Annual Report 2010 - University of Wisconsin Department of ...

2010 

ANNUAL 

REPORT 

2010 ANNUAL REPORT 

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Grants 21 

Year in Review 

Researcher Expands 

Retina Program 

Strong Connections 

Between Doctors & Patients 

A Day in the Life: 

Residency Prepares Doctors 

2 

6 

10 

14 

Clinical & Research Faculty 

& Staff 22 

Clinical Trials 24 

Publications 26 

Donor Honor Roll 30 

Volunteer & Affiliate 

Faculty Members 31 

Financial Highlights 31 

Donation Supports Care for 

Patients with AMD 

18

FROM THE CHAIR 

Each year in our annual 

report we share a few 

of the many wonderful 

stories from the University 

of Wisconsin Department of 

Ophthalmology and Visual 

Sciences. This year we 

illustrate examples of the 

interrelationship among the 

three facets of our mission: 

research, clinical care and 

education. 

Basic science researcher 

Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD, is 

making great strides as she 

seeks to understand macular degeneration 

at the cellular level. She has brought great 

enthusiasm and new ideas after having 

completed her doctorate at the University 

of Minnesota and a post-doctoral fellowship 

at Cornell University. Dr. Lakkaraju is drawn 

to academic research because she enjoys 

working with collaborators who care for human 

patients. It is her goal to translate the research 

taking place in her laboratory to breakthroughs 

that improve patient care. 

Barbara Blodi, MD, is a clinical researcher 

who also sees patients with retina problems. 

Work like hers will one day translate the 

discoveries made in our laboratories directly 

to the patients in our clinics. Like many other 

physicians, Dr. Blodi is proud to work with the 

basic scientists and to teach residents and 

fellows who train at the UW. 

One of those residents is senior 

Timothy Daley, MD, who will 

continue in the Department as a 

fellow in pediatric ophthalmology 

and adult strabismus. Our 

most direct link to the future of 

ophthalmology is educating the 

residents, fellows and medical 

students who pass through our 

doors. We are proud of their work. 

Equally important to us is the 

education of our patients, 

explaining the basics of disease 

or the translational research 

breakthroughs we are making. 

An example of this patient education is the 

biennial Age-related Macular Degeneration 

symposium, where more than 500 people 

come to learn about the disease. In addition 

to people with macular degeneration and their 

caregivers, we have connected with public 

officials who deepen their understanding 

of this disease. This helps them make and 

implement health policy more effectively. 

We are grateful, as always, to the donors who 

help further the work we do here. The new 

horizons and opportunities presented by the 

explosion of scientific knowledge stand in 

stark contrast to the difficulty of obtaining the 

decreasing federal funding to pursue them. We 

are fortunate to play a part in advancing vision 

science, and our basic science and clinical 

researchers continue to compete effectively 

for these grants. However, the generosity of 

our donors has made the crucial difference in 

our department staying strong as we move to 

the future. 

Research, clinical care, and education all 

overlap to form a continuum of excellence. We 

are pleased to share this journey, and these 

stories, with you. 

Paul L. Kaufman, MD 

Peter A. Duehr Professor 

and Department Chair 

UW Department of Ophthalmology 

and Visual Sciences 

University of Wisconsin School 

of Medicine and Public Health 

2010 ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR IN REVIEW 

New faculty/staff join 

Department 

Cameron Parsa, MD, an 

ophthalmologist who specializes 

in pediatric ophthalmology and 

adult strabismus as well as in 

neuro-ophthalmology, joined the 

Department of Ophthalmology 

and Visual Sciences as associate 

professor in September 2010. 

“Neuro-ophthalmology is a very 

broad subspecialty,” he said. 

“While the advent of neuroimaging 

reduced the scope of the 

Cameron Parsa, MD 

field from one previously essential 

in accurately localizing many brain 

tumors, it is more focused today on observational studies 

of the optic disc and nerve fiber layer, visible structures 

beyond the resolution of the MRI. It requires not only 

understanding the ocular manifestations of systemic and 

various neurological conditions, as is commonly perceived, 

but also quite frequently, how to detect the more subtle 

variants of common ocular conditions such as oil-droplet 

cataracts or even dry eye syndrome, which can masquerade 

as more ominous entities.” 

Often problems manifest as misalignment of the eyes, 

which ties in with Dr. Parsa’s other subspecialty, pediatric 

ophthalmology and adult strabismus. 

Cameron Parsa, MD, examines eye movements that would specifically pinpoint a brain anomaly in Ariana Cabrera, who 

traveled from Beloit, Wisconsin, to see a specialist at UW Health Eye Clinic. Dr. Parsa is both a pediatric ophthalmologist 

and a neuro-ophthalmologist. 

Dr. Parsa joined the Department after spending six 

years at The Krieger Children’s Eye Center of the Wilmer 

Ophthalmological Institute at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 

Baltimore, Maryland, where he previously also worked in The 

Johns Hopkins Center for Hereditary Eye Diseases. 

2 

UW DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AND VISUAL SCIENCES

Selected Faculty 

Awards 2010 

In addition to his clinical practices, he 

conducts clinical and theoretic research 

designed to immediately impact the clinical 

practice of ophthalmology. His recent 

publications describe the demonstration of 

an individual’s systemic inherited potential 

for angiogenesis via the analysis of optic 

nerve findings in various syndromes, the 

origin of port-wine stains, glaucoma and 

seizures in the Sturge-Weber syndrome and 

related diseases as simply due to venous 

dysplasia, and the nature of optic gliomas. 

His research has recently determined 

that this juvenile brain tumor represents 

a hamartoma rather than a neoplasm and 

that treatments now given for this tumor are 

actually ineffective and increase the risk of 

malignant transformation later in life. 

Dr. Parsa sees patients at UW Health 

University Station Eye Clinic in Madison and 

Affinity Ophthalmology Offices in Menasha. 

Cameron Parsa, MD, looks over images for a patient 

with Darla Coullard, an ophthalmologic technician 

at UW Health University Station Eye Clinic. Having 

and keeping old images on file allows for helpful 

comparisons during the examination and to assess for 

any disease or progression. 

Richard Patterson, OD, joined the 

Department in March 2010. He had 

previously worked in private optometry 

practice. 

Dr. Patterson brings 

experience with 

optics to the practice 

of optometry. “The 

science of optics 

is complex,” Dr. 

Patterson said, 

“and our patients 

consistently wanted 

to know more about 

their lens correction 

in a way they 

Richard Patterson, OD 

could understand. 

I discovered that I 

could relate their changes in eyesight in a 

non-technical way that helped them get a 

better handle on it. To me, that was the spark 

that led to my wanting to pursue my doctor 

of optometry training. 

“It was all about developing the relationship 

with a patient.” 

Dr. Patterson attended Indiana University – 

Bloomington to earn his doctor of optometry 

degree. He and his family moved to Madison 

in 2001 where he began to serve several 

Southern Wisconsin communities with his 

optical and optometric skills. In addition 

to providing clinical care to keep patients’ 

eyes healthy, Dr. Patterson maintains 

his strong interest in optics, and enjoys 

being part of a full-service medical clinic 

delivering comprehensive eye care to the 

community and partnering with UW Health 

ophthalmologists and opticians. 

Best Doctors in America 

Gregg A. Heatley, MD 


Burton J.Kushner, MD 

Leonard A. Levin, MD 

Castle Connolly Top Doctors 

Daniel M. Albert, MD, MS 

Paul L . Kaufman, MD 

Burton J. Kushner, MD 

Todd W. Perkins, MD 

Consumer’s Research Council of 

America’s Top Ophthalmologists 

Mark J. Lucarelli, MD 

Fellow of the Association for Research 

in Vision and Ophthalmology 

Leonard A. Levin, MD (Gold) 

Robert W. Nickells, PhD (Silver) 

T. Michael Nork, MD, MS (Silver) 


3

YEAR IN REVIEW continued 

Labs moved for 

mentoring 

When a new researcher, such as Aparna 

Lakkaraju, PhD, joins the Department of 

Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, a formal 

mentoring committee is set up to provide 

support and advice. 

In Dr. Lakkaraju’s 

case, one of the 

researchers on 

her mentoring 

committee, Curtis 

Brandt, PhD, moved 

his laboratory 

space next to 

Dr. Lakkaraju’s 

laboratory in the 

Medical Sciences 

Center (the old 

Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD 

University Hospital) 

to facilitate collaboration and a supportive 

relationship. It also allows Dr. Brandt and 

his staff to have access to state-of-the art 

technology of new laboratory space. 

In the past, many new faculty created their 

own informal mentoring relationships. 

The mentoring committee is established 

to provide formal support to new faculty 

members. A formal system ensures that new 

faculty have a team dedicated to helping 

grow research opportunities. 

Curtis Brandt, PhD, and Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD, often discuss research projects during the course of their work days. 

Collaboration is facilitated by Dr. Brandt moving his labratory into space next to Dr. Lakkaraju’s new laboratory. 

4 


New Director leads 

residency program 

Stephen Sauer, 

MD, took over 

leadership of the 

Department’s 

Residency 

Program in July 

2010, when 

Yasmin Bradfield, 

MD, stepped 

down after leading 

us to successful 

reaccreditation 

Stephen Sauer, MD 

in 2009. Dr. 

Sauer served 

as director of 

Core Competencies, a key aspect of the 

residency program, and brings a wealth of 

education experience to the role. He will 

build on a program that is stronger than 

ever, expanding and adding rotations and 

preparing for international service for our 

residents. 

Dr. Sauer was awarded the University of 

Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program 

Director Administrative Fellowship 

in 2010. 

Electronic 

Medical Record 

impleMented 

The Department took its first steps toward 

implementing an electronic medical 

record (EMR) system in 2010. Although 

groundwork began several years earlier, 

in 2010 the first clinicians began using the 

Epic-designed system. UW Health has 

rolled out this EMR to all departments, 

allowing physicians and patients to have 

access to medical records throughout the 

organization. 

Optometrists and comprehensive 

ophthalmologists use the medical record 

system for documenting patient exams. The 

system will be rolled out to subspecialists 

in 2012. 

An ophthalmology technician enters patient 

information into UW Health’s electronic medical 

record system. This kind of system facilitates improved 

patient care and sharing information among all health 

care providers. 

Selected Faculty 

Awards 2010 

Madison Magazine Top Doctors 


American Academy of Ophthalmology 

Life Achievement Honor Award 


UW School of Medicine and Public 

Health Dean’s Award for Association 

of American Medical Colleges Early 

Career Women Faculty Seminar in 

Washington, D.C. 

Heather A.D. Potter, MD 

Yasmin S. Bradfield, MD 

Retina Research Foundation/Kathryn 

and Latimer Murfee Chair 

David M. Gamm, MD, PhD 

Foundation Fighting Blindness Board 

of Directors Award for Retinal 

Degenerative Disease Research 

David M. Gamm, MD, PhD 


5

RESEARCH 

RESEARCHER EXPANDS RETINA PROGRAM 

Collaboration is key 

Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD, and her Assistant Scientist, Jin Xu, MD, MS, view images of a cell using the 

spinning disk confocal microscope Dr. Lakkaraju is testing for her lab. 

Shelves are slowly filling 

in Aparna Lakkaraju’s 

laboratory in the Medical 

Sciences Building on the 

University of Wisconsin campus. 

