotic membrane tucked under the edges of the conjunctival defect. Surgical times were measured from injection of lidocaine to final placement of bandage contact lens. After a bandage contact lens was placed, the eye was patched until POD1. Patients graded self-administered questionnaires to rate pain, FBS, irritation, and epiphora on a scale of 1-5 (1-none; 5-severe) at POD1 and POW1. Results: Surgical times ranged from 6:55 to 12:00, with mean of 8:29. Compared with a previous study of sutureless glueless methodology, the difference in mean surgical time was 11.9 (p < 0.0001). Mean questionnaire scores were as follows: POD1 pain 1.8, FBS 2.3, irritation 1.0, and epiphora 2.6; POW1 pain 1.5, FBS 1.6, irritation 1.6, and epiphora 1.6. Compared to previous studies, this technique showed significantly improved pain at POD1 (p=0.0086, p<0.0001, p<0.0001, p<0.0001) and POW1 (p=0.0002, p=0.0016, p<0.0001). Significant improvement in irritation and FBS was noted at POD1 and POW1. See Table 1 for full analysis. Conclusion: The sutureless glueless technique using TLDAM is a safe and effective technique compared to current standard methods. There appears to be a significant benefit regarding surgical time and postoperative pain, irritation, epiphora, and FBS compared to previous studies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency

  Communications Earth & Environment · 2023-11-11 · 32 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads. Many of them declined since the 1980s with several considered possibly extinct. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use past and present data available for harlequin toads ( Atelopus ), to examine whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in an emergency state. Since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that recovery efforts have not been successful. Threats include habitat change, pathogen spread and climate change. More mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• C. Michael Samson

  Northwell Health

  13 shared

• Sanjay Kedhar

  University of California, Irvine

  11 shared

• John Mauro

  10 shared

• Zvi Kresch

  4 shared

• David G. Silverman

  Roche (United Kingdom)

  4 shared

• Tiffany Truong

  Regeneron (United States)

  4 shared

• Ron A. Adelman

  4 shared

• R.R. Ansari

  3 shared

Labs

• Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG)PI

Awards & honors

• Voted among the top eye doctors in Fairfield County in the F…