Knight Campus researcher Bala Ambati's April 11, 2026, talk on childhood nearsightedness at TEDxPortland is now streaming on the TEDx YouTube page.
In "The Ticking Time Bomb of Childhood Nearsightedness," Ambati, explains why pediatric myopia is about far more than a need for glasses. As nearsightedness in children rises around the world, so does the future risk of cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and vision loss. Ambati shares how his research team is exploring the biology behind myopia and developing new ways to slow the harmful lengthening of the eye that occurs in childhood, arguing that protecting a child's vision today could mean preserving a lifetime of sight.
Ambati is a research professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the Knight Campus and an ophthalmologist at Pacific Clear Vision Institute. He became the world's youngest doctor at age 17, graduating from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and has since built a career as a cataract, cornea and refractive surgeon. His lab is pursuing new therapies for pediatric myopia, including a topical eye drop designed to strengthen collagen in the cornea and sclera and slow the disease's progression. Ambati is the co-founder of iVeena, a start-up focused on developing a new treatment for childhood nearsightedness.
Ambati joined 10 other speakers, including Chief Robot Officer Jonathan Hurst of Agility Robotics and Sports Bra founder Jenny Nguyen, at Portland's Armory for TEDxPortland's Year 14 event. "Homecoming" was the theme of the event.