News from
The Department of Ophthalmology
& Visual Sciences

UI contributes to gene therapy breakthrough for blinding eye disease. Researchers at the University of Iowa played a key role in a landmark gene therapy breakthrough reported Sunday in an online article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Edwin Stone, M.D., Ph.D., UI professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, led his group in the genetic testing portion of the study. (UI News Release)

Val Sheffield, M.D., Ph.D., Martin and Ruth Carver Chair in Genetics, has been renewed through August 2013 as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Hageman research offers hope for people with eye disease (Forbes, March 24)
A breakthrough in gene research may offer hope for the millions suffering from macular degeneration. University of Iowa Ophthalmology Professor, Gregory Hageman, PhD, is at the forefront of research on lasting treatments for dry AMD. Over the past four years, Hageman has uncovered how AMD is linked to three variations of the so-called complement factor H gene, which is a crucial player in regulating the immune system. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0324/076.html

National and local Mini Medical School program to feature Dr. John Fingert, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Dr. Fingert will present “Vision Loss: Common Eye Conditions and Looking into the Future“ at the University of Iowa’s first-ever national Mini Medical School to be held on March 19, 2008 in Scottsdale, AZ. His presentation in Arizona will be followed by participation as a guest speaker in the local Iowa City version of Mini Medical School. Dr. Fingert is one of several faculty members whose presentations will focus on “Making Sense of Your Health: See More, Hear More, Do More”. The Mini Medical School program is a four-session program on Tuesdays in April. It is open and free to the public, but registration is required. Information and registration may be found at: www.medicine.uiowa.edu/minimedicalschool

Blind professor, Steve Kuusisto, helps others see another side to disabilities. Kuusisto joined the UI faculty in fall 2007 with a joint appointment in the Carver College of Medicine and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Dr. Edwin Stone, a professor of ophthalmology in the Carver College of Medicine who was instrumental in bringing Kuusisto to the UI, said having Kuusisto on board helps bridge the goals of disability advocates and health professionals. (more...)

Role identified for glaucoma gene and related signaling pathway: Researchers have found that a gene and a related signaling pathway play a role in the development of glaucoma, which is a common cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. The team was led by Alcon Research and included other investigators from the University of Iowa and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

UI researchers involved in the study included John Fingert, M.D., PhD., professor of ophthalmology, Val Sheffield, M.D., Ph.D., the Martin and Ruth Carver Chair in Genetics, professor of pediatrics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HMMI) investigator; and Edwin Stone, M.D., Ph.D., the Seamans-Hauser Chair of Molecular Ophthalmology, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and an HHMI investigator. (more...)

Driving simulator seeks participants for contact lens study The National Advanced Driving Simulator, a research and teaching unit of the University of Iowa College Of Engineering, is seeking licensed drivers who currently wear soft spherical contact lenses for a study examining the effectiveness of two different contact lenses on nighttime driving performance.

Residency match results were announced on January 17, 2008.

Dr. W.L.M Alward announces his new Online Video Atlas of Gonioscopy, gonioscopy.org. Ophthalmologists and Residents, learn more about gonioscopy through the use of videography. It covers the basic examination techniques as well as more advanced techniques such as indentation and corneal wedge. There are video examples of most glaucoma-related diseases.

For stories prior to January 1, 2008, please see our news archive.

Iowa Eye Association Annual Meeting Photographs