As the newest researcher in the 


and Visual Sciences, Dr. Lakkaraju 

is just settling into her space, and 

work is already progressing. 

Dr. Lakkaraju joined the 

Department in June 2010 from 

Cornell University where she 

was a post-doctoral researcher. 

She earned her doctorate at the 

University of Minnesota. 

The Department at the University 

of Wisconsin offers the opportunity 

to build a lab, but more important 

to Dr. Lakkaraju, it offers colleagues 

with whom to collaborate on 

research to understand and 

eliminate blinding diseases. 

“This is a top-ranked department,” 

she said. “There are a lot of 

people to collaborate with in the 

Department and across campus.” 

This includes researchers within 

the Department of Ophthalmology 

and Visual Sciences, such as 

Nader Sheibani, PhD, who 

studies some of the same cells 

as Dr. Lakkaraju in the context 

of diseases such as diabetic 

retinopathy. She also collaborates 

with Robert Nickells, PhD, 

vice chair for Research in the 

Department, Curtis Brandt, PhD, 

a virologist who moved part of 

his laboratory to be next to her 

laboratory space, and David 

Gamm, MD, PhD, a researcher 

who studies stem cells in 

retinal diseases. 

She received a career development 

award from Research to Prevent 

Blindness, which provides her 

with four years of funding as 

she builds her research program 

here. The Department, which has 

an unrestricted grant from RPB, 

nominated her for the award. Dr. 

Lakkaraju credits the reputation 

of the department and the strong 

support of the Chair, Paul Kaufman, 

MD, for her success in getting the 

award. Dr. Lakkaraju also received 

a vision research grant from the 

Karl Kirchgessner Foundation 

shortly after arriving at the 

University of Wisconsin. 

6 


Retina diseases focus of research 

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) 

is the most common cause of vision loss in 

the elderly in developed countries. Because 

retinal degenerative disease, such as macular 

degeneration, is a growing area of research 

nationally, the Department of Ophthalmology 

and Visual Sciences recently remodeled the 

space Dr. Lakkaraju now occupies to attract 

such a researcher. 

“It has been part of our strategic plan to 

expand our basic science studies in retinal 

diseases,” said Dr. Nickells. “We are very 

excited to have Dr. Lakkaraju join us as part 

of our mission to expand in this area.” 

As a cell biologist, Dr. Lakkaraju seeks to 

understand what happens in AMD at the 

cellular level. She is particularly interested in 

the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a thin 

layer of cells making up the outermost layer 

of the retina. “These cells perform many 

functions that are necessary for vision,” 

she explained. “They are also the site of the 

initial insult in AMD and other inherited and 

acquired retinal degenerations. Each RPE cell 

is responsible for 30 to 40 photoreceptors, 

so when the RPE dies off, it takes with it 

photoreceptors needed for vision. The RPE is 

truly indispensable for vision.“ 

Understanding disease processes at the 

level of the cell is important to developing 

prevention strategies and cures for blinding 

disease, she continued. A major hurdle to 

developing effective therapies for AMD is 

that it is not a simple disease, but one that 

has many genetic and environmental causes. 

So teasing out exactly what happens in the 

disease has been an enormous challenge. 

Aparna Lakkaraju , PhD, prepares cells for imaging in her laboratory. Dr. Lakkaraju’s lab studies retinal pigment epithelial cells 

which they isolate from human and animal eyes. 


7

RESEARCH continued 

“People typically look at the whole 

organism,” she said. “But mice, for 

example, are nocturnal animals 

that do not have a macula, the part 

of the retina that is responsible for 

fine, high-resolution vision found 

in humans. In AMD, damage to the 

macula makes people lose central 

vision. Studying this disease solely 

in mice will only provide limited 

insight into what leads to blindness 

in humans.” 

“We are passionate 

about conducting 

translational research, 

and we look forward 

to the day when 

breakthrough discoveries 

made in the lab can be 

taken to the clinic to 

benefit patients.” 


Dr. Lakkaraju is able to study this 

disease because she can use RPE 

cells from humans, both those with 

and without macular degeneration. 

“She can look at them and see how 

they are different in a person with 

the disease,” Dr. Nickells said. 

So far, her research has 

demonstrated that A2E, a byproduct 

of the visual cycle that 

accumulates with age in the RPE, 

traps cholesterol within these 

cells. Because cholesterol is an 

important risk factor in other agerelated 

diseases like Alzheimer’s 

disease, Parkinson’s disease and 

heart disease, she is seeking to 

understand how cholesterol is 

handled in the RPE and retina. 

Dr. Lakkaraju also is studying 

apolipoprotein E, a protein that 

transports cholesterol within 

cells and between different 

tissues. It occurs in three forms. 

One variation is thought to be a 

predictor for Alzheimer’s disease, 

but may offer protection for 

AMD. Dr. Lakkaraju hopes that 

her work in RPE cells will help us 

understand how this protein can 

be a risk factor for one age-related 

disease, but protect from another. 

Apolipoprotein E also dictates how 

cells respond to statins, one of the 

most commonly used medicines in 

the world to treat atherosclerosis 

(hardening of the arteries). Statins 

may be beneficial in AMD, but 

studies on the link between statin 

use and AMD in humans have been 

inconclusive. Understanding how 

RPE cells respond to statins will go 

a long way toward resolving this. 

Apart from high-speed, high-resolution microscopy, the Lakkaraju lab also uses 

standard biochemical and molecular biology techniques to analyze proteins and lipids 

from healthy and diseased RPE cells. 

A second area of her research 

is aimed at understanding how 

lysosomes, which function as the 

cell’s garbage disposal system, are 

altered with age and cellular stress. 

This is especially important for the 

RPE because every morning, these 

cells are fed a huge breakfast of 

“used up” parts of photoreceptors. 

This is like eating 100 bagels for 

breakfast every day. Because RPE 

cells do not regenerate like cells on 

our skin or cells that line the gut, 

the RPE garbage disposal system 

becomes less efficient as we grow 

older. One hallmark of AMD is the 

accumulation of undigested fats 

and proteins within these cells over 

time, leading to a virtual “garbage 

catastrophe.” Dr. Lakkaraju uses 

high-speed microscopy to see how 

the cell’s garbage disposal system 

works in health and disease. 

8 


Having the right tool 

Dr. Lakkaraju’s exacting research often 

requires special tools. She has used 

spinning disk confocal microscopy to peer 

into living RPE cells as they go about their 

functions. Although her laboratory does 

not yet own this specialized instrument, 

she has been able to test one while she 

decides among the appropriate machines 

and secures funding for it. Conventional 

confocal microscopes use high levels of 

light to illuminate the entire sample from a 

single pinhole, causing phototoxicity during 

live imaging. A spinning disk microscope 

has a disk with an array of pinholes that 

spins very fast and illuminates the sample 

at very low levels of light. The multiple 

pinholes are critical for high-speed 

imaging, allowing Dr. Lakkaraju to visualize 

changes in living cells that occur on 

timescales of milliseconds. 

Seeing what is happening to a cell under 

stress and under normal conditions will 

help Dr. Lakkaraju understand what effect 

stress and inflammation have on cell 

health. This is a first step to translating her 

research to patient care. 

“We are passionate about conducting 

translational research,” she said. “And 

we look forward to the day when 

breakthrough discoveries made in the 

lab can be taken to the clinic to benefit 

patients.” 

Aparna Lakkaraju plans experiments with Jin Xu. 


9

PATIENT CARE 

Strong connections between doctors AND patients 

ties in with outstanding care 

Georgette Bathum and her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Bathum, enter the UW Health University Station Eye 

Clinic for an appointment. 

One reason many 

ophthalmologists are 

drawn to their specialty 

is the opportunity to form 

long-lasting relationships 

with their patients while also 

having a hands-on surgical 

practice. Many physicians like 

performing procedures, and 

ophthalmologists are 

no different. 

But it is seeing their patients 

come back, year after year, 

that keeps many doctors 

engaged in their practices. 

University of Wisconsin 



ophthalmologist Barbara Blodi, 

MD, is no exception. 

Like other retina specialists, 

Dr. Blodi often needs to 

follow up with her patients 

frequently. Those who receive 

injections of Avastin or 

Lucentis for wet age-related 

macular degeneration (AMD) 

are in her office once a month 

or so. “I really get to know 

these people,” she said. “It’s 

almost like internal medicine 

or family medicine, where 

I learn so much about my 

patients and their families, 

and they know about mine.” 

There are seven retina 

specialists in the department 

who perform these injections 

and all have the same 

experience of forming close 

ties to their patients. 

“It’s almost like 

internal medicine 

or family medicine, 

where I learn so 

much about my 

patients and their 

families, and they 

know about mine.” 

Barbara Blodi, MD 

Georgette Bathum, of 

Madison, has been seeing 

Dr. Blodi since 2007. “I 

was referred to her by an 

ophthalmologist in Dubuque, 

Iowa, Gretchen Fuerste, 

MD, because I had macular 

degeneration,” Bathum said. 

“From the beginning, I felt Dr. 

Blodi had the expertise to take 

care of my eyes.” 

10 


Bathum is a retired nurse and knows 

medical expertise. In addition to 

competence, Bathum likes Dr. 

Blodi’s caring. “She is kind,” Bathum 

said. “She’s gentle, but you know 

what’s happening. She’s direct. I 

feel very comfortable in her hands 

and I have from the beginning. 

What she recommends, I do.” 

It’s that trust in Dr. Blodi’s 

capabilities as well as her 

personality that led Bathum to 

agree to participate in a clinical 

trial, the Age-Related Eye 

Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) for 

macular degeneration. AREDS2 

is comparing the progression of 

macular degeneration in patients 

who receive supplements of 

lutein or fish oil (or both) with 

patients who do not receive any 

supplements, Dr. Blodi explained. 

All patients in the AREDS2 study 

are receiving the standard formula 

of eye vitamins developed as a 

result of the original AREDS trial. 

Although she has convinced herself 

that she was randomly assigned to 

the group that is receiving placebo 

and not receiving a supplement, 

Bathum still believes in clinical 

trials. “It is helping learn what care 

is best,” she said. 

Georgette Bathum checks in for her eye clinic appointment with medical receptionist Julie Grim. 


11

PATIENT CARE continued 

Dr. Blodi notes that a clinical trial 

comparing one treatment with another 

under careful monitoring is the best way 

to demonstrate which of the treatments 

is best. This careful monitoring includes 

photographs or optical coherence 

tomography of the affected eyes at each 

visit. This allows researchers to understand 

how the medications being studied are 

working at every point in time, not just at 

the beginning and end of the study. The 

technician prepares the patient for an 

injection, if one is needed. This includes 

numbing the eye, using a sterile prep and 

getting the medication. Medications are 

prepared by the UW Health pharmacist in 

the building. “This is a real team effort,” 

Dr. Blodi said. 

Bathum had been losing her vision rapidly 

soon after she began seeing Dr. Blodi. 

She developed the wet form of macular 

degeneration and began receiving 

injections of Lucentis into her eye. The 

injections were proven in earlier studies 

to improve vision and delay blindness in 

people with the onset of wet AMD. 

