News Releases:  Research

• Emory Eye Center Research Director Michael Iuvone Appointed to Sylvia Montag Ferst and Frank W. Ferst Endowed Research Chair
  (ATLANTA) P. Michael Iuvone, PhD, who recently joined Emory Eye Center as director of research, has been appointed to the Sylvia Montag Ferst and Frank W. Ferst Endowed Research Chair. The chair was created in 1988 through a generous $3 million gift from Sylvia and Frank Ferst for the purpose of supporting research in ophthalmology.

• Emory Eye Center Starts Study for Infants with Blocked Tear Ducts
  (ATLANTA) Emory Eye Center will participate in third phase of a National Eye Institute (NEI)-sponsored multicenter clinical trial, the Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction (NLDO) Study in late winter. The trial will evaluate which of two approaches is optimal in treating young infants with blocked tear duct: probing the obstruction immediately or waiting to see if the condition goes away on its own after six months, as is often the case.

• Michael Iuvone Joins Emory Eye Center as Director of Research
  May 8, 2009 | (ATLANTA) P. Michael Iuvone, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmacology, Emory University School of Medicine, will serve as director of research at Emory Eye Center, effective Sept. 1, 2009. Iuvone will take the lead role in vision research at the Emory Eye Center and continue the national reputation of scientific excellence that Henry F. Edelhauser, MD, has cultivated over the past two decades.

• Three Emory Eye Center Scientists Named ARVO 2009 Fellows
  May 1, 2009 | (ATLANTA) The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) has announced this year’s inaugural class of distinguished Fellows. Three Eye Center scientists will be honored at this year’s annual meeting in early May: Henry F. Edelhauser, PhD, was awarded the highest distinction, Gold Fellow; Hans E. Grossniklaus, MD, MBA, and John M. Nickerson, PhD, were each awarded Silver Fellow distinctions.

• Clinical Trial Aims to Help Those with Macular Degeneration Find New Way of Seeing

  December 4, 2008 | (ATLANTA) The brain’s remarkable ability to reorganize itself to compensate for vision loss, the ability called plasticity, may be the key in helping those with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) see better. This theory is the impetus behind a study between Emory Eye Center and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Psychology). Patients who have retinal damage because of AMD sometimes begin to see by using other parts of the intact retina.

• Emory Eye Center Awarded Grant from Research to Prevent Blindness
  (ATLANTA) Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has given Emory Eye Center a $110,000 unrestricted grant to fund research. RPB is the world’s leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. To date, RPB has awarded grants totaling $3,112,100 to Emory University School of Medicine for eye research. RPB’s research at Emory Eye Center will be directed by Timothy W. Olsen, director, Emory Eye Center and chair, Department of Ophthalmology.
  Aug. 14, 2008

• Emory Eye Center Participates in Nationwide Study Showing that Older Corneas are Suitable for Transplantation Results Could Expand Donor Pool Significantly
  ATLANTA- Corneal transplants using tissue from older donors have similar rates of survival to those using tissue from younger donors reports a nationwide study recently concluded at Emory Eye Center and 79 other sites. The five-year transplant success rate for recipients was the same—86 percent—for transplants performed across the nation with corneas from donors ages 12 to 65 years and from donors ages 66 to 75.
  April 1, 2008

• Study Alerts Eye Doctors of Racial Differences in Treating Vision Disorders
  (ATLANTA) Blacks are more likely to lose vision due to increased pressure in the brain than other races, reports an Emory Eye Center researcher in the March 11, 2008 issue of Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The pressure, called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, was identified as causing the disorder, says Beau Bruce, MD, a neuro-ophthalmology fellow at the Emory University School of Medicine and lead researcher for the study.
  March 12, 2008

• Emory Eye Center to Lead Nationwide Study to Compare Two Drugs That Treat Macular Degeneration
  (ATLANTA) Emory Eye Center will be the lead center among 47 other eye institutions across the country in a National Eye Institute (NEI) / National Institutes of Health funded study to compare two drugs made by the same company that treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  March 4, 2008

• Emory Eye Center Awarded Grant from Foundation Fighting Blindness for Retinal Degeneration
  ATLANTA - Emory Eye Center recently was awarded a $309,000 grant for three years from the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) to support the study of synthetic bile acids to treat retinal degeneration.
  Aug. 6, 2007 

• Emory Eye Center Awarded Grant from Research to Prevent Blindness
  (ATLANTA) The Emory Eye Center is the recipient of a $110,000 unrestricted grant to fund research from the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), the world’s leading voluntary organization supporting eye research.
  July 16, 2007

