Vision

The Department of Opthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine has established a tradition of excellence in academic medicine and research that dates back to the late 1920s. The Eye Center is a referral and consultation facility that provides outstanding ophthalmic care. The department's faculty are among the finest in the country and many conduct internationally-recognized research into the causes and prevention of eye disease.

Below are experts and releases associated with opthalmology and visual sciences.

Faculty Experts:

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

Showing Vision Stories 1 through 3 of 38.  - Show More

Get the picture Researchers discover mechanism that helps humans see in bright and low light Oct. 13, 2009 -- Cells in the retina quickly adjust to darkness by way of an intricate process. Ever wonder how your eyes adjust during a blackout? When we go from light to near total darkness, cells in the retina must quickly adjust. Vision scientists at the School of Medicine have identified an intricate process that allows the human eye to quickly adapt to darkness. The same process also allows the eye to function in bright light.

Chemist receives funding to unravel tricks of neuronal wiring Midline crossing Dec. 22, 2008 -- Joshua Maurer, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has received a four-year, $1,216,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for research titled, "Unraveling Development: New Materials for Understanding Neuronal Wiring." Maurer's long term objective is to develop methodology that allows the study of a variety of neuronal wiring processes. He is starting by unscrambling a phenomenon known as midline crossing using zebrafish. During development, neurons from the right eye cross the midline of the brain to make a connection in the left hemisphere.

Predicting the previously unpredictable for MS patients MRI scans can predict effects of MS flare-ups on optic nerve Dec. 16, 2008 -- One of the most pernicious aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) — its sheer unpredictability — may finally be starting to yield to advanced medical imaging techniques. Researchers from the School of Medicine report online in the journal Neurology that an approach known as magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allowed them to estimate three months in advance the chronic effects of inflammation of the optic nerve.

Showing Vision Stories 1 through 3 of 38.  - Show More

Related News Clips:

Showing Vision Clips 1 through 5 of 6.  - Show More

Show More Vision Clips

Protein Key to Eye Development Identified United Press International and 3 others March 11, 2009 -- Medical scientists at Johns Hopkins and WUSTL say they've identified a protein that regulates how light-sensing nerve cells form in the retina during the eye's development. Their findings could help scientists better understand how the body's nerve cells develop.

The Cataracts Are Gone -- and So Is the Need for Glasses U.S. News & World Report Dec. 17, 2007 -- For the millions of baby boomers who will eventually need cataract surgery, here's some cheering news: New types of implantable lenses promise to restore your youthful vision. Unlike the standard single-power lenses doctors have been implanting for 30 years, the newer multifocal intraocular lenses and accommodating lenses allow patients to see near, far, and in between--and even to shed their glasses. WUSTL ophthalmology professor Jay Pepose talks about one of the options.

Report: Most Missouri diabetics at risk for complications Associated Press State & Local Wire and 2 others Sept. 30, 2005 -- A national study released Thursday shows diabetics in Missouri, and especially those in St. Louis, aren't doing such a good job reaching target blood sugar levels. WUSTL medical professor and diabetes specialist Charles Kilo Sr. is teaming up with Mayor Francis Slay to raise public awareness of what Kilo calls a "major medical crisis and budgetary crisis." Slay has declared next week Diabetes Control Week to encourage diabetics to take steps to better manage their disease. Kilo pioneered the theory 30 years ago that controlling blood sugar levels could delay or prevent life-threatening complications like heart disease and blindness in diabetics. He and a colleague refuted evidence that the complications resulted from genetics. They proved they're related to the duration of diabetes and the degree of blood sugar control.

Scientists learning to eavesdrop on the language of cells Kansas City Star and 14 others July 28, 2005 -- Thanks to recent technological advances, scientists are learning to eavesdrop on the "language" of cells and decipher their "grammar." Much is still unknown, but the research could lead to new treatments for cancer, Parkinson's, epilepsy and many other diseases. Cells communicate with one another by exchanging tiny chemical messengers called "transmitters" and "transporters." Familiar examples are the hormones adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, estrogen and testosterone. WUSTL Center for Genome Sciences director Jeffrey Gordon and WUSTL ophthalmologist Russell Van Gelder comment.

Weapons in the war on glaucoma The New York Times and 1 others June 22, 2004 -- Daily eye drops might prevent or delay glaucoma in black Americans at high risk of developing this blinding eye disease, according to a new School of Medicine study. The findings make an urgent case for screening blacks early for warning signs of glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma affects more than 2 million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans. Michael Kass, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at the School of Medicine, had shown in a previous study that prescription eye drops that lower pressure in the eye could warn off glaucoma in white Americans. The new study is the first to focus on blacks.

Washington University in St. Louis	School of Medicine
News & Information	Medical News