Prof. Ayşe Öner, MD

Prof. Ayşe Öner, MD is an ophthalmologist with more than 24 years in medicine. Her work is centered on the retina and the vitreous, and her listed areas of expertise include vitreoretinal disorders, vitreoretinal surgery, medical retina care, electrodiagnostic assessment and subretinal mesenchymal stem cell implantation. She graduated from Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine in 1996 and completed her specialty training in ophthalmology at Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine in 2002, where she also worked in the Ophthalmology department from that year. She joined Acibadem Health Group in 2016.

Dr. Öner is a member of the Çukurova Branch of Turkish Ophthalmology Association (TOD) and of the TOD Vitreoretinal Surgery Unit, the TOD Medical Retina Unit and the TOD Electrodiagnostic Unit. Her international memberships are Euretina Membership and American Academy of Ophthalmology Membership. Her publications include a Phase I clinical safety study of subretinal adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stem cell implantation in advanced stage retinitis pigmentosa, published in Stem Cell Research and Therapy, as well as papers on central choroidal thickness in central serous chorioretinopathy, micronutrition in age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, electroretinography findings in children with acute mercury intoxication, choroidal thickness in Cushing’s Syndrome, and the recurrence of pterygium after surgery.

Clinical focus

Dr. Öner evaluates and treats conditions of the retina and choroid. The conditions listed in her profile include central serous chorioretinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, together with the broader group of vitreoretinal disorders. She also lists pterygium, a growth on the surface of the eye, among her areas of expertise. Her approach combines medical retina care, in which retinal disease is followed and treated without surgery where appropriate, with vitreoretinal surgery for cases in which an operation is considered.

Electrodiagnostic assessment forms a further part of her practice. Electroretinography records the electrical responses of the retina to light and can help in characterizing inherited and acquired retinal disease, including retinitis pigmentosa. Her profile also lists subretinal mesenchymal stem cell implantation, a procedure she has studied in a Phase I clinical safety study in patients with advanced stage retinitis pigmentosa. Whether any of these options is suitable for a given patient depends on the findings of the examination and imaging and is discussed on an individual basis.

How Dr. Öner works with international patients

Dr. Öner speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, arranges appointments and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options. Video consultation is available for international patients, so that a case can be discussed with Dr. Öner before any decision about traveling is made.