As a result of the injections, Georgette 

has been able to keep up with her active 

lifestyle. She and her daughter, Mary 

Elizabeth Bathum, own a condominium in a 

co-housing complex in Madison. Georgette 

is able to go to exercise class, take classes 

at the University of Wisconsin and attend 

courses in the UW Arboretum, as well as 

volunteer at a local nursing home. 

Barbara Blodi, MD, chats with her patient, Georgette Bathum, and Georgette’s daughter Mary Elizabeth Bathum. Mary Elizabeth 

accompanies her mother to most eye clinic appointments. 

12 


“This treatment has allowed me to 

continue doing the things I enjoy,” 

Georgette said. 

Mary Elizabeth, who is able to drive 

her mom to most appointments – 

driving immediately after an injection 

is not recommended – said that 

having the injections as an option for 

her mother was a great relief. “It felt 

good to have some hope,” she said. 

“This treatment has 

allowed me to continue 

doing the things I enjoy.” 

Georgette Bathum 

Georgette agreed. “Any hope was 

wonderful,” she said. “I still feel 

that way.” 

Although the AREDS2 study will be 

completed in about a year, Georgette 

will request to remain Dr. Blodi’s 

patient from now on. And Dr. Blodi is 

looking forward to knowing Georgette 

and Mary Elizabeth even better. 

Barbara Blodi, MD, examines Georgette Bathum’s eyes during a check-up visit. Georgette’s daughter, Mary Elizabeth Bathum, 

looks on. 


13

EDUCATION 

RESIDENCY PREPARES DOCTORS FOR FUTURE PRACTICE 

A Day in the Life 

Timothy Daley, MD, listens during a Grand Rounds lecture. The talks are held weekly and help keep 

residents, faculty and others abreast of the latest news in ophthalmology. 

When Timothy Daley, MD, 

stepped off the elevator 

to greet his first patient 

of the day, he had already been 

working for more than two hours. 

As chief resident in the Department 

of Ophthalmology and Visual 

Sciences, Dr. Daley not only attends 

the same lectures and education 

programs as his colleagues, he 

often is involved in planning and 

organizing them as well. 

On Fridays, the nine residents 

in the University of Wisconsin 

School of Medicine and Public 

Health ophthalmology residency 

start their day at 7 a.m. with 

Retina Workout. Each week a UW 

Department of Ophthalmology and 

Visual Sciences retina specialist 

goes over cases of interest and the 

group discusses the issues and 

treatment options. 

Following Retina Workout, the 

entire group of residents moves 

across the hall to Grand Rounds. 

Organized by each year’s chief 

resident, Grand Rounds is a 

Continuing Medical Educationapproved 

lecture series that 

features physicians and researchers 

from within the Department, others 

within the UW System and outside 

visiting professors. The topics 

range from basic science talks, to 

interesting patient cases, to issues 

that affect the practice of medicine 

in general (such as patient 

safety), and to new practices and 

procedures in ophthalmology. 

When Grand Rounds ended at 

8:30 a.m. on a recent Friday, Dr. 

Daley hurried to the William S. 

Middleton Memorial Veterans 

Affairs Hospital, connected to the 

UW Hospital and Clinics, to see his 

first patients of the day. Dr. Daley 

spotted Claire Clark immediately, 

and led him down the hall to an 

exam room. 

“Should we take this eye patch 

off?” Dr. Daley asked, as he gently 

removed the patch that had 

protected Clark’s eye since the prior 

day’s cataract surgery. 

Clark answered yes, and was 

thrilled with his improved vision 

after the procedure. “This is 

heaven,” Clark said. “I was walking 

like I was drunk before.” 

Dr. Daley checked Clark’s eye 

and explained the eye drops he 

would need to use for the next 

several weeks. 

14 


“If you have any questions, call right away,” 

Dr. Daley reminded his patient. “In fact, I’m 

on call this weekend, so if you call, I’ll be the 

person you talk to.” 

“We really take pride in the 

fact that our patient outcomes 

for cataract surgery are better 

than the national standard 

whether residents are involved 

or not.” 

Andrew Thliveris, MD, PhD 

As the senior resident at the Veterans Affairs 

Hospital, Dr. Daley examines patients on 

his own. His work includes regular eye clinic 

exams, pre-surgery check-ups, surgery and 

post-surgery check-ups as well. An attending 

physician on staff at the UW Department of 

Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences reviews 

every chart and sees patients if Dr. Daley 

requests. In addition, the attending physician 

sees every patient who is scheduled for a 

procedure such as laser or surgery. 

On this day the attending physician was 

Andrew Thliveris, MD, PhD, chief of the 

Ophthalmology Service at the Veterans 

Affairs Hospital. First and second year 

residents have their cases followed more 

closely. And because an attending physician 

looks over every chart, the department can 

be sure residents are asking for help when it 

is needed. 

Timothy Daley, MD, walks with his first patient of the day, Claire Clark, of Lyndon Station. Clark had surgery the day before to 

remove a cataract and replace it with an intraocular lens. 


15

EDUCATION continued 

For Dr. Thliveris and other faculty at the UW, 

teaching residents is only possible if high quality 

patient care is maintained. “We really take 

pride in the fact that our patient outcomes for 

cataract surgery are better than the national 

standard whether residents are involved or not,” 

Dr. Thliveris said. “A high standard of care is the 

expectation here.” 

Dr. Daley’s next patient is scheduled for surgery 

in the next few weeks. Dr. Daley explained all 

the risks and the benefits of a complicated 

operation, combining cataract and retinal 

surgery. Dr. Daley will perform cataract removal 

with implantation of a new lens and a faculty 

retina specialist will then do the retinal surgery. 

Making sure his patient understands exactly 

what is involved is an important part of Dr. 

Daley’s job. He took time to answer every 

question and explain steps in detail. 

After seeing several more patients, Dr. Daley 

prepared for that day’s surgery. 

As residents gain more experience, they are 

allowed to operate more independently, but 

attending staff is always scrubbed in in case 

their skills are needed. As a senior resident on 

this VA rotation, Dr. Daley also performs surgery 

on Friday afternoons, under the watchful eyes of 

Assistant Professor Daniel Knoch, MD. 

Surgical procedures are carefully orchestrated, 

with a nurse anesthetist, a nurse and an 

operating room technician, in addition to Dr. 

Daley, Dr. Knoch and the patient. The patient 

confessed on this Friday before the Green Bay 

Packers played their arch-rival Chicago Bears for 

the Division Championship that he was pulling 

for the Bears. 

Timothy Daley, MD, examines the eyes of Clarence Dahmen, Waunakee, who is preparing for surgery in the next few weeks. 

16 


“That’s OK,” Dr. Daley quipped. 

“We’ll take good care of you 

anyway.” 

Cataract surgery is very common 

and Dr. Daley is experienced. 

But even so, Dr. Knoch served as 

surgical assistant and continually 

offered suggestions and used every 

teachable moment to increase Dr. 

Daley’s knowledge of ophthalmology 

and ophthalmic surgery. 

After the procedure, residents 

and attending physicians can 

review video from the operating 

room’s microscope. The video 

tracks everything from the view 

of the surgeon, so everyone can 

learn from the experience. “Even 

when things go well, you can 

learn something to refine your 

technique,” Dr. Daley said. “We 

want better outcomes and we want 

to be more efficient.” 

Surgery on Friday means patient 

visits on Saturday, even if he weren’t 

on call. “Surgery is an honor,” Dr. 

Daley said. “I will happily come in 

and see my patients on Saturdays.” 

Dr. Daley, who completed medical 

school, internship and now his 

residency at the UW, will also obtain 

his fellowship training at the UW 

Department of Ophthalmology and 

Visual Sciences. He is choosing 

to concentrate on pediatric 

ophthalmology and adult strabismus 

(eye muscle problems). 

Dr. Daley chats with Lyne Kuhn, an ophthalmology technician at the Veterans 

Affairs Hospital. 

But he likes his rotations at the 

VA Hospital. “You see a lot of 

interesting patients. It’s very 

rewarding. My grandfather was a 

World War II veteran,” he said. “A 

lot of my patients here remind me 

of him.” 

Dr. Daley made his choice for 

ophthalmology when he was 

covering the emergency room 

during medical school. “A young 

man came in with a stick in his eye 

and I asked if I could follow along.” 

Dr. Knoch was the senior resident 

on that case and Gary Sterken, 

MD, a faculty member in the 

Department, was the attending 

physician. “Other medical staff 

members were turning away, but 

I was really interested in how they 

were going to help him,” Dr. Daley 

said. “Dr. Knoch performed a 

simple and elegant procedure, with 

just a couple of stitches. The patient 

ended up having a great outcome, 

and I was hooked from then on.” 

As his years as a resident near 

their end, Dr. Daley feels confident 

in treating a large variety of eye 

diseases. “During the interview 

process (for residency programs) 

you have the chance to see what it’s 

like in other places. I’m really glad I 

am able to be here at the UW.” UW 

faculty and patients like Mr. Clark 

are really glad that Dr. Daley is here 

at the UW too. 


17

DONORS 

MOM’S MEMORY LIVES ON 

Donation Supports Care for Patients with AMD 

Chloe Gomez (clockwise from bottom left) her mother, Melissa Gomez, Melissa’s mother, 

Barbara Hevrin and Barbara’s mother Donna Fair. Fair’s family made a donation to UW Health 

Rockford Eye Clinic in her memory after she passed away in 2010. 

Donna Fair’s 

children gathered 

recently and 

reminisced about 

their mom. Fair, who 

passed away in June 

2010, was remembered 

for her battle with 

lung cancer and for 

her generous spirit. 

And they recalled her 

“Dr. Mom” treatment 

of her children and 

grandchildren, as well 

as her ability to be a sounding 

board who offered advice 

as needed. 

Ronald Danis, MD 

But she was also remembered 

for advocating for herself. And 

it wasn’t just her children who 

remembered that part of Fair. 

Ronald Danis, MD, who was her 

ophthalmologist at UW Health Eye 

Clinic - Rockford, recalled that she 

wanted to try Avastin injections 

for her age-related macular 

degeneration (AMD). 

“She had been a patient for a 

while,” Dr. Danis recalled. “Her 

vision was 20-400 for about a 

year.” Fair had given up driving, 

had given up reading and had new 

challenges when taking care of 

her home. 

Her youngest 

daughter, Carol 

Larson, of Loves Park, 

Ill., used tape and a 

black marker to put 

arrows on Fair’s stove 

and other appliances 

so that Fair could 

continue the chores of 

daily life and continue 

to live at home. “It was 

really hard to watch 

her go through that,” 

Larson recalled. 

So one day Fair showed up for 

her appointment with Dr. Danis 

with an article about Avastin, a 

then-new drug that was helping 

people with AMD improve their 

vision. News about clinical trials 

of Avastin had recently been 

presented to ophthalmologists, 

but Dr. Danis had limited personal 

experience with the drug. 

“She gave me the newspaper 

article and told me she wanted 

me to try that,” Dr. Danis said. “I 

was hesitant. The drug works best 

when used early in this disease 

process and we had no indication 

that it would restore vision in 

someone who had been legally 

blind for more than a year. Without 

having clinical trial information, 

18 


I told her I was skeptical it would help her 

longstanding poor vision.” 

Fair insisted. After all, she believed in advocating 

for herself. Following careful consideration, Dr. 

Danis started a series of monthly injections in 

one eye. 

