Dear patients

In the midst of this great challenge represented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we must take a new direction in our fight, but it is still far from its end. With these words Winston Churchill addressed his troops after the battle of El Alamein in Egypt in 1942, now, almost 80 years later, it seems prudent to resume his words.

Fortunately, we are different from the initial recipients of this message, the successes that we can count so far, our public and private health system prioritizing the safety of our patients, and allowing us to reinvent the new normal practice of medicine and ophthalmology , which has allowed me to maintain my determination and spirit in the persevering attention of those who have entrusted their vision or that of their loved ones to me.

We are constantly planning, reviewing and updating the measures to be implemented, with the best disposition to follow up and timely attention to those who have had to postpone their appointments, procedures and surgeries in the face of this global emergency, but who are, like me, aware that a prolonged postponement of them can be detrimental to your health and vision.

The world needs all of us now, with all the positive changes that this pandemic has left in our way of being, acting and understanding life and our role in the future of the planet. We have learned the crucial interdependence that we have, how important personal contact is for everyone, and the value of the little things that we were leaving aside in the face of a busy life, if our authorities consider it prudent to start the process of reopening gradually and gradually I am at the disposal of joining this new phase with solidarity and responsibility.

The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work well, that is my motto every day, because it is a mistake to try to look far into the future, the chain of destiny can only be taken one link at a time.

I am at your disposal.

English, Español

• Doctor and Surgery. Universidad de Costa Rica. January 1995 - December 1999

• Ocular Oncology Fellowship - Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 2005-2006.

• Astigmatism Management in Crystalline Surgery

  March 2019 - May 2019

• Internship

  Ocular Oncology Internship Service - Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center. New York, NY

• Internship

  Course eyelid reconstruction, orbital and lacrimal surgery - School of Medicine, University of Manchester. Manchester, UK. 2016

• Physicians and Surgeons College of Costa Rica cod. MED6374Active

  Medic and Surgeon - Costa Rica

• American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 00774581
• Pan American Association of Ophthalmology
• Costa Rican Association of Ophthalmology
• International Society of Ocular Oncology
• American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

• 2005 Graduation with Honor of Medical Specialties: Best Student Ophthalmology, Universidad de Costa Rica.
• 2005 Academic Excellence Diploma: Best Student Health Specialties - Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Costa Rica. San José, Costa Rica
• 2005 Gillingham Scholarship, Pan American Ophthalmological Foundation.
• 2001 Academic Excellence Diploma: Best General Grade Sixth Year Medical School year 2000, Universidad de Costa Rica.
• 2001 Graduation with Honors: Medical School Best Student, Universidad de Costa Rica.
• 2001 Academic Excellence Diploma: Best Student Health Area, Universidad de Costa Rica.
• 2000 Academic Excellence Diploma: Best General Grade Fifth Year Medical School year 1999. Universidad de Costa Rica.
• 1995 Honor Mention as best accomplished grade in the Admission Test of Universidad de Costa Rica.

• Ophthalmology Residency Program Professor - Universidad de Costa Rica, Childrens' Hospital. Since 2006
• Leadership Development Course Costa Rican Representative, Pan American Association of Ophthalmology 2006-2007.
• Costa Rican Representative at Board of Directors of the Pan American Association of Ophthalmology, 2007-2009.
• International Fellowship by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) and the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Ophthalmological Societies (IFOS), 2005-2006.
• Undergraduate Professor of Ophthalmology. Universidad de Iberoamerica, 2009-2012
• Professor of Ophthalmology. Universidad de Costa Rica, Hospital Calderon Guardia, 2011-present
• Professor of Pediatric Ophthalmology Fellowship program. Universidad de Costa Rica, Hospital Nacional de Niños. 2012 - present.
• Ophthalmology Specialist, Assistant Physician. National Children's Hospital 2006 - Present
• Ophthalmology Specialist, Assistant Physician. Hospital Mexico 2006-2008
• Physician Assistant Specialist Ophthalmology - Hospital Calderón Guardia, 2008-2017

