Welcome
What
Our focus is the development of novel techniques for diagnosing and monitoring diseases of the eye and brain and applying these tools to learn about these diseases. Our current emphasis is on diseases of the optic nerve, with a focus on papilledema and other changes to the eye caused by high intracranial pressure, which occurs in brain tumors, venous sinus thrombosis, pseudotumor cerebrii (idiopathic intracranial hypertension), hydrocephalus and many other conditions.
Why
Early diagnosis of disease and detection of disease progression allows clinicians to initiate potentially vision saving treatment at the earliest moment and to personalize treatment to each patient. Beyond application to advancing clinical care, techniques that measure features of disease can be leveraged as tools to study the disease. This advances our understanding of mechanisms of disease and patterns of disease which, in turn, can inform novel approaches to treatment.
How
We study human subjects in two groups - patients with the diseases we are studying and individuals without known eye or brain disease. Our main tools include ophthalmic and neuro-imaging techniques such as ocular coherence tomography (OCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and visual electrophysiology including electroretinography (ERG) and pupillography.
Where
Our group is based in the Spencer Center for Vision Research at 2370 Watson Court (Palo Alto, CA). We also work in the clinics of the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford at 2452 Watson Court (Palo Alto, CA) and are actively planning studies in the Stanford Neuroscience Clinic at Hoover and Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital.
Other things we do
Clinical trials: We are actively participating in treatment trials for non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), Lebers hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). In mid-2018 we will be a participant in the National Institutes of Health sponsored surgical IIH treatment trial.
Epidemiological studies: We have active studies identifying patterns of disease and risk factors for peri-operative vision loss and IIH