A month after the first injection, Fair returned 

to the clinic. “When we checked her vision, she 

could not see any better, but she felt like she 

was seeing more clearly,” Dr. Danis said. “Then 

she asked to have injections in both eyes.” 

Miraculously, Fair’s vision improved. Within 

a few months, her vision improved to 20- 

40 and she was able to drive herself to her 

appointments. She was able to read again, 

something she had always loved and had 

missed. She took down the telephone with 

oversize numbers and replaced it with a normal 

phone. She was able to pull the taped-on labels 

off her appliances. She could see. 

It was Fair herself who said her restored vision 

was a miracle. She was grateful to be able to 

enjoy her freedom. So when she was diagnosed 

with lung cancer, and her children and friends 

prayed for a miracle cure to the cancer, Fair 

didn’t push it. 

“She said ‘God doesn’t give that many miracles, 

and I’ve had mine.’ I still prayed for a miracle,” 

Larson said. 

“We all did,” added her sister, Barbara Hevrin, of 

Rockford, Ill. 

Even when she was fighting the cancer, and sick 

from chemotherapy treatments, she saw Dr. 

Danis for her Avastin injections. 

“She was such a neat lady,” Dr. Danis said. “She 

was one of the most perseverant folks I’ve met. 

Four of Donna Fair’s children, (back row) Carol Larson, David Barrie, Barbara Hevrin and Duane Barrie, gathered recently to 

remember their mom. 


19

DONORS continued 

Even when she was ill, she always 

came in for her eye visits. She was 

positive and always seemed grateful 

for her vision.” 

Indeed, she was grateful. Whether 

cooking her famous potato salad 

and pies or spending time with 

her family at the lake, Donna 

Fair loved being able to see. 

With grandchildren and great 

grandchildren to love, it was a 

pleasure to her to watch them 

grow up. 

“We were using 

technology and 

treatment that has been 

developed through the 

collaborative efforts of 

thousands of people.” 

Ronald Danis, MD 

Being grateful for her support, it 

seemed natural that when Fair 

passed away, her family would use 

the memorial gifts to help other 

people. They selected three charities 

to share in the gifts given in their 

mother’s memory. In addition to her 

church and hospice, both of which 

provided comfort and support, the 

family chose the UW Health Eye 

Clinic-Rockford, which gave her 

a miracle. 

When the family made the donation 

to the Eye Clinic, they asked that it 

be used to improve care for other 

patients with macular degeneration. 

It will go to help fund advanced 

imaging machines that continue to 

help improve treatment of people 

with AMD. 

The family thinks Fair would like the 

choices they made. “She would like 

knowing this was going to help other 

people,” said her son, David Barrie of 

Winnebago, Ill. 

David Barrie listens as his sister, Carol Larson, recalls her mother’s wish to instill 

self-reliance in her children, while helping others as well. 

When their father died, the family 

didn’t have the opportunity to use 

memorial donations for charity. 

But when their stepfather, George 

Fair, died, Donna decided to use the 

money to support community areas 

George believed in. She was an 

example to her children, yet again. 

When patients or families make 

donations, physicians are not always 

aware of why the gift was given. 

Dr. Danis said he was flattered and 

honored that Donna thought so 

highly of her care. “I can’t disagree 

with her that this was a miracle. 

But I was just the conduit,” he said. 

“We were using technology and 

treatment that has been developed 

through the collaborative efforts of 

thousands of people.” 

Beyond regaining her sight, Donna 

liked going to the Eye Clinic, and 

staff there liked her, too. “They 

would come around the counter 

and hug her,” Hevrin said. “They 

were so friendly. We wanted to 

make this gift as a thank you for 

being so nice to her. Look at what 

this meant to her.” 

Donna will be remembered for 

touching the hearts of all who knew 

her, and by way of her gift, she will 

be helping improve vision in people 

who have never had the enjoyment 

of getting to meet her. 

20 


2010 Selected Grants 

Albert, Daniel 

AMA Archives of Ophthalmology Journal Editorship 

NATIONAL CHILDHOOD CANCER FOUNDATION 

Children’s Oncology Group 

Brandt, Curtis 

RRH Gene Therapy for Retinal Degenerative Diseases 

DHHS, PHS, NIH 

Virion Sialic Acid and HSV Ocular Infection 

Colley, Nansi 


Molecular Studies of Retinal 

Degeneration in Drosophila 

Cruickshanks, Karen 

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 

Epidemiology of Age-related Hearing Loss 


Familial and Birth Cohort 

Effects on the Aging Senses 

Danis, Ronald 


Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study 

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY 

Action to Control Cardiovascular 

Risk in Diabetes: ACCORD Study 


Treatment Options for Type 2 

Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth 


Ocular Complications of AIDS: 

Photograph Reading Center 


Fundus Photograph Reading Center 

to Support a Multi-Center, Randomized 

Trial of Luetin, Zeaxanthin, and Omega-3 

LCPUFAS in Age-Related 

Macular Edema (AREDS II) 

Kalil, Ronald 

DOD, ARMY Does the Treatment of Breast Cancer with 

Adjuvant Chemotherapy Interfere with 

Hippocampal Neurogenesis and with 

Hippocampal-Dependent Cognitive Function? 

Kaufman, Paul 

PFIZER, INC Regulation of outflow facility by gene transfer 

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 

Extra-Lenticular Aspects of 

Accommodation and Presbyopia 


ARRA Aqueous humor 

dynamics studies in vivo and in vitro 

Klein, Barbara 

RRF Prevalence and Incident Changes 

in Retinal Vascular Caliber Associated 

with Medication and Supplement Use 

Klein, Ronald 

ADA American Diabetes Association 

- Mentor-Based Doctoral Fellowship 

ADA The epidemiology of diabetic complications 

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 

Los Angeles Latino Eye Study 

Klein, Ronald; Klein, Barbara 

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA II) 


Epidemiology of Age-Related Macular 

Degeneration and Other Retinal Diseases 

Levin, Leonard 

RRH Pharmacological Protection Of 

Endothelial Cells For Retinal Vascular Disease 

Mares, Julie; Blodi, Barbara; Chappell, Richard; 

Engelman, Corinne; Sarto, Gloria 


Diet and Lifestyle Factors Reducing 

Risk for Age-Related Eye Disease 

McLellan, Gillian 


Structural and functional characterization 

of a novel model for glaucoma research 

Nickells, Robert 


Characterization of RGC 

death susceptibility alleles 


Molecular mechanism of 

retinal ganglion cell death 

Sheibani, Nader 

ADA CYP1B1, NF-kB , and Regulation of Angiogenesis 


PEDF and Diabetic Retinopathy 


PECAM-1 and Retinopathy of Prematurity 

Sheibani, Nader; Assadi, Amir; Assadi-Porter, Fariba 


ARRA Integrated Multidisciplinary 

Strategies for Detection 

of Diabetic Retinopathies 

Sheibani, Nader; Jefcoate, Colin 


ARRA CYP1B1 and Retinopathy of Prematurity 

KEY 

Federal funding: 

NIH = National Institutes of Health 

Foundation: 

ADA = American Diabetes Association 

AMA = American Medical Association 

JDRF = Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 

RRF = Retina Research Foundation 


21

clinical & research 

faculty & staff 2010 

Julia B. Agapov, MD, DO 

Assistant Professor 

Glaucoma, anterior 

segment & cataract 

surgery 


Frederick Allison Davis and 

Lorenz E. Zimmerman 

Professor & Chair Emeritus 

Ocular oncology, 

ophthalmic pathology, 

comprehensive 

ophthalmology 

Michael M. Altaweel, MD 

Associate Professor 

Retina, vitreous, macula, 

ocular melanoma 

Richard E. Appen, MD 

Professor Emeritus 

Neuro-ophthalmology 

Yonca O. Arat, MD 


Comprehensive 

ophthalmology, 

cataract surgery 

Neal P. Barney, MD 


Cornea & external 

disease, cornea & 

cataract surgery, uveitis, 

ocular immunology 

Barbara A. Blodi, MD 

Professor 

Retinal diseases including 

macular degeneration 

and diabetic retinopathy 



Pediatric ophthalmology 

& strabismus, retinopathy 

of prematurity, pediatric 

cataract surgery & intraocular 

lens implantation, pediatric 

eyelid surgery, pediatric 

glaucoma 

Curtis R. Brandt, PhD 


Virology, cell & molecular 

biology, genetic mapping 

& recombinant techniques, 

gene therapy 

Cat N. Burkat, MD 


Ophthalmic 

reconstructive 

& cosmetic surgery 

Suresh R. Chandra, MD 


Vitreoretinal disease, 

macular disease, ocular 

melanoma, trauma, 

international 

ophthalmology 

Nansi Jo Colley, PhD 


Molecular/genetic 

studies of retinal 

degeneration in 

Drosophila 

Eugene D. Cropp, OD 

Clinical Optometrist 

Optometry 

Karen J. Cruickshanks, PhD 


Epidemiology of agerelated 

ocular disorders, 

hearing loss, diabetes 

Janet Cushing, OD 


Optometry 

Ronald P. Danis, MD 

Professor, Director of the 

Fundus Photograph 

Reading Center 

Macular degeneration, 

diabetic retinopathy, 

retinal vascular diseases 

& posterior ocular 

inflammatory disorders 

Matthew D. Davis, MD 




clinical trials 

Richard K. Dortzbach, MD 


Ophthalmic plastic & 

reconstructive surgery, 

surgical techniques 

Ivy J. Dreizin, MD 


Neuro-ophthalmology 

Michael J. Feifarek, MD 

Instructor 

Comprehensive 

ophthalmology 

Thomas D. France, MD 



& strabismus, amblyopia, 

visual function testing 

David M. Gamm, MD, PhD Justin L. Gottlieb, MD 



Pediatric ophthalmology Retina, vitreous, macula 

& strabismus, retinopathy 

of prematurity, pediatric 

cataract surgery & 

intraocular lens implantation, 

pediatric glaucoma 



Vice-Chair/Clinical 

Glaucoma, anterior 

segment & cataract 

surgery 

Michael S. Ip, MD 


Vitreoretinal surgery 

for diabetic retinopathy 

and retinal detachment, 

treatment of age-related 

macular degeneration, 

clinical trials research 

Celeste K. Jend, OD 


Optometry 

Ronald E. Kalil, PhD 


Neural cell death & 

repair after brain damage 


Peter A. Duehr Professor 

& Chair 

Glaucoma, aqueous 

humor dynamics, anterior 

segment physiology & 

pharmacology, presbyopia 

Barbara E.K. Klein, MD, MPH 


Glaucoma, comprehensive 

ophthalmology, cataracts, 


epidemiology, preventive 

medicine 

Ronald Klein, MD, MPH 




age-related eye diseases, 

epidemiology 

22 


Daniel W. Knoch, MD 


Comprehensive 



Burton J. Kushner, MD 



& strabismus, amblyopia, 

surgical techniques 



Retinal cell biology, 

pathogenesis of retinal 

degenerations, 

identification of 

therapeutic targets 

Leonard A. Levin, MD, PhD 


Neuro-ophthalmology, 

ganglion cell death 

Mark J. Lucarelli, MD 


Oculoplastic, cosmetic 

facial and orbital surgery 

Julie A. Mares, PhD 


Epidemiology of eye 

disease, nutritional 

epidemiology 

Michele M. Martin, OD 


Optometry 

Frank L. Myers, MD 


Retina 

Sarah M. Nehls, MD 


Vice-Chair/CME & Faculty 

Development 

Refractive surgery, cornea 

& external disease, cornea 

& cataract surgery, uveitis 

Robert W. Nickells, PhD 


Vice-Chair/Research 

Molecular biology of cell 

death in glaucoma & 

retinoblastoma 

T. Michael Nork, MD, MS 


Diseases & surgery of 

the retina & vitreous 

Cameron F. Parsa, MD 


Pediatric 

ophthalmology and 

strabismus, neuroophthalmology 

Richard W. Patterson, OD 


Optometry 

Todd W. Perkins, MD 


Glaucoma, normal 

tension glaucoma, 

implant devices, 


Arthur S. Polans, PhD 


Cancer-related 

ocular pathologies 

Heather A.D. Potter, MD 


Comprehensive 


ophthalmic pathology, 

cataract surgery , 

refractive surgery 

Patricia C. Sabb, MD 


Comprehensive 


cataract surgery, 

refractive surgery 

Stephen K. Sauer, MD 


Residency Director 

Comprehensive 



Nader Sheibani, PhD 


Diabetic retinopathy, 

retinopathy of 

prematurity, animal 

models and retinal 

vascular cell biology and 

signal transduction 

Gary W. Sterken, MD 


Comprehensive 


cataract surgery, 

glaucoma 

Thomas S. Stevens, MD 



macular disease, diabetic 

retinopathy, proliferative 

vitreoretinopathy 

Michael C. Struck, MD John E. Temprano, MD 

Associate Professor Associate Professor 

Pediatric ophthalmology Comprehensive 

& strabismus, retinopathy ophthalmology, 

of prematurity, pediatric cataract surgery 

cataract surgery & 

intraocular lens implantation, 

pediatric glaucoma 

Andrew T. Thliveris, MD, PhD 


Assistant Residency Director 

Chief of Ophthalmology 

William S. Middleton 

Memorial Veterans Hospital 

Comprehensive ophthalmology, 

cataracts, ocular genetics 

Norbert F. Toussaint, Jr., MD 


Comprehensive 

ophthalmology 

James N. Ver Hoeve, PhD 

Senior Scientist 

Visual electrophysiology 

Amy L. Walker, OD 


Optometry 


23

2010 clinical trials 

A Natural History Study of Macular 

Telangiectasia: The Mactel Study – Mactel 

Principal Investigator: Barbara A. Blodi, MD 

Study Coordinator: Michelle R. (Shelly) Olson 

Synopsis: 

This study is a prospective, cross-sectional study of 

participants with a diagnosis of macular telangiectasia. 

Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS 2) 

Principal Investigators: Suresh R. Chandra, MD, 

and Barbara A. Blodi, MD 

Study Coordinator: Michelle R. (Shelly) Olson 

Synopsis: 

A multi-center, randomized trial of lutein, zeaxanthin, 

and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids 

[docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid 

(EPA)] in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 

Comparison of AMD Treatment Trials 

(CATT) Lucentis – Avastin Trial 

Principal Investigators: Suresh R. Chandra, 

MD and Michael M. Altaweel, MD 

Study Coordinators: Kristine A. Dietzman, 

Angie M. Wealti, Jennie R. Perry-Raymond 

Synopsis: 

This study seeks to evaluate the relative efficacy 

and safety of treatment of subfoveal neovascular 

AMD with Lucentis on a fixed schedule, Avastin 

on a fixed schedule, Lucentis on a variable 

schedule, and Avastin on a variable schedule. 

CNV Secondary to AMD Treated with Beta 

RadiatioN Epiretinal Therapy – NeoVista Inc. 

(CABERNET): NV1-114 Randomized, Prospective, 

Controlled Study of the NeoVista System 

for the Treatment of Subfoveal Choroidal 

Neovascularization Associated with Wet AMD 

Principal Investigator: Michael S. Ip, MD 

Study Coordinators: Kristine A. Dietzman 

and Guy F. Somers, RN 

Synopsis: 

The objective of the CABERNET Trial is to 

evaluate the safety and efficacy of focal delivery of 

radiation for the treatment of subfoveal choroidal 

neovascularization (CNV) associated with wet 

age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 

Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR) 

Synopsis: 

STUDY I: Intravitreal Ranibizumab or 

Triamcinolone Acetonide in Combination with Laser 

Photocoagulation for Diabetic Macular Edema 

Principal Investigator: Justin L. Gottlieb, MD 

Study Coordinator: Kathryn F. Burke 

Synopsis: 

The purpose of the study is to compare: 1) sham 

injection plus laser treatment; 2) injection of intravitreal 

ranibizumab (Lucentis) plus laser treatment; 3) 

injection of intravitreal ranibizumab plus deferred 

(or delayed) laser treatment; or 4) injection of 

intravitreal triamcinolone plus laser treatment. It is a 

three-year study with follow-up every four weeks. 

Molecular Prognostic Assay for Uveal Melanoma 

Principal Investigator: Michael M. Altaweel, MD 

Study Coordinator: Guy F. Somers, RN 

Synopsis: 

This study will investigate the accuracy of a molecular 

test for predicting metastasis in uveal melanoma 

patients. This may lead to better prognostic testing 

and prophylactic treatment for high-risk patients. 

OPHTEC – Model 311 Artificial Iris Lens for the 

Treatment of Visual Disturbances Resulting 

from Partial or Total Absence of the Human Iris: 

Continued Access Compassionate Use Study 


Study Coordinators: Kristine A. Dietzman, 

Jennie R. Perry-Raymond 

Synopsis: 

OPHTEC’s Model 311 Artificial Iris Intraocular Lens is a 

unique, single-piece lens manufactured from colored, 

ultraviolet light absorbing polymethylmethacrylate 

(PMMA). The lens is designed for implantation 

into an aphakic human eye for the correction of 

visual disturbances resulting from an incomplete 

or totally absent iris and the correction of the 

spherical refractive error as necessary. 

Regeneron: A Randomized, Double Masked, Active 

Controlled Phase III Study of the Efficacy, Safety, 

and Tolerability of Repeated Doses of Intravitreal 

VEGF Trap in Subjects with Neovascular Age- 

Related Macular Degeneration (VGFT-OD-0605) 


Study Coordinators: Angie M. Wealti, 

Kristine A. Dietzman, Jennie R. Perry-Raymond 

Synopsis: 

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy 

24 


of intravitreal (ITV) administered VEGF Trap 

compared to ranibizumab in a non-inferiority 

paradigm in preventing moderate vision loss in 

subjects with all subtypes of neovascular AMD. 

SK MD7110852 EYE DROP STUDY (A Phase 2b 

Dose-Ranging Study of Pazopanib Eye Drops versus 

Ranibizumab Intravitreal Injections for the Treatment 

of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration) 


Study Coordinator: Angie R. Wealti 

Synopsis: 

A multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, doublemasked 

eye drops, and active-controlled study. In 

addition to 5 investigational daily-dosed pazopanib eye 

drop arms, there will be two additional treatment arms. 

PEDIG ~ Intermittent Exotropia Study 1. A Randomized 

Trial of Bilateral Lateral Rectus Recession versus 

Unilateral Lateral Rectus Recession with Medial 

Rectus Resection for Intermittent Exotropia 

Principal Investigator: Yasmin S. Bradfield, MD 

Study Coordinator: Barbara H. Soderling, 

Guy F. Somers, RN 

Synopsis: 

To evaluate the effectiveness of bilateral lateral 

rectus muscle recession versus unilateral lateral 

rectus recession with medial rectus resection 

procedures for the treatment of basic type and pseudo 

divergence excess type intermittent exotropia. 

Randomization (1:1) to surgical correction of 

IXT with a bilateral lateral rectus recession 

(BLRrec) or a unilateral lateral rectus recession 

with medial rectus resection (R&R). 

Home Vision Monitoring in AREDS2 for Progression 

to NeoVascular AMD Using the ForeseeHome Device 

Principal Investigator: Suresh R. Chandra, MD 

and Barbara A. Blodi, MD 

Study Coordinator: Kathryn F. Burke 

Synopsis: 

The overall objective of this two-arm randomized 

clinical trial is to determine if home monitoring using the 

comprehensive visual field and telemedicine solution based 

on the ForeseeHome device in AREDS2 for participants 

at high risk of progression to neovascular AMD improves 

detection of progression to choroidal neovascularization 

(CNV) when compared with standard care. 

ALCON C-10-004. A Phase 3B, Multicenter, 

Randomized, Double-Masked, Parallel-Group, 

Active-Controlled Study of the Safety and 

Efficacy of Difluprednate Ophthalmic Emulsion, 

0.05% 4 times daily and Prednisolone Acetate 

Ophthalmic Suspension, 1.0% 4 times daily 

for the Treatment of Inflammation Following 

Cataract Surgery in children 0 to 3 years of age 

Principal Investigator: Michael C. Struck, MD 

Sub-Investigator: Yasmin S. Bradfield, MD 

Study Coordinators: Guy F. Somers, RN, 

Barbara H. Soderling 

Synopsis: 

To compare, in a pediatric population 0 to 3 years of age, 

the safety and efficacy of Durezol and Pred Forte for the 

treatment of inflammation following cataract surgery. 

OPHTHOTECH CORP Protocol no: OPH1001. A Phase 

2, Randomized, Double-Masked, Controlled Trial to 

Establish the Safety and Efficacy of Intravitreous 

Injections of E10030 (Anti-PDGF Pegylated Aptamer) 

Given in Combination with Lucentis in Subjects with 

Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration 


Study Coordinator: Barbara H. Soderling 

Synopsis: 

The objectives of this study are to evaluate the 

safety and efficacy of E10030 intravitreous injection 

when administered in combination with Lucentis 

against a control of Lucentis alone in subjects with 

subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary 

to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 

Evaluation of Possible Toxicity of Indocyanine 

Green Dye in Macular Hole Surgery Using 

Multifocal Electroretinogram 


Student Researcher: Amol Kulkarni, MD 

Study Coordinator: Barbara H. Soderling 

Synopsis: 

The purpose of the research is to test the nerve cells 

in the retina by MERG to determine if there are any 

differences by using conventional (1 mg/ml) versus low 

dose (0.5 mg/ml) of ICG during macular hole surgery. 

Duration: This pilot study will last no longer than 

6-months for each subject. Recruitment will likely 

be complete within 8 months of study start date. 

The data analysis will be performed at the end 

of the study. It is expected that the study will be 

completed and the results will be available within 

18 months from the time of commencement. 

Outcome measures: 

Primary: Retinal response density as measured by mfERG at 

6-month post-operative visit to evaluate for retinal toxicity. 

Secondary: Best corrected snellen visual acuity 

(BCVA), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) 

evidence of hole closure in the operated eye. 


25

2010 publications 

Aiello LP, Edwards AR, Beck RW, Bressler NM, 

Davis MD, Ferris F, Glassman AR, Ip MS, Miller 

KM. Factors associated with improvement and 

worsening of visual acuity 2 years after focal/ 

grid photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema. 

Ophthalmology. 2010 May;117(5):946-53. 