• Alfaro et al. Muertes relacionadas con cocaína en Costa Rica durante 1996. Medicina Legal de Costa Rica. Vol 16; Nrs 1,2; May-Sep, 1999.
• Wu, Lihteh; Benavides, Raquel. Branch Retinal Vein Occlusions. In : Laser Surgery of the Eye : The Art of Laser in Ophthalmology. Highlights of Ophthalmology, 2004.
• Shields CL, Benavides R, Materin M, Shields JA. Optical coherence tomography of retinal astrocytic hamartoma in 15 cases. In: Ophthalmology, Vol 113, Issue 9, p 1553-1557.
• Shields CL, Perez B, Benavides R, Materin MA, Shields JA. Optical coherence tomography of optic disk melanocytoma in 15 cases. In: Retina 2008, 28 (3), p 441-6.
• Shields JA, Shields CL, Mashayekhi A, Marr BP, Benaviides R, Thangappan A, Phan L, Eagle RC Jr. Primary acquired melanosis of the conjunctiva: risks for progression to melanoma in 311 eyes. The 2006 Lorenz E. Zimmerman lecture. In: Ophthalmology 2008, Vol 115, Issue 3, p 511-519.
• Benavides, Raquel; Materin, Miguel; Shields, Carol. Nevus Coroideo. In: Uveítis y Tumores Intraoculares. Temas Selectos. AMOLCA, 2008.
• Benavides, Raquel; Materin, Miguel; Shields, Carol. Enfermedad de von-Hippel-Lindau. In: Uveítis y Tumores Intraoculares. Temas Selectos. AMOLCA, 2008.
• Benavides, R; Wu, L; Martínez, J; Hernández, S; Vargas, M. Retinoblastoma: the Costa Rican Experience. Annual Meeting Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, April 2004.
• Benavides, R; Wu, L; Martínez, J; Hernández, S; Vargas, M. Retinoblastoma: the Costa Rican Experience 1997-2003. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the European Society of Ophthalmoplogy (SOE), New Orleáns, Louisiana, October 2004.
• Benavides R, Mashayekhi A, Materin M, Shields CL. Optical coherence tomography of retinal astrocytic hamartoma. International Congress of Ocular Oncology and the International Society of Retinoblatoma and Genetic Eye Disease (ISGEDR), Whistler, Vancouver, Canada, Sep 2005.
• Sagoo M, Furuta M, Benavides R, Shields CL, Mashayekhi A, Shields JA. Custom designed plaque radiotherapy for juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma in 520 consecutive cases. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov 2006.
• Benavides R, Shields CL. Pseudoretinoblastoma tras cirugía de estrabismo. XVII Congreso Latinoamericano de Estrabismo. Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 2008.
• Benavides R, Vargas M. Movimientos oculares disociados en el síndrome de Carpenter. XVII Congreso Latinoamericano de Estrabismo. Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 2008.
• Benavides R, Argüello L, Porras A. Hemophagocytic lymphohistyocytosis syndrome. Pathological immune activation may affect the eye too. XVII Reunión Bienal de la Sociedad Internacional de Oncología Ocular. Paris, Francia. Junio 2015.
• Benavides R. Outcome of children with bilateral retinoblastoma in Costa Rica according to globe preservation. XVIII Reunión Bienal de la Sociedad Internacional de Oncología Ocular. Sydney, Australia. Marzo 2017.
• Benavides, R. Melanocitosis ocular y su relación con patología neoplásica uveal. Congreso Centroamericano de Retina y Vítreo. San Salvador, El Salvador. Agosto 2019.
• Benavides, R. Tratamiento actual y futuro del retinoblastoma en Costa Rica. LVII Semana Pediátrica. San José, Costa Rica. Setiembre 2019.
• Benavides R. Impacto de la quimioterapia intravítrea en la preservación del globo ocular en retinoblastoma en Costa Rica. XXXV Congreso Panamericano de Oftalmología. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Marzo 2023
• Benavides R, Blanco A, Mejías R, Rovira R. Radiocirugía Robótica como tratamiento para melanoma uveal. XXXV Congreso Panamericano de Oftalmología. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Marzo 2023.