• Emory Eye Center Researcher Tapped as Trustee to Prestigious Research Organization
  ( ATLANTA) At the recent meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) held May 6-10 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Emory Eye Center researcher Jeffrey H. Boatright, PhD, was elected as trustee for the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Section. During his five-year term he will serve along with 13 other trustees who manage the affairs of ARVO. Trustees are elected from candidates put forth by the Association’s 13 Scientific Sections. The Association is the premier professional society in Dr. Boatright’s field.
  May 23, 2007

• Emory Ophthalmology Researcher Collaborates for Guidelines for Optimal Surgical Outcomes
  (ATLANTA) In a move to provide guidelines for better ophthalmic surgical outcomes, Emory Eye Center’s Henry F. Edelhauser, PhD, director of research, along with a selected committee of professionals— the Ad Hoc Task Force on Cleaning and Sterilization of Intraocular Instruments— came together last fall at Emory University to tackle the difficult issue of ophthalmic instrument cleaning and sterilization.
  April 5, 2007

• Emory Eye Center Physician Awarded Senior Scientific Investigator Award by RPB
  (ATLANTA) Emory Eye Center’s Hans. E. Grossniklaus, MD, MBA, the F. Phinizy Calhoun Jr. Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the L.F. Montgomery Pathology Laboratory, has been granted a $75,000 Senior Scientific Investigator Award by Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). RPB Senior Scientific Investigator Awards support nationally recognized senior scientists conducting eye research at medical institutions in the United States. Dr. Grossniklaus, an ophthalmologist and ocular pathologist, is one of 147 scientists at 55 institutions so honored since the award was established in 1987.
  Jan. 18, 2007

• Traditional Chinese Medicine Component May Yield Help In Retinal Degenerations Say Emory Eye Center Researchers
  ATLANTA - We may live in the 21st century, but it appears that the traditional or ancient medicines of Asia may be key preventing the ravaging effects of retinal degenerations that can ultimately cause blindness.
  January 8, 2007
  
  

• Emory Eye Center Study Finds Laser Treatment Does Not Prevent Vision Loss for People with Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration
  (ATLANTA) Low-intensity laser treatment, thought to be possibly beneficial in slowing or preventing the loss of vision from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is ineffective in preventing complications of AMD or loss of vision, according to a study published in the November 2006 journal Ophthalmology.
  November 2, 2006

• New Nationwide Study Will Evaluate Effect of Antioxidants and Fish Oil on Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Nearly 100 Clinical Centers Are Now Seeking 4,000 Study Participants
  Ages 50 - 85 Who Have AMD
  (ATLANTA) Emory Eye Center along with other eye centers across the country will be a part of The National Institutes of Health (NIH) nationwide study to see if a modified combination of vitamins, minerals, and fish oil can further slow the progression of vision loss from AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for people over age 60.
  October 12, 2006

• Macular Degeneration Immune Studies at Emory Eye Center Receive $1 Million Grant From Dobbs FoundationNew Researcher Santa Jeremy Ono Will Establish Dobbs Laboratory for AMD
  ATLANTA- Emory Eye Center has been awarded a a $1 million grant from the R. Howard Dobbs, Jr. Foundation. The grant will support the research of Santa Jeremy Ono, PhD, by establishing a new laboratory to investigate the role of immunity in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in aged individuals).
  September 21, 2006
  

• Research at Emory Eye Center Contributes to FDA Approval of New Treatment For Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
  (ATLANTA) Emory Eye Center retina specialists participated in clinical trials that have concluded that a new drug holds hope in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Clinical trials here at Emory and throughout the country have lead to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Lucentis™ (ranbizumab injection), a new intravitreal drug that treats the “wet” type of macular degeneration. The drug is made by Genentech.
  July 25, 2006

• Emory Eye Center Researchers Awarded NEI R24 Grant to Study Drug Delivery to the Eye
  ATLANTA - Emory Eye Center's Director of Research Henry F. Edelhauser, PhD, along with a team of co-principal investigators from the Eye Center and three other institutions have been awarded an R-24 grant by the National Eye Institute (NEI) for five years. The direct annual costs will run approximately $1.2 million per year. The grant is only the third R-24 grant awarded by the NEI. The collaboration was formed to improve drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. Drug delivery to this target is a significant challenge in the treatment of retinal disorders.
  June 15, 2006
  

• Emory Eye Center Research Director Receives Proctor Award at Recent Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology (ARVO) Conference
  (ATLANTA) Henry F. Edelhauser, PhD, received the Proctor Medal and delivered the Proctor Lecture at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on May 2. Dr. Edelhauser, the director of research for Emory Eye Center, was presented with ARVO's highest honor for his ground breaking work on the physiology of the corneal endothelium and for "elegant translational research from basic science to clinical applications."
  May 31, 2005

• Emory Eye Center NEI study finds reduced daily eye patching effectively treats childhood's most common eye disorder
  A study conducted at Emory Eye Center and 35 other clinical sites found that patching the unaffected eye of children with moderate amblyopia for two hours daily works as well as patching the eye for six hours. This research finding should lead to better compliance with treatment and improved quality of life for children with amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” the most common cause of visual impairment in childhood.
  May 12, 2003