Albert DM, Atzen SL, Morgan P. The practice of 

ophthalmology in rural Wisconsin in the mid-19th 

century: from the casebooks of Francis Paddock, 

MD. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Jun;128(6):783-8. 

Albert DM, Neekhra A, Wang S, Darjatmoko SR, 

Sorenson CM, Dubielzig RR, Sheibani N. Development 

of choroidal neovascularization in rats with advanced 

intense cyclic light-induced retinal degeneration. 

Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Feb;128(2):212-22. 

Altmann S, Emanuel A, Toomey M, McIntyre K, 

Covert J, Dubielzig RR, Leatherberry G, Murphy 

CJ, Kodihalli S, Brandt CR. A quantitative rabbit 

model of vaccinia keratitis. Invest Ophthalmol 

Vis Sci. 2010 Sep;51(9):4531-40. 

Altmann S, Toomey M, Nesbit B, McIntyre K, 

Covert J, Dubielzig RR, Leatherberry G, Adkins 

E, Murphy CJ, Brandt CR. Kinetics of immune 

cell infiltration in vaccinia virus keratitis. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Sep;51(9):4541-8. 

Ambrosius WT, Danis RP, Goff DC Jr, Greven CM, 

Gerstein HC, Cohen RM, Riddle MC, Miller ME, Buse JB, 

Bonds DE, Peterson KA, Rosenberg JD, Perdue LH, Esser 

BA, Seaquist LA, Felicetta JV, Chew EY; ACCORD Study 

Group. Lack of association between thiazolidinediones 

and macular edema in type 2 diabetes; the ACCORD eye 

substudy. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Mar;128(3):312-8. 

Blodi BA, Domalpally A, Scott IU, Ip MS, Oden NL, 

Elledge J, Warren K, Altaweel MM, Kim JE, Van 

Veldhuisen PC. Standard Care vs Corticosteroid for 

Retinal Vein Occlusion (SCORE) Study system for 

evaluation of stereoscopic color fundus photographs 

and fluorescein angiograms: SCORE Study Report 

9. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Sep;128(9):1140-5. 

Boosani CS, Nalabothula N, Sheibani N, Sudhakar 

A. Inhibitory effects of arresten on bFGF-induced 

proliferation, migration, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 

activation in mouse retinal endothelial cells. 

Curr Eye Res. 2010 Jan;35(1):45-55. 

Bradfield Y. Vision screening to detect refractive 

error. JAMA. 2010 Sep 8; 304(10):1114-5. 

Buie LK, Rasmussen CA, Porterfield EC, Ramgolam 

VS, Choi VW, Markovic-Plese S, Samulski RJ, 

Kaufman PL, Borras T. Self-complementary AAV 

virus (scAAV) safe and long-term gene transfer in 

the trabecular meshwork of living rats and monkeys. 

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Jan;51(1):236-48. 

Bultmann H, Girdaukas G, Kwon GS, Brandt 

CR. The virucidal EB peptide protects host cells 

from herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in 

the presence of serum albumin and aggregates 

proteins in a detergent-like manner. Antimicrob 

Agents Chemother. 2010 Oct;54(10):4275-89. 

Candia OA, Kaufman PL. Remembering 

Steven M. Podos, MD, 1937-2009. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Mar;51(3):1261-2. 

Chen W, Stambolian D, Edwards AO, Branham KE, Othman 

M, Jakobsdottir J, Tosakulwong N, Pericak-Vance MA, 

Campochiaro PA, Klein ML, Tan PL, Conley YP, Kanda A, 

Kopplin L, Li Y, Augustaitis KJ, Karoukis AJ, Scott WK, 

Agarwal A, Kovach JL, Schwartz SG, Postel EA, Brooks M, 

Baratz KH, Brown WL, Brucker AJ, Orlin A, Brown G, Ho A, 

Regillo C, Donoso L, Tian L, Kaderli B, Hadley D, Hagstrom 

SA, Peachey NS, Klein R, Klein BE, Gotoh N, Yamashiro 

K, Ferris Iii F, Fagerness JA, Reynolds R, Farrer LA, Kim IK, 

Miller JW, Corton M, Carracedo A, Sanchez-Salorio M, 

Pugh EW, Doheny KF, Brion M, Deangelis MM, Weeks DE, 

Zack DJ, Chew EY, Heckenlively JR, Yoshimura N, Iyengar 

SK, Francis PJ, Katsanis N, Seddon JM, Haines JL, Gorin 

MB, Abecasis GR, Swaroop A. Genetic variants near TIMP3 

and high-density lipoprotein-associated loci influence 

susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration. Proc 

Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Apr 20;107(16):7401-6. 

Cheng CY, Lee KE, Duggal P, Moore EL, Wilson AF, Klein 

R, Bailey-Wilson JE, Klein BE. Genome-wide linkage 

analysis of multiple metabolic factors: evidence of genetic 

heterogeneity. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2010 Jan;18(1):146-52. 

Cheng CY, Reich D, Wong TY, Klein R, Klein BE, 

Patterson N, Tandon A, Li M, Boerwinkle E, Sharrett 

AR, Kao WH. Admixture mapping scans identify a locus 

affecting retinal vascular caliber in hypertensive African 

Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities 

(ARIC) study. PLoS Genet. 2010 Apr 15;6(4):e1000908. 

Chew EY, Ambrosius WT, Davis MD, Danis RP, Gangaputra 

S, Greven CM, Hubbard L, Esser BA, Lovato JF, Perdue 

LH, Goff DC, Jr., Cushman WC, Ginsberg HN, Elam MB, 

Genuth S, Gerstein HC, Schubart U, Fine LJ. Effects of 

medical therapies on retinopathy progression in type 2 

diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2010 Jul 15;363(3):233-44. 

Chew EY, Kim J, Coleman HR, Aiello LP, Fish G, Ip M, 

Haller JA, Figueroa M, Martin D, Callanan D, Avery R, 

Hammel K, Thompson D, Ferris FL. Preliminary assessment 

of celecoxib and microdiode pulse laser treatment of 

diabetic macular edema. Retina. 2010 Mar;30(3):459-67. 

Chew EY, Kim J, Sperduto RD, Datiles MB 3rd, Coleman 

HR, Thompson DJ, Milton RC, Clayton JA, Hubbard LD, 

Danis RP, Ferris FL 3rd. Evaluation of the age-related 

eye disease study clinical lens grading system AREDS 

report No. 31. Ophthalmology. 2010 Nov;117(11):2112-9. 

Danis RP, Scott IU, Qin H, Altaweel MM, Bressler 

NM, Bressler SB, Browning DJ, Kollman C. Association 

of fluorescein angiographic features with visual 

acuity and with optical coherence tomographic and 

stereoscopic color fundus photographic features 

of diabetic macular edema in a randomized clinical 

trial. Retina. 2010 Nov-Dec;30(10):1627-37. 

Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network 

Writing Committee, Haller JA, Qin H, Apte RS, Beck 

RR, Bressler NM, Browning DJ, Danis RP, Glassman 

AR, Googe JM, Kollman C, Lauer AK, Peters MA, 

Stockman ME. Vitrectomy outcomes in eyes with 

diabetic macular edema and vitreomacular traction. 

Ophthalmology. 2010 Jun;117(6):1087-1093. 

26 


Domalpally A, Danis RP, Myers D, Kruse CN. 

Quantitative analysis of the Stratus optical coherence 

tomography fast macular thickness map reports. 

Indian J Opthalmol. 2010 Mar-Apr;58(2):131-6. 

Domalpally A, Gangaputra S, Peng Q, Danis RP. 

Repeatability of retinal thickness measurements 

between spectral-domain and time-domain 

optical coherence tomography images in 

macular disease. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers 

Imaging. 2010 Nov-Dec;41 Suppl:S34-41. 

Dutta D, Ray S, Home P, Saha B, Wang S, Sheibani N, 

Tawfik O, Cheng N, Paul S. Regulation of 

angiogenesis by histone chaperone HIRA-mediated 

incorporation of lysine 56-acetylated histone 

H3.3 at chromatin domains of endothelial genes. 

J Biol Chem. 2010 Dec 31;285(53):41567-77. 

France TD. Charlie Brown, amblyopia, and 

me: A (not so short) personal history of the 

past forty years of diagnosing and treating 

amblyopia. Am Orthopt J. 2010;60:73-81. 

Fu YP, Hallman DM, Gonzalez VH, Klein BE, Klein R, 

Hayes MG, Cox NJ, Bell GI, Hanis CL. Identification 

of diabetic retinopathy genes through a genome-wide 

association study among Mexican-Americans from Starr 

County, Texas. J Ophthalmol. 2010; 2010. pii:86129 

Gamm DM, Meyer JS. Directed differentiation of 

human induced pluripotent stem cells: a retina 

perspective. Regen Med. 2010 May; (3):315-7. 

Grutzmacher C, Park S, Elmergreen TL, Tang 

Y, Scheef EA, Sheibani N, Sorenson CM. 

Opposing effects of bim and bcl-2 on lung 

endothelial cell migration. Am J Physiol Lung 

Cell Mol Physiol. 2010 Nov;299(5):L607-20. 

Havas DA, Glenberg AM, Gutowski KA, Lucarelli 

MJ, Davidson RJ. (2010) Cosmetic use of botulinum 

toxin-a affects processing of emotional language. 

Psychol Sci. 2010 Jul; 21(7):895-900. 

Hwang FS, Neekhra A, Lucarelli MJ, Warner TF, 

Snow SN, Albert DM. Sebaceous cell carcinoma of 

the eyelid: a rapidly enlarging lesion with massive 

xanthogranulomatous inflammation. Ophthal Plast 

Reconstr Surg. 2010 May-Jun;26(3):208-10. 

Ikram MK, Xueling S, Jensen RA, Cotch MF, Hewitt AW, 

Ikram MA, Wang JJ, Klein R, Klein BE, Breteler MM, 

Cheung N, Liew G, Mitchell P, Uitterlinden AG, Rivadeneira 

F, Hofman A, de Jong PT, van Duijn CM, Kao L, Cheng 

CY, Smith AV, Glazer NL, Lumley T, McKnight B, Psaty 

BM, Jonasson F, Eiriksdottir G, Aspelund T, Harris TB, 

Launer LJ, Taylor KD, Li X, Iyengar SK, Xi Q, Sivakumaran 

TA, Mackey DA, Macgregor S, Martin NG, Young TL, Bis 

JC, Wiggins KL, Heckbert SR, Hammond CJ, Andrew T, 

Fahy S, Attia J, Holliday EG, Scott RJ, Islam FM, Rotter JI, 

McAuley AK, Boerwinkle E, Tai ES, Gudnason V, Siscovick 

DS, Vingerling JR, Wong TY. Four novel Loci (19q13, 

6q24, 12q24, and 5q14) influence the microcirculation 

in vivo. PLoS Genet. 2010 Oct 28;6(10):e1001184. 

Ip MS. What do I do when I see a patient with a branch 

retinal vein occlusion and what are the treatment 

options? In: Fekrat S, ed, Curbside Consultation in 

Retina. Slack Inc, Thorofare, NJ, pp.131-134, 2010. 

Jensen K, Lee KE, Knudtson MD, Klein R, Klein 

BE. Stability of 35-mm scanners as used in 

ophthalmologic research. Ophthalmic Surg 

Lasers Imaging. 2010 Jan-Feb; 41(1):60-6. 

