Dr. Matthew Benson’s journey into ophthalmology began in the early stages of his time in medical school. As he learned more about neuroscience and the function of the senses, it sparked an interest in the physiology and function of the eye, something to which he had previously not given much thought. For him and many others, sight is something often taken for granted. As such a normal part of daily life, one does not consider how different life would be without it. What would it be like to lose your vision suddenly, or what would it be like to have never known what it was like to begin with? How does something we rarely think of affect life in such drastic ways when it begins to change or go? These were some of the questions that drove Dr. Benson to the start of his career, but one encounter in particular pushed him to where he is now. 

Several years ago, Dr. Benson had a chance encounter with a particularly special patient.

While Dr. Benson was completing his ophthalmology residency program at the Royal Alexandra Hospital genetics clinic in the Eye Institute of Alberta (EIA), a boy, no more than thirteen at the time, was brought in. The patient was dealing with hearing loss, among other conditions, but the newest was severe vision loss. He had significant difficulties seeing at night and limited peripheral vision, and the changes had begun to impact his central vision as well. Through the tests and discussions, it was determined that he was suffering from retinal degeneration caused by a genetic issue. As it was a rare genetic disease, it left hardly any hope for the patient to ever experience improvement. With minimal research to support potential treatments, this boy’s world would continue to dim and disappear. Dr. Benson could not stand for that. 

This experience inspired Dr. Benson to join in leading research on rare genetic conditions impacting vision happening at the EIA and beyond. It was more than just treating vision health and fixing eyesight; it was about changing lives and giving hope to this young boy and many other patients like him in the future. So began Dr. Benson’s journey into specialized research on inherited genetic retinal diseases.

In time, Dr. Benson would explore every avenue available, discover new research, and work to ensure no patient ever had to feel like their condition was beyond help. He received further education with funding from Fighting Blindness Canada, which saw great value in his pursuit. As he began researching these rare genetic conditions, Dr. Benson became a mentor for future medical students and residents, as his mentor Dr. Ian MacDonald—former Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Alberta and Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation Research Chair in Ophthalmology—did for him, helping to instill the same empathy and understanding he found in treating that boy many years ago.  

To this day, Dr. Benson continues driving new research to help change the narrative around vision health and conditions impacting vision. He has maintained a relationship with the young boy who inspired his path years ago—now a young man in his own right, his condition has not progressed drastically since their first encounter, a fact reassuring to Dr. Benson, who keeps him in mind as he conducts further research. Since then, there have been a number of advancements in treating rare genetic eye conditions, such as Luxturna, a gene therapy which received approval from Health Canada in 2020. This transformative development has led to treating a specific form of inherited retinal disease, with surgeries being performed at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where surgeons are equipped with the necessary technology for success.