• Emory Eye Center researchers identify lymphocytes required for Ocular Tolerance
  (ATLANTA) Unlike other parts of the body, the eye will tolerate the presence of foreign tissue in certain areas, such as the anterior chamber between the iris and the cornea, or the space underneath the retina. The same tissue placed elsewhere in the body, on the skin for example, would trigger an immune reaction and be rejected. Researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., have studied this unique ability of the eye to develop methods to inhibit rejection by selectively enhancing immunological unresponsiveness, or “tolerance.” Yijun Xu, PhD and Judith A. Kapp, PhD, of the departments of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Winship Cancer Center, reported the results of their work in the November issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
  Oct. 25, 2002

• Emory Eye Center finds eye drops to treat childhood disorder can work as well as patching the eye
  (ATLANTA) A National Eye Institute (NEI) study, conducted at more than 40 sites nationwide including Emory Eye Center, has found that atropine drops, given once a day to treat amblyopia or lazy eye -- the most common cause of visual impairment in children -- work as well as the standard treatment of patching one eye. This research finding in the Amblyopia Treatment Study may lead to better compliance with treatment and improved quality of life in children with this eye disorder. These results appear in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
  March 11, 2002

• Emory Eye Center Reports Important Findings from National AREDS Study: Macular Degeneration: Progression Can Be Slowed for Those at High Risk
  Findings were released today detailing the results of an important 10-year study which had a two-fold purpose:
  • To assess the clinical course, prognosis, and risk factors of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract.
  • To evaluate, in randomized clinical trials, the effects of pharmacologic doses of antioxidants and zinc on the progression of AMD and (2) antioxidants on the development and progression of lens opacities (cataract).
  Titled the Age- Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), the clinical trial was conducted at 11 centers across the country, including the Emory Eye Center. The results show that there is a relatively simple way to help prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients at high risk of the disease. “This is a particularly important finding since prior to this study, there was no way to slow the progression of AMD,” says Principal Investigator Daniel F. Martin, M.D., a vitreoretinal specialist at the Emory Eye Center. The AREDS was sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI), one of the federal government's National Institutes of Health. The study’s findings are reported in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
  Oct. 12, 2001

• Emory Eye Center researcher finds similar survival rates for eye cancer therapies
  The National Eye Institute (NEI) has issued important research results stating that survival rates for two alternative treatments for primary eye cancer—radiation therapy and removal of the eye—are about the same. Emory Eye Center’s Paul Sternberg, Jr., M.D., was a primary investigator in the nationwide study, with results announced July 12. The clinical trial—called the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS)––was conducted at 43 institutions, including medical schools, hospitals, and doctors' offices, throughout the United States and Canada. The COMS trial was supported by the NEI and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to these findings, it was not known which treatment could result in lower mortality rates. Additionally, as a result of the study, the capability of doctors to provide more accurate diagnoses and state-of-the-art treatments for eye cancer has been greatly expanded, the findings report. Mortality data from the two treatments are compared in the July 2001 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
  July 31, 2001

• Emory Eye Center receives core grant providing 20 consecutive years of funding
  Henry Edelhauser, Ph.D., director of research at the Emory Eye Center, and his colleagues have received $1.5 million in research dollars through the National Eye Institute (NEI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant covers a five-year period, beginning in April. The NEI Core Center Grant includes three modules: 1) Structural Biology; 2) Analytical Biochemistry/Molecular Biology; and 3) Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Emory Eye Center's past Core Center Grant has successfully supported collaborative vision research and service, involving some 33 faculty (including more than 20 NEI-funded principal investigators), 20 postdoctoral fellows, six pre-doctoral fellows and generated more than 250 publications over the past five years.
  March 19, 2001

• Emory researcher reveals effect of Lasik Surgery on Cornea three years following the procedure
  Emory Eye Center researcher Henry Edelhauser, Ph.D. and co-workers have completed a three-year study on Emory University Eye Center patients who underwent a laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) procedure, a refractive surgery to correct eyesight. The patients were evaluated to ascertain the long-term effects of such surgery on the corneal endothelium, the cells that line the inside of the cornea. Sometimes referred to as the "window to the world," the cornea is the transparent covering over the eye.
  March 13, 2001

• Emory Medical School student awarded RPB funding to take a year off and do research at Emory Eye Center
  Not many medical students take a year off to enrich their education with research, but that's just what Emory University third-year medical student Chirag Parikh did in order to work with Emory Eye Center researcher Henry Edelhauser, Ph.D. Under the guidance of Dr. Edelhauser, whose expertise is corneal research, Parikh has found a second home, at least for this year.
  February 1, 2001