Circadian fluctuations in glaucoma
Brian Samuels, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology, has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Eye Institute to explore the links between circadian fluctuations and glaucoma. This is Samuels’ first R01 grant.
Findings suggest underdiagnoses of age-related macular degeneration
Approximately 25 percent of eyes deemed to be normal based on dilated eye examination by a primary eye care ophthalmologist or optometrist had macular characteristics that indicated age-related macular degeneration, according to a study published by JAMA Ophthalmology.
First annual CEH vs. CEHC softball game was a success
The first annual Callahan Eye Hospital vs. Callahan Eye Hospital Clinics softball game was a huge success!
On Saturday, April 22, 2017, Callahan Eye Hospital held its First Annual Family Fun Day at Memorial Park Recreation Center in downtown Birmingham with plenty of food, music, and a softball game.
Read moreMedical professionals, state agencies and community partners look to develop new guidelines for concussed students
Concussions are an invisible injury that can cause physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep symptoms that last for varying lengths of time depending on the nature of the injury. Changes in behavior, mood, learning and thinking that may be a result of a head injury can be misunderstood — making transitions into the classroom postconcussion difficult for students and teachers.
UAB Callahan Eye Hospital celebrates grand opening of new operating rooms
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Callahan Eye Hospital and the Department of Ophthalmology have expanded their operating room capacity from nine to 16 operating rooms, making it one of the largest eye facilities in the United States.
UAB Department of Ophthalmology ranks 17th in NIH funding
Long recognized as a leader in groundbreaking research and innovative eye care, the UAB Department of Ophthalmology hit a major milestone in 2016, ranking in the top twenty of nationally ranked ophthalmology departments in the amount of funding it receives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With over $4.9 million in NIH annual funding for fiscal year 2016, the Department now ranks 17th, up from their 2013 ranking of 36th.
BlazerVision improves how UAB student-athletes play the game
Student-athletes at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will see their sport in a new perspective through BlazerVision, a new partnership between UAB Athletics, School of Optometry and Department of Ophthalmology. As part of UAB Athletics’ pre-participation examinations, each student-athlete will receive comprehensive eye care, acute game-time care and state-of-the-art concussion baseline testing.
Preserving vision for astronauts
Many astronauts who come back from space experience poorer vision after flight, some even years after, and researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are working to see why.
Owsley selected to serve on the Research to Prevent Blindness Scientific Advisory Panel
Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., the Nathan E. Miles Chair of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair of Research Administration in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology, has been selected to serve on the Scientific Advisory Panel of Research to Prevent Blindness.
Researchers develop best-yet cell culture system for age-related macular degeneration
An international team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University College London and Queens University Belfast in the United Kingdom developed a cell culture model that could help to develop earlier treatment strategies for age-related macular degeneration, the third most prevalent cause of vision loss worldwide.
$2 million grant awarded to UAB to continue eye care research
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been awarded a $2.94 million National Eye Institute Center Core Grant to support and enhance the 15 eligible R01 grants in the UAB School of Optometry and Department of Ophthalmology.
Medical Innovations
Dr. Downs was featured in a UAB Podcast, Medical Innovations. Details about advances in robotics and other technologies, the latest clinical trials and research studies, and the development of innovative new procedures and treatment approaches. This series showcases UAB faculty-led, patient-centric, medical technology breakthroughs in numerous specialties through specific cases, real-world applications, and patient stories, emphasizing the potential impact of these new technologies on patient outcomes.
UAB to open new Callahan Eye Hospital Clinic on Cahaba River Road in Altadena
UAB Callahan Eye Hospital recently announced that it will open a new full-service clinic Nov. 1 in the Altadena community, just off Cahaba River Road behind the Colonnade. The convenient new location delivers the same vision care that Callahan Eye Hospital has provided on the UAB campus for the past 50 years, including comprehensive adult and pediatric ophthalmology and optometry services.
New options for residency in Ophthalmology open for young researchers
The UAB Department of Ophthalmology is enhancing its residency program with a new track, giving incoming residents the option to participate in an in-depth clinical or basic research project of their choice.
UAB identifies functional biomarker for age-related macular degeneration
Adults whose eyes are slow to adjust to the dark have a greater risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, according to new findings from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online in Ophthalmology.
Downs receives a second R01 grant to study glaucoma
J. Crawford Downs, Ph.D., has received a four-year, $1.88 million grant from the National Eye Institute to further explore the underlying mechanisms of glaucoma and bring the relationship between age, intraocular pressure and glaucoma development into focus.
Eye site offers new insight on age-related macular degeneration
Over the past 14 years, Christine A. Curcio, Ph.D., a professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology, has collected images from hundreds of donor eyes in her search for the basic mechanisms underlying age-related macular degeneration.
UAB study looks to improve medication adherence in African-American glaucoma patients
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are hoping a telemedicine-based health promotion intervention can improve medication adherence rates among older African-Americans with glaucoma.
Grytz receives glaucoma award from BrightFocus
Rafael Grytz, Ph.D., associate professor, received the Thomas R. Lee Award for Glaucoma Research from the BrightFocus Foundation recognizing his grant, “Quantifying Collagen Remodeling of the Optic Nerve Head”, as the second-highest rated proposal received by the National Glaucoma Research Program in 2015.
Young Scientist Makes Strides in Reengineering the Eye
For research pursuits, Rafael Grytz, Ph.D., has always blazed his own trail. That may explain how a civil engineer from Germany became as an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology.