Dr. Safal Khanal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He holds secondary appointments as an Associate Scientist in the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, and Civitan International Research Center. At UAB School of Optometry, Dr. Khanal leads an independent myopia research program, runs the visual electrodiagnostic clinic, and teaches optometry and vision science courses in the professional and graduate programs.
Dr. Khanal received his optometry and vision science training in Nepal and the Philippines and earned his Bachelor of Optometry and Doctor of Optometry degrees. After working as a consultant in a conjoint optometry/ophthalmology practice in Nepal, he moved to the University of Auckland Myopia Lab in New Zealand where he pursued his PhD under the supervision of John Phillips Dr. John Phillips, BSc(M Eng), BSc(Optom), MSc, PhD, MCOptom, FAAO. During his time at the University of Auckland, he also served as an educator in the Bachelor of Optometry degree program, teaching clinical optometry courses and supervising undergraduate students in summer research and honors projects. After completing his first postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Auckland Myopia Lab, he moved to the United States for his second postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratories of Timothy Gawne, PhD and Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, at the UAB School of Optometry. In 2021, Dr. Khanal became a faculty member and established his independent research laboratory focused on myopia and visual electrophysiology. His research program is supported by grants from E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind Inc., American Academy of Optometry Foundation, Reality Labs Research, and UAB Vision Science Research Center.
Dr. Khanal is a recipient of several awards, and honors, including a fellowship from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), Emerging Vision Scientist award from the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, and Eberhard Dodt Memorial Award from the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV). In 2022, he received the AAO Career Development Award and became one of only six faculty members nationwide to receive this honor. Dr. Khanal holds active professional membership in several organizations, including the International Myopia Institute, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and ISCEV. He serves on several national and international professional committees, including ARVO Annual Meeting Program and Ethics and Regulations in Human Research Committees, AAO Scientific Program and Fellows Doing Research Committees, and Association of School and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) Research Committee. He also serves on the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports and Frontiers of Human Neuroscience and volunteers as an ad-hoc reviewer for several leading journals in the field, including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, Eye and Contact Lens, Optometry and Vision Science, Documenta Ophthalmologica, Clinical and Experimental Optometry, Journal of Optometry, BMC Ophthalmology, Scientific Reports, and Experimental Eye Research. Dr. Khanal has published 35+ original articles in peer-reviewed journals and 10+ articles in magazines and newsletters. He regularly speaks and presents on topics related to eye growth regulation, emmetropization, refractive errors, myopia development and progression, and visual electrophysiology.
To learn more about Dr. Khanal, please visit: https://www.uab.edu/optometry/home/people/faculty/safal-khanal
