Category: Ophthalmology

Contact Lens Risk Behaviors and Treatment Response in Acanthamoeba Keratitis

July 16, 2026 Tan Charmaine
Tan Charmaine Background: Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare, vision-threatening corneal infection caused by free-living Acanthamoeba species found in environmental sources such as water and soil1,2. It predominantly affects contact lens wearers, particularly those using soft lenses1,2. Following infection, organisms form drug-resistant cysts, contributing to prolonged and difficult treatment courses1,2,5.…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Ophthalmology

Hyperglycemia-Induced Endothelin-1 Signaling Promotes Retinal Vascular Dysfunction in Early Diabetic Retinopathy

July 6, 2026 Lina Abdelgabar
Lina Abdelgabar Background:  Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is induced by diabetes mellitus complications associated with blood flow dysregulation following chronic hyperglycemia.1 The retina is highly metabolic, with extensive energy demands; therefore, it is sensitive to changes in blood supply that affect its baseline function, rendering DR a leading cause of vision…
Diabetes Ophthalmology

Utilizing Retinal Vascular Function as a Non-Invasive Diagnostic Tool to Identify Systemic Cardiovascular Disease

July 3, 2026 Sreeram Pasupuleti
Sreeram Pasupuleti Background: Cardiovascular disease causes approximately 32% of global mortality, primarily manifesting as coronary heart disease.1 Retinal and coronary microvessels share significant structural and physiological homology, measuring under 200 micrometers in diameter and responding to identical systemic risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.2 Usual clinical tests typically detect…
Cardiology Ophthalmology

Investigation of Novel Pharmacologic Regimens for the Treatment and Prevention of Retinopathy of Prematurity

July 30, 2025 Varun Kumar
Varun Kumar Background:  Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is best defined as the excessive growth of vasculature in the retina and its associated deleterious consequences (Brown & Nwanyanwu, 2023). ROP is strongly associated with prematurity, low birth weight, and early exposure to a high oxygen environment (Brown & Nwanyanwu, 2023). In…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Ophthalmology

Evaluating the Efficacy of Gene Therapy in Treating Inherited Retinal Diseases

July 29, 2025 Max Farley
Max Farley Background: Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), including Stargardt disease, X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP), and Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), are genetic disorders that lead to progressive vision loss due to photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction1-3. With limited conventional treatment options, gene therapy has emerged as a targeted approach to…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Ophthalmology

Optogenetics: Restoring Retinitis Pigmentosa Vision Loss by Targeting Retinal Ganglion Cells and Other Retinal Cells

July 17, 2025 Timothy Flanagan
Timothy Flanagan Background:  Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a common type of Inherited Retinal Disorder (IRD) with a variety of presentations that lead to vision loss, typically with early loss of peripheral and night vision, followed by progressive loss of vision.1  As a genetic disease, gene therapy approaches have proved effective,…
Ophthalmology

Biomarkers from Tears may Provide Clarity on Thyroid Eye Disease Diagnosis, Disease State Progression, and Targeted Treatment Options

June 24, 2024 Rasha Bara
Rasha Bara Background: Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) is an autoimmune condition occurring in ~50% of Graves’ Disease patients.1 Disease status is defined by the clinical activity score (CAS), resulting in scores from 0 to 7. The active phase (CAS ≳ 3) is defined by conjunctiva swelling, redness, inflammation, and eyelid…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Ophthalmology

Visual Prosthetics for Vision Restoration for Retinal Degeneration

July 25, 2023 Paras Gupta
Paras Gupta Background: Retinal degeneration is initially associated with functional deficit and neuronal network programming that progresses to structural changes and heavy photoreceptor loss. After significant photoreceptor loss, innovative solutions such as neuroprotection, gene therapy, and cell therapy are no longer useful alone. Objectives: We explore visual prosthetics as an…
Engineering Medicine Ophthalmology

Meg3 (LncRNA) Knockdown as a Target for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic, Corneal Neovascularization

July 25, 2023 Ronald Alek Sperry
Ronald Alek Sperry Backgound: Corneal neovascularization is a condition characterized by ingrowth of blood vessels into the corneal tissue. Currently, treatment is progression-dependent because immature blood vessels depend on growth factors for proliferation while established blood vessels do not. This dictates that treatment be aimed at either the removal of…
Engineering Medicine Ophthalmology