Tomas S. Aleman, MD
Irene Heinz-Given and John LaPorte Research Professor
Attending Physician, Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Director of the Retinal Structure and Function Laboratory, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Co-Director Center for Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Scheie Eye Institute
Department: Ophthalmology
Contact information
Scheie Eye Institute
51 North 39th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
51 North 39th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-614-4100
Fax: 215-615-0527
Fax: 215-615-0527
Publications
Links
Search PubMed for articles
Center for Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania
Search PubMed for articles
Center for Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania
Education:
B.S. (Sciences - High Honors)
F. Engels Vocational Schools, 1982.
M.D. (Medicine)
University of Havana (High Honors), 1988.
B.S. (Sciences - High Honors)
F. Engels Vocational Schools, 1982.
M.D. (Medicine)
University of Havana (High Honors), 1988.
Post-Graduate Training
Transitional Internship, Hospital Salvador Allende, Havana, Cuba, 1987-1988.
Junior Resident Medical Officer, Solwezi General Hospital, Republic of Zambia, 1988-1990.
Resident in Family Medicine, Policlinico Turcios Lima, Havana, Cuba., 1990-1991.
Resident in Ophthalmology, Hospital Salvador Allende, Havana, Cuba, 1991-1994.
Postdoctoctoral training in Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, 1995-1997.
Research Fellow, Center for Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 1997-1999.
Internship in Internal Medicine, Brookdale University Hospital, New York, NY, 2010-2011.
Resident in Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 2011-2014.
Fellowship in Medical Retina, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 2014-2015.
Transitional Internship, Hospital Salvador Allende, Havana, Cuba, 1987-1988.
Junior Resident Medical Officer, Solwezi General Hospital, Republic of Zambia, 1988-1990.
Resident in Family Medicine, Policlinico Turcios Lima, Havana, Cuba., 1990-1991.
Resident in Ophthalmology, Hospital Salvador Allende, Havana, Cuba, 1991-1994.
Postdoctoctoral training in Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, 1995-1997.
Research Fellow, Center for Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 1997-1999.
Internship in Internal Medicine, Brookdale University Hospital, New York, NY, 2010-2011.
Resident in Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 2011-2014.
Fellowship in Medical Retina, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, 2014-2015.
Certifications
Instituto Superior de Ciencias Medicas de la Havana, Havana, Cuba, 1994.
American Board of Ophthalmology, 2019.
Permanent linkInstituto Superior de Ciencias Medicas de la Havana, Havana, Cuba, 1994.
American Board of Ophthalmology, 2019.
Description of Research Expertise
Dr. Aleman has extensive expertise in the study of hereditary retinal degenerations. He is part of the Retinal Degeneration Center at Scheie Eye Institute and the CAROT center of the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Pennsylvania. His research expertise includes state-of-the-art psychophysical, electrophysiological and imaging studies in patients and animal models of the human disease. Most of the studies in which Dr. Aleman is an investigator are aimed to lead patients with these incurable retinal degenerations into clinical trials as well as in the detailed characterization of patients, both children and adults, with these conditions.Clinical Trials
Dr. Aleman is a co-principal investigator in an ongoing gene therapy trial for choroideremia.
Key Words
Hereditary Retinal Degenerations, retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, cone rod dystrophy, optical coherence tomography, electroretinogram
Description of Clinical Expertise
Dr. Aleman cares for children and adults with retinal degenerations, hereditary or acquired, at Scheie Eye Institute and at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. He is also a staff physician at Puentes Clinic. He is the co-principal investigator of a gene therapy trial for choroideremia. He is also responsible for all clinical electrophysiological investigations within this department, which provides this service to a large number of specialists in the region.Description of Other Expertise
Fluent in SpanishSelected Publications
Dufour VL, Sato Y, Sumaroka A, Sudharsan R, Banin E, Yu Y, Ripolles-Garcia A, Kwok J, Aleman TS, Ying GS, Sharon D, Cideciyan AV, Beltran WA, Aguirre GD: PRCD-associated retinitis pigmentosa in dogs and humans. Exp Eye Res 269: 111045, May 2026 Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2026.111045. Online ahead of print.Hüther A, Simon CL, Sumaroka A, O’Neil EC, Roman AJ, Kim RJ, Weber , Garafalo AV, Cideciyan AV, Aleman TS: Bi-allelic pathogenic variants in NR2E3 may be associated with a subtle enhanced S-cone syndrome phenotype Ophthalmic Genetics 30: 1-7, Mar 2026.
Cideciyan AV, Aleman TS: Gene therapy for young children with congenital blindness. The Lancet 144(2): 165-166, Feb 2026.
Aleman TS, Cideciyan AV: Measuring vision in children undergoing retinal gene therapy. JAMA Ophthalmol 144(2): 165-166, Feb 2026.
Zhang S, Avery RA, Wu V, Sumaroka A, Kim RJ, Maripuri DP, Datz E, Weber ML, Roman SJ, Tsang SH, Cideciyan AV, Aleman TS, O’Neil EC: A Spectrum of severity of a unifying retinal phenotype in TUBB4B-associated inherited retinal degeneration. Retina Cases and Brief Reports Jan 2026 Notes: Retin Cases Brief Rep. 2026 Jan 22. doi: 10.1097/ICB.0000000000001869. Online ahead of print.
Darrah S, Xu P, Wendel BJ, Liu T, Warner RL, Jiang Y, Bharadwaj P, Kreis J, Wong J, Aleman TS, Cideciyan AV, Mustafi D, Chao JR, Carroll J, Duncan JL, Morgan JIW, Sabesan R. : Baseline optoretinography for retinitis pigmentosa patients enrolled in the NAC Attack phase-III clinical trial AOSLO ancillary study. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2026.
O’Neil EC, Roman AJ, Wu V, Garafalo AV, Weber ML, Aleman TS, Cideciyan AV. : Behavioral assessment of rod and cone sensitivity in young patients with inherited retinal disease: Development of Pediatric Dark-adapted Stimulus Test (PDST). Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2026.
Weber M, Cideciyan AV, O'Neil EC, Roman AJ, Sumaroka A, Swider M, Maguire K, Aleman EM, Kim RJ, Santos A, Parchinski K, Viarbitskaya I, Wu V, Garafalo AV, Michaelides M, Tsang SH, Pfau M, Moosajee M, Levin AV, Pierce EA, Comander J, Maguire AM, Scoles D, Bennett J, Aleman TS.: Natural history of Leber Congenital Amaurosis associated with pathogenic variants in Lebercillin (LCA5): Cross-sectional and longitudinal observations. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2026.
Wu V, Roman AJ, Aleman TS, Cideciyan AV. : Measuring rod- and cone-photoreceptor specific sensitivity with the Full-field Stimulus Test (FST) in inherited retinal diseases. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2026.
Sumaroka A, Bowles-Johnson K, Wu V, Garafalo AV, Viarbitskaya I, Aleman TS, Beltran WA, Miller DT, Cideciyan AV. : Early features of ABCA4-associated Stargardt disease (ABCA4-STGD) in the extrafoveal perilesional retina. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2026.