Jensen RA, Shea S, Ranjit N, Diez-Roux A, Wong 

TY, Klein R, Klein BE, Cotch MF, Siscovick DS. 

Psychosocial risk factors and retinal microvascular 

signs: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis. 

Am J Epidemiol. 2010 Mar 1;171(5):522-31. 

Kaufman PL. Suppression and reduction of corticosteroidinduced 

ocular hypertension by anecortave in sheep. 

Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Mar;128(3):365-6. 

Kempen JH, Altaweel MM, Holbrook JT, Jabs DA, 

Sugar EA. The multicenter uveitis steroid treatment 

trial: rationale, design, and baseline characteristics. 

Am J Ophthalmol. 2010 Apr;149(4):550-61 e10. 

Kern TS, Du Y, Miller CM, Hatala DA, Levin LA. 

Overexpression of Bcl-2 in vascular endothelium 

inhibits the microvascular lesions of diabetic 

retinopathy. Am J Pathol. 2010 May;176(5):2550-8. 

Klein BE, Lee KE, Danforth LG, Schaich TM, 

Cruickshanks KJ, Klein R. Selected sunsensitizing 

medications and incident cataract. 

Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Aug;128(8):959-63. 

Klein BE, Lee KE, Moss SE, Trentham-Dietz A, Klein R. 

Self- and registry-reported cancer in a population-based 

longitudinal study. WMJ. 2010 Oct;109(5):261-6. 

Klein BE, Meuer SM, Lee KE, Klein R. Retrodots 

in the lens in the Beaver Dam Eye Study cohort. 

Ophthalmology. 2010 Oct;117(10):1889-93. 

Klein BE. Progression of retinopathy in persons 

with type 2 diabetes: new data, same conclusions? 

Pol Arch Med Wewn. 2010 Oct;120(10):413-6. 

Klein BE. Reduction in risk of progression of diabetic 

retinopathy. N Engl J Med. 2010 Jul 15;363(3):287-8. 

Klein R, Blodi BA, Meuer SM, Myers CE, 

Chew EY, Klein BE. The prevalence of macular 

telangiectasia type 2 in the Beaver Dam eye study. 

Am J Ophthalmol. 2010 Jul;150(1):55-62 e2. 

Klein R, Cruickshanks KJ, Nash SD, Krantz EM, Javier 

Nieto F, Huang GH, Pankow JS, Klein BE. The prevalence 

of age-related macular degeneration and associated risk 

factors. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Jun;128(6):750-8. 

Klein R, Klein BE. Are individuals with diabetes 

seeing better?: a long-term epidemiological 

perspective. Diabetes. 2010 Aug;59(8):1853-60. 

Klein R, Knudtson MD, Klein BE, Wong TY, 

Cotch MF, Barr G. Emphysema, airflow limitation, 

and early age-related macular degeneration. 

Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Apr;128(4):472-7. 


27

2010 publications 

Klein R, Knudtson MD, Klein BE, Zinman B, 

Gardiner R, Suissa S, Sinaiko AR, Donnelly SM, 

Goodyer P, Strand T, Mauer M. The relationship 

of retinal vessel diameter to changes in diabetic 

nephropathy structural variables in patients with type 

1 diabetes. Diabtologia. 2010 Aug;53(8):1638-46. 

Klein R, Lee KE, Gangnon RE, Klein BE. The 25-year 

incidence of visual impairment in type 1 diabetes 

mellitus: The Wisconsin epidemiologic study of diabetic 

retinopathy. Ophthalmology. 2010 Jan;117(1):63-70. 

Klein R, Myers CE, Klein BE, Zinman B, Gardiner 

R, Suissa S, Sinaiko AR, Donnelly SM, Goodyer P, 

Strand T, Mauer M. Relationship of blood pressure 

to retinal vessel diameter in type 1 diabetes mellitus. 

Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Feb;128(2):198-205. 

Kopplin LJ, Igo RP, Jr., Wang Y, Sivakumaran TA, 

Hagstrom SA, Peachey NS, Francis PJ, Klein ML, 

Sangiovanni JP, Chew EY, Pauer GJ, Sturgill GM, Joshi 

T, Tian L, Xi Q, Henning AK, Lee KE, Klein R, Klein BE, 

Iyengar SK. Genome-wide association identifies SKIV2L 

and MYRIP as protective factors for age-related macular 

degeneration. Genes Immun. 2010 Dec; 11(8):609-21. 

Krantz EM, Cruickshanks KJ, Klein BE, Klein 

R, Huang GH, Nieto FJ. Measuring refraction 

in adults in epidemiological studies. Arch 

Ophthalmol. 2010 Jan;128(1):88-92. 

Kraus A, Groenendyk J, Bedard K, Baldwin 

TA, Krause KH, Dubois-Dauphin M, Dyck J, 

Rosenbaum EE, Korngut L, Colley NJ, Gosgnach 

S, Zochodne D, Todd K, Agellon LB, Michalak M. 

Calnexin deficiency leads to dysmyelination. J 

Biol Chem. 2010 Jun 11;285(24):18928-38. 

Kushner BJ. In memoriam: Arthur L. Rosenbaum, MD 

(1940-2010). Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Oct;128(10):1383. 

Larsen IV, Brandt CR. A cationic TAT peptide 

Inhibits Herpes simplex virus type 1 Infection 

of human corneal epithelial cells. J Ocul 

Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Dec;26(6):541-7. 

Lee ES, Gabelt BT, Faralli JA, Peters DM, Brandt 

CR, Kaufman PL, Bhattacharya SK. COCH 

transgene expression in cultured human trabecular 

meshwork cells and its effect on outflow facility in 

monkey organ cultured anterior segments. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Apr;51(4):2060-6. 

Li HK, Florez-Arango JF, Hubbard LD, Esquivel 

A, Danis RP, Krupinski EA. Grading diabetic 

retinopathy severity from compressed digital retinal 

images compared with uncompressed images and 

film. Retina. 2010 Nov-Dec;30(10):1651-61. 

Li HK, Hubbard LD, Danis RP, Esquivel A, Florez- 

Arango JF, Ferrier NJ, Krupinski EA. Digital 

versus film Fundus photography for research 

grading of diabetic retinopathy severity. Invest. 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Nov;51(11):5846-52. 

Li HK, Hubbard LD, Danis RP, Esquivel A, 

Florez-Arango JF, Krupinski EA. Monoscopic 

versus stereoscopic retinal photography for 

grading diabetic retinopathy severity. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Jun;51(6):3184-92. 

Li HK, Hubbard LD, Danis RP, Florez-Arango JF, 

Esquivel A, Krupinski EA. Comparison of multiple 

stereoscopic and monoscopic digital image formats 

to film for diabetic macular edema evaluation. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Dec;51(12):6753-61. 

Lichtlen P, Lam TT, Nork TM, Streit T, Urech DM. 

Relative contribution of VEGF and TNF-alpha in the 

cynomolgus laser-induced CNV model: comparing the 

efficacy of bevacizumab, adalimumab, and ESBA105. 

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Sep;51(9):4738-45. 

Lu B, Wang S, Francis PJ, Li T, Gamm DM, Capowski 

EE, Lund RD. Cell transplantation to arrest 

early changes in an ush2a animal model. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Apr; 51(4):2269-76. 

Lutjen-Drecoll E, Kaufman PL, Wasielewski R, Ting-Li 

L, Croft MA. Morphology and accommodative function 

of the vitreous zonule in human and monkey eyes. 

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Mar;51(3):1554-64. 

Mares JA, Voland R, Adler R, Tinker L, Millen AE, 

Moeller SM, Blodi B, Gehrs KM, Wallace RB, Chappell 

RJ, Neuhouser ML, Sarto GE. Healthy diets and the 

subsequent prevalence of nuclear cataract in women. 

Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Jun;128(6):738-49. 

Nema N, Ip MS. Intravitreal triamcinolone for 

management of idiopathic juxtafoveolar telangiectasis. 

Oman J Ophthalmol. 2010 Jan;3(1):38-40. 

Nguyen TT, Islam FM, Farouque HM, Klein R, 

Klein BE, Cotch MF, Herrington DM, Wong 

TY. Retinal vascular caliber and brachial flowmediated 

dilation: the Multi-Ethnic Study of 

Atherosclerosis. Stroke. 2010 Jul;41(7):1343-8. 

Nickells RW. Variations in the rheostat model of 

apoptosis: what studies of retinal ganglion cell 

death tell us about the functions of the Bcl2 family 

proteins. Exp Eye Res. 2010 Jul;91(1):2-8. 

Nondahl DM, Cruickshanks KJ, Wiley TL, Klein 

BE, Klein R, Chappell R, Tweed TS. The tenyear 

incidence of tinnitus among older adults. 

Int J Audiol. 2010 Aug;49(8):580-5. 

Nork TM, Kim CB, Heatley GA, Kaufman PL, Lucarelli 

MJ, Levin LA, Ver Hoeve JN. Serial multifocal 

electroretinograms during long-term elevation and 

reduction of intraocular pressure in non-human 

primates. Doc Ophthalmol. 2010 Jun;120(3):273-89. 

Oden NL, VanVeldhuisen PC, Scott IU, Ip MS; SCORE 

Study Investigator Group. SCORE Study Report 8: 

Closed tests for all pairwise comparisons of means. 

Drug Information Journal (DIA). 2010;44:405-20. 

Pariseau B, Nehls S, Ogawa GS, Sutton DA, Wickes BL, 

Romanelli AM. Beauveria keratitis and biopesticides: 

case histories and a random amplification of polymorphic 

DNA comparison. Cornea 2010 Feb;29(2):152-8. 

Park S, Dimaio TA, Scheef EA, Sorenson CM, 

Sheibani N. PECAM-1 regulates the proangiogenic 

properties of endothelial cells through modulation 

of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Am J Physiol 

Cell Physiol. 2010 Dec;299(6):C1468-84. 

28 


Pelzel HR, Schlamp CL, Nickells RW. Histone 

H4 deacetylation plays a critical role in early 

gene silencing during neuronal apoptosis. 

BMC neurosci. 2010 May 26;11:62. 

Puhan MA, Van Natta ML, Palella FJ, Addessi 

A, Meinert C. Excess mortality in patients with 

AIDS in the era of highly active antiretroviral 

therapy: temporal changes and risk factors. 

Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Oct 15;51(8):947-56. 

Recchia FM, Scott IU, Brown GC, Brown MM, Ho 

AC, Ip MS. Small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy: a 

report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. 

Ophthalmology. 2010 Sep;117(9):1851-7. 

Sahakyan K, Klein BE, Lee KE, Tsai MY, Klein R. 

Inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction markers 

and proteinuria in persons with type 1 diabetes 

mellitus. Eur J Endocrinol. 2010 Jun;162(6):1101-5. 

Sahakyan K, Klein BE, Myers CE, Tsai MY, Klein R. 

Novel risk factors in long-term hypertension 

incidence in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Am. 

Heart J. 2010 Jun;159(6):1074-80. 

Schwinn MK, Gonzalez JM, Jr., Gabelt BT, 

Sheibani N, Kaufman PL, Peters DM. Heparin 

II domain of fibronectin mediates contractility 

through an alpha4beta1 co-signaling pathway. 

