Ophthalmology And Visual Sciences
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Measurements of age-related changes in eye lens proteins yield insights into cataract formation
By determining how proteins in different areas of the eye’s lens change over time, Vanderbilt researchers have learned more about how they could contribute to the mysterious progression of cataracts—a clouding of the lens that affects more than 65 million people worldwide each year. Read MoreJan 5, 2023
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Research Snapshot: International collaboration reveals how the human brain evolved to harness abstract thought
Collaboration across seven laboratories, in five institutions, across three countries and led by Vanderbilt researchers addresses fundamental questions about the organization and evolution of the human brain. Est. reading time: 1.75 mins. Read MoreApr 12, 2022
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Genetic clues in eye birth defect
Sabine Fuhrmann and colleagues have discovered a novel underlying cause of coloboma — a birth defect that causes missing tissue in the eye and accounts for up to 10% of childhood blindness. Read MoreFeb 18, 2021
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Study points to potential new approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have shown for the first time that when one optic nerve in the eye is damaged, as in glaucoma, the opposite optic nerve comes to the rescue by sharing its metabolic energy. Read MoreJul 20, 2020
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Insights on diabetic retinopathy
A drug that targets multiple pathogenic steps in diabetic retinopathy may be an ideal therapeutic strategy for the disease, Vanderbilt researchers report. Read MoreJan 23, 2020
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Potassium balance and glaucoma
Vanderbilt Eye Institute researchers have discovered that an imbalance in the ionic environment of retinal ganglion cells may contribute to functional impairments in glaucoma. Read MoreJul 15, 2019
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NEI grants help bolster glaucoma research efforts
Tonia Rex and David Calkins were recently awarded National Eye Institute grants totaling $6.8 million over five years to develop new treatments for optic neuropathies and glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Read MoreNov 30, 2018
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Calkins lands innovation award from Research to Prevent Blindness
David Calkins, PhD, vice chair and director of Research at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, has been granted one of the preeminent awards in vision research — the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Stein Innovation Award. Read MoreJun 28, 2018
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Sternberg’s retina research contributions recognized
Paul Sternberg Jr., MD, G.W. Hale Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt and chair of the department, has been named to receive the 2018 Award of Merit in Retina Research Recipient by the Retina Society. Read MoreMay 3, 2018
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Study explores accuracy of residency applications
The misrepresentation of scholarly work among residency applicants has been documented for decades, said Louise Mawn, MD, professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read MoreApr 26, 2018
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From music to medicine, Eye Institute’s Sobel follows her heart
The intricacies of preparing a reed for an oboe resembles the skill set necessary for oculoplastic surgery. As a once aspiring oboist, Rachel Sobel, MD, relates to the comparison. Read MoreApr 26, 2018
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Aqueous humor, microRNAs and glaucoma
New findings highlight microRNAs — molecules that regulate gene expression — that are differentially expressed in glaucoma and could be candidate biomarkers or targets for therapy. Read MoreApr 10, 2018
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Study explores new treatment for childhood myopia
The rates of myopia, or nearsightedness, in pediatric patients have steadily increased with little to no change in treatment, which, for decades, has had ophthalmologists and optometrists turning to corrective lenses for improved vision. Read MoreMar 22, 2018
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Glaucoma study finds brain fights to preserve vision
A team of researchers, led by David Calkins, PhD, vice chair and director of Research at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, has made a breakthrough discovery in the field of glaucoma showing new hopes for treatments to preserve vision. Read MoreFeb 22, 2018
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Sternberg named president-elect of ophthalmology association
Paul Sternberg Jr., MD, George Weeks Hale Professor and chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt, was recently named president-elect of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO). Read MoreFeb 22, 2018
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Ophthalmologists’ opioid prescribing patterns studied
Prescription opioid abuse is at epidemic levels, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Shriji Patel, M.D., assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, wanted to find out what part, if any, his colleagues play in the crisis. Read MoreNov 9, 2017
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Study seeks new ways to detect sensory issues in TBI patients
Vanderbilt researcher Tonia Rex, Ph.D., is accustomed to performing studies in her lab with a goal of translating the findings into better diagnoses and treatment tools for the visually impaired. Read MoreOct 26, 2017
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Novel procedure eases vision loss from keratoconus
Uyen Tran, M.D., has performed hundreds of corneal transplants for her patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Read MoreAug 24, 2017
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Award honors Donahue’s long-term efforts to improve children’s vision
Sean Donahue, M.D., Ph.D., Sam and Darthea Coleman Professor of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Vanderbilt, recently received the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award. Read MoreAug 17, 2017
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Keep an eye on safety during upcoming solar eclipse
On Aug. 21 millions of people will look skyward as day turns into night when the first coast-to-coast solar eclipse in nearly a century passes over Middle Tennessee. Read MoreJul 26, 2017