Stanford Vision 2020
2020 is a special year for Stanford Ophthalmology reflecting our goal of 20/20 vision for all. We invite you to learn how Stanford is accelerating science to achieve a future without blindness. See a woman blinded by age-related macular degeneration who is now able to begin to read again. See how we are curing cataract blindness globally, giving communities access to eye care. See a tiny video projector promising to restore sight to those blinded by corneal disease. And see exciting new therapies to slow degeneration and even improve vision in glaucoma.
Stanford Ophthalmology, ranked No. 6 in NIH funding across the US, is transforming eye care with its multi-pronged interdisciplinary research program. We welcome your interest.
Stanford Ophthalmology faculty named among world's top 100 most influential ophthalmologists
More faculty from Stanford were selected for The Ophthalmologist 2020 Power List than from any other institution. Learn more about each researcher's unique and impactful contributions to improve patients' vision.
Advancing vision research for new treatments and cures
Chip implant restores sight lost to macular degeneration
In a clinical trial, a tiny prosthetic retinal device invented by Stanford researcher Daniel Palanker, PhD, has proven its potential to restore sight to patients blinded by age-related macular degeneration. Read and watch a video about the clinical trial and the next steps to achieve even higher visual acuity.
Rare eye disease is focus of new Stanford Medicine center
A $10 million gift has enabled the launch of a center focusing on optic disc drusen, a poorly understood eye disease that can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. Under the direction of Joyce Liao, MD, PhD, it will build an unprecedented database and apply learnings to the development of new vision-preserving treatments.
Creating a field of molecular surgery to guide new precision therapies for eye disease
“If we can identify the molecules linked to eye disease, we can make precise diagnoses, choose the right medicines, and improve our surgical outcomes," says Vinit Mahajan, MD, PhD.
Video - Slowing vision loss in glaucoma
Jeffrey L. Goldberg, MD, PhD, professor and chair of ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, discusses promising phase 2 clinical trial data of an implant that releases ciliary neurotrophic factor and its potential for protecting against vision loss in glaucoma.
Developing cures with stem cells and regenerative medicine
Vision loss often occurs when eye cells degenerate and are not replaced through natural healing mechanisms. Stanford researchers are using cutting-edge approaches to reverse that limitation in macular degeneration, glaucoma and major corneal diseases.
One cell at a time: focusing on the future of precision health through adaptive optics
Aflredo Dubra, PhD, a world leader in imaging technology, aims to fight vision loss by using adaptive optics to precisely and non-invasively monitor retinal health at the cellular level. Potentially transforming the treatment of eye disease, this approach makes possible earlier and more precise diagnoses, personalized effective treatments and accelerated drug development.
Video - Virtual conversations in ophthalmology - tackling retinal degeneration
This video conference presents the latest retinal research at the Byers Eye Institute. Researchers Theodore Leng, MD, FACS, and Vinit Mahajan, MD, PhD, discuss their multiple approaches to preserving and restoring vision in retinal degeneration, including stem cell-based techniques, proteomics, metabolite therapy and more.
Improving patient care through innovation
Stanford's Department of Ophthalmology has yielded some of the most advanced vision-saving devices since its inception more than a century ago, including the PASCAL laser and its ability to deliver retinal therapy with unprecedented precision, the Paxos Scope, an ophthalmic camera system for smartphones, and far more.
But it's MY data!
Concerned about the privacy of your personal data? Worried about others “owning” your sensitive information? Then you’ll be interested in a pioneering new approach to data and AI now being pilot-tested by Stanford glaucoma specialist Robert Chang, MD.
Eye of the STORM
The delicate soft tissues surrounding the eyes are small but mighty. Damage can bring headaches or blurred vision, the inability to drive a car or work at a computer screen. An innovative new medical device created by Ben Erickson, MD, MHS, is now promising new hope, earning top recognition from his peers.
Seeing through closed eyelids
Tens of thousands go blind each year from burns and corneal scarring. Could an ingenious tiny video projector conceived by Charles Yu, MD, be the key to restoring sight, bypassing transplant wait lists, surgical infection risks, and lifetime transplant-rejection worries?
Cutting edge patient care
A focus on children with myopia
There is a lot that is not well understood about nearsightedness, called myopia, or how to treat it, but there is general agreement on one thing – cases are increasing, and the younger the age of onset of myopia, the greater the likelihood that a child will progress to vision threatening pathology as they grow. To confront this reality, Stanford Ophthalmology is embracing a multimodal approach.
From mother to patient
Carolyn Miller's inflamed optic nerve was causing vivid color hallucinations. Thanks to the work of her daughter's colleague Heather Moss, MD, PhD, and her daughter herself, Shannon Beres, MD—both neuro-ophthalmologists at the Byers Eye Institute—they established a rare diagnosis and enlisted a multi-center study to help advance research for Miller and her fellow patients.
Stopping cancer in its tracks
At 18 months, Cru Silva was one of 300 patients diagnosed annually with bilateral retinoblastoma, a serious eye cancer that occurs in children. In order to neutralize the tumor, the Stanford Ocular Oncology team used a combination of traditional treatments and a new one—intra-arterial chemotherapy.
Training the next generation of ophthalmic physicians and scientists
SOAR Residency Program lays foundation for independent research careers
The newly established Stanford Ophthalmology Advanced Research (SOAR) Residency Program allows residents who want to accelerate their academic research program to dedicate an extra year to full-time basic science or translational research.
Envisioning a World Without Blindness – Going Global
Going global
About 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of visual impairment, 80 percent of which could have been prevented or is treatable. Stanford Ophthalmology is committed to changing this picture through collaborations with the Himalayan Cataract Project and our work at the Stanford Belize Vision Clinic.
Video - Envisioning a world without blindness: a problem we can solve
Geoffrey Tabin, MD, Fairweather professor of ophthalmology and global medicine at Stanford and a world leader in global health, shares a proven model for delivering low cost sustainable eye care in parts of Asia and sub-saharan Africa to end needless blindness.
Video - Envisioning a world without blindness: increasing access to eye care worldwide through innovation in ophthalmic imaging
David Myung, MD, PhD, describes an innovative approach to delivering eye care to under-resourced populations globally. New imaging technologies, remote reading centers and artificial intelligence combine to expand the reach and impact of telemedicine in delivering sight-saving care.
Support Stanford Ophthalmology
For questions or to make a gift in support of ophthalmic research and education, please contact Melanie Erasmus at merasmus@stanford.edu or Bob Busch at bobbusch@stanford.edu.
To make a gift directly online, click the button below and designate the faculty member, department, or division you would like to support in the special instructions.