Exp Cell Res. 2010 May 15;316(9):1500-12. 

Scott CJ, Seidler EA, Levin LA. Cell-autonomous 

generation of mitochondrial superoxide is a signal 

for cell death in differentiated neuronal precursor 

cells. Brain Res. 2010 Jan 8;1306:142-8. 

Seidler EA, Lieven CJ, Thompson AF, Levin LA. 

Effectiveness of novel borane-phosphine 

complexes in inhibiting cell death depends on 

the source of superoxide production induced by 

blockade of mitochondrial electron transport. 

ACS Chem Neurosci. 2010 Feb 17;1(2):95-103. 

Semaan SJ, Li Y, Nickells RW. A single nucleotide 

polymorphism in the Bax gene promoter affects 

transcription and influences retinal ganglion cell 

death. ASN Neuro. 2010 Mar 31;2(2):e00032. 

Semaan SJ, Nickells RW. The apoptotic response in 

HCT116BAX-/- cancer cells becomes rapidly saturated 

with increasing expression of a GFP-BAX fusion 

protein. BMC Cancer. 2010 Oct 13;10(1):554. 

Shankar A, Lee KE, Klein BE, Muntner P, Brazy PC, 

Cruickshanks KJ, Nieto FJ, Danforth LG, Schubert 

CR, Tsai MY, Klein R. Estimating glomerular 

filtration rate in a population-based study. Vasc 

Health Risk Manag. 2010 Aug 9;6:619-27. 

Sharma A, Yu C, Leung C, Trane A, Lau M, Utokaparch 

S, Shaheen F, Sheibani N, Bernatchez P. A new role 

for the muscle repair protein dysferlin in endothelial 

cell adhesion and angiogenesis. Arterioscler 

Thromb Vasc Biol. 2010 Nov;30(11):2196-204. 

Sprague BL, Skinner HG, Trentham-Dietz A, 

Lee KE, Klein BE, Klein R. Serum calcium and 

breast cancer risk in a prospective cohort study. 

Ann Epidemiol. 2010 Jan;20(1):82-5. 

Struck MC, Hariharan L, Kushner BJ, Bradfield Y, Hetzel S. 

Surgical management of clinically significant hypertropia 

associated with exotropia. J AAPOS. Jun;14(3):216-20. 

Subramanian L, Youssef S, Bhattacharya S, Kenealey J, 

Polans AS, van Ginkel PR. Resveratrol: challenges 

in translation to the clinic - a critical discussion. 

Clin Cancer Res. 2010 Dec 15;16(24):5942-8. 

Talahalli R, Zarini S, Sheibani N, Murphy RC, Gubitosi- 

Klug RA. Increased synthesis of leukotrienes in 

the mouse model of diabetic retinopathy. Invest 

Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Mar;51(3):1699-708. 

Tan JC, Kiland JA, Gonzalez JM, Gabelt BT, Peters 

DM, Kaufman PL. Sodium orthovanadate effect 

on outflow facility and intraocular pressure in live 

monkeys. Exp Eye Res. 2010 Oct;91(4):486-90. 

Tang Y, Scheef EA, Gurel Z, Sorenson CM, Jefcoate 

CR, Sheibani N. CYP1B1 and endothelial nitric oxide 

synthase combine to sustain proangiogenic functions 

of endothelial cells under hyperoxic stress. Am J 

Physiol Cell Physiol. 2010 Mar;298(3):C665-78. 

Thompson AF, Levin LA. Neuronal differentiation 

by analogs of staurosporine. Neurochem 

Int. 2010 Mar; 56(4):554-60. 

Tian B, Heatley GA, Filla MS, Kaufman PL. Effect of h-7 

on secondary cataract after phacoemulsification in the live 

rabbit eye.J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Dec;26(6):533-9. 

White NH, Sun W, Cleary PA, Tamborlane WV, Danis RP, 

Hainsworth DP, Davis MD. Effect of prior intensive 

therapy in type 1 diabetes on 10-year progression of 

retinopathy in the DCCT/EDIC: comparison of adults 

and adolescents. Diabetes 2010 May;59(5):1244-53. 

Yan Y, Klein R, Heiss G, Girman CJ, Lange EM, Klein BE, 

Rose KM, Boerwinkle E, Pankow JS, Brancati FL, 

Ballantyne CM, Kottgen A, North KE. The transcription 

factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) polymorphism may be 

associated with focal arteriolar narrowing in Caucasians 

with hypertension or without diabetes: the ARIC 

Study. BMC Endocr Disord. 2010 May 17;10: 9. 

Yatsuya H, Folsom AR, Wong TY, Klein R, Klein BE, 

Sharrett AR. Retinal microvascular abnormalities 

and risk of lacunar stroke: Atherosclerosis Risk in 

Communities Study. Stroke. 2010 Jul;41(7):1349-55. 

Zhan W, Cruickshanks KJ, Klein BE, Klein R, Huang 

GH, Pankow JS, Gangnon RE, Tweed TS. Generational 

differences in the prevalence of hearing impairment in 

older adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2010 Jan 15;171(2):260-6. 

Zhang X, Saaddine JB, Chou CF, Cotch MF, Cheng YJ, 

Geiss LS, Gregg EW, Albright AL, Klein BE, Klein R. 

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the United States, 

2005-2008. JAMA. 2010 Aug 11;304(6):649-56. 

Zhong W, Cruickshanks KJ, Schubert CR, Nieto FJ, 

Huang GH, Klein BE, Klein R. Obesity and depression 

symptoms in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study population. 

Depress Anxiety. 2010 Sep; 27(9):846-51. 


29

2010 DONOR HONOR ROLL 

$100,000+ 

Daniel M. and Eleanor Albert 

Retina Research Foundation 

University of WI Medical Fdtn 

$10,000-99,999 

Nancy Chow 

Sarah E. Slack Prevention 

of Blindness 

$5,000-9,999 

Covance Laboratories 

North America 

OSOD LLC 

$1,000-4,999 

James C. Allen 

Charles J. Chvala 

Matthew D. Davis 

David E. Grosz 

Wendell A. Harker 

Newell D. and Helen Jasperson 

Albert V. and Dolores H. Kanner 

Irving E. Levy 

Jeffrey C. Levy 

Ronald L. and Jean L. Lewis 

Mark F. Mergen 

T. Michael Nork 

Mary V. H. Pratt 

Wanda L. Rood 

Isolde Schwegler 

Bryan S. Sires 

Casmir Turnquist-Held 

Amy L. Walker 

Lucille M. Warren 

Robert G. and Carol A. Witt 

Audrey A. Yahr 

$500-999 

Robert V. Castrovinci 

and Kay E. Rutlin 

Michelle E. Chizek 

Gregg A. Heatley 

Michael J. Long 

David P. and Cathrine Mc Cann 

Merle L. and Barbara Perkins 

Harry and Karen M. Roth 

Gregory A. Stainer 

Robin S. Wilson 

Wittenberg Lions Club 

VOLUNTEER & AFFILIATE 

FACULTY MEmbers 

2010 FINANCIAL 

HIGHLIGHTS 

Charles J. Anderson, MD 

Michele A. Basso, PhD - Affiliate 

Donald E. Beresky, MD 

Stephen M. Boorstein, MD 

Christopher R. Croasdale, MD 

George E. Davis, MD 

Thomas C. Dow, MD 

Richard R. Dubielzig, DVM - Affiliate 

Daniel R.B. Fary, MD 

Judith E. FitzGerald, MD 

Russell S. Gonnering, MD 

Anne E. Griep, PhD - Affiliate 

Kara H. Harbick, MD 

Rachael S. Horn, MD 

Jeffrey W. Kalenak, MD 

Bradley N. Lemke, MD 

Bruce M. Massaro, MD 

Peter J. McCanna, MD 

Kevin B. Miller, MD 

Mansoor M. Movaghar, MD 

Christopher J. Murphy, DVM, PhD 

- Affiliate 

Earl W. Nepple, MD 

Bikash Pattnaik, PhD - Affiliate 

Donna M. Peters, PhD - Affiliate 

John G. Rose, Jr., MD 

Harry Roth, MD 

Kurt A. Schwiesow, MD 

Michael H. Scott, MD 

Morton E. Smith, MD 

Robert G. Smith, MD 

Stephen J. Sramek, MD 

Rodney J. Sturm, MD 

Michael P. Vrabec, MD 

John A. Vukich, MD 

Mitchell D. Wolf, MD 

Tien Yin Wong, PhD 

Peter N. Youssef, MD 

1 

2 

3 

PRIVATE GIFTS 

& DONATIONS 

UWMF CLINICAL 

CONTRIBUTIONS 

FOR R&D 

RESEARCH GRANTS 

& AWARDS 

$ 281,235 

$ 1,218,307 

$ 14,563,883 

4 CLINICAL TRIALS $ 310,990 

5 HOSPITAL SUPPORT $ 493,034 

6 PRACTICE PLAN $ 23,698,867 

7 

8 

MEDICAL SCHOOL 

FACULTY SUPPORT $ 1,172,089 

RESEARCH FEE- 

FOR-SERVICE 

AGREEMENTS 

$ 7,316,736 


31

This 2010 Annual Report was produced by the University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and 

Visual Sciences for referring physicians, doctors, donors, alumni and friends of the department. 

To have your name removed from the Annual Report mailing list or to have your address changed, please call: 

Amy Zimmerman at (608) 263-1480. 

Or send your request to: 



Attn: Amy Zimmerman 

2828 Marshall Court, Suite 106 

Madison, WI 53705 

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 

DEPARTMENT OF 

OPHTHALMOLOGY 

AND VISUAL SCIENCES 



CHAIR 






608-263-6070 

608-263-1466 fax 

EDITOR 

Sarah M. Fuelleman 





608-262-3953 

608-262-2212 fax 

sfuelleman@ophth.wisc.edu 

ANNUAL REPORT 

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE 

Barbara A. Blodi, MD 


Michelle E. Chizek, MBA 


Jill Cohen Kolb, MA 

Robert W. Nickells, PhD 

Christopher C. Temme 

DESIGN & PRODUCTION 

Greenleaf Media 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Andy Manis Photo 

To contribute to the UW Department 

of Ophthalmology and Visual 

Sciences, please contact: 

Steve Ramig, Jr. 

Director of Development 

University of Wisconsin Foundation 

1848 University Avenue 

P.O. Box 8860 

Madison WI 53708-8860 

608-265-3527 

steve.ramig@supportuw.org

MISSION 

STATEMENT 

To create, integrate, transmit and apply 

knowledge in ophthalmology and visual sciences. 

To provide high-quality comprehensive and tertiary 

eye care for the university health center, the 

Madison community, and the surrounding region 

in an efficient and cost-effective manner; and in 

select areas to serve as a resource for the nation. 

To facilitate multidisciplinary research and 

scientific development by fostering research 

collaboration and mutual learning, and to play a 

leading role in research, teaching and collaborative 

studies related to the visual sciences. 

To educate medical students, ophthalmologistsin-training 

(residents and fellows), practicing 

ophthalmologists, researchers in visual 

sciences and related disciplines, nonophthalmology 

physicians, non-ophthalmology 

health care providers and the public.

Annual Report 2010 - University of Wisconsin Department of ...

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