A Note From our Chair
I am sure I say this every year, but 2024 marked the most exciting year to-date at the Byers Eye Institute, as the research and clinical advances we made have once again set a high bar to top in the future.
Our 2024 annual report centers on hope, and the many ways our clinicians, scientists, and staff inspire optimism for the future in our patients, trainees, and peers working toward the same goal of eradicating blindness.
Cover: Inspiring Hope
Tackling vision-restoring eye transplants
The Byers Eye Institute at Stanford is a place of many “firsts,” but the biggest one may be just on the horizon: vision-restoring whole eye transplants — a potential panacea to bring back vision for the blind.
Stanford University has received an award to bring together more than 40 scientists, surgeons, and industry experts hand-picked from around the country to work on making whole eye transplants a reality. Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD, Blumenkranz Smead professor and chair of ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford, will serve as principal investigator. José-Alain Sahel, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, will co-direct the initiative with Goldberg.
The bionic eye returning vision to the blind
When the Bionic Woman premiered in the 1970’s it was considered sci-fi, an unlikely look at a future with unfathomable medical advances that could merge technology and the human body to cure injury and ailments. Today scientists at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford have brought that concept to the present.
Groundbreaking results from a recent phase 3 clinical trial on a technology developed at Stanford, called the PRIMA retinal implant system, are offering hope for restored vision through cutting-edge technology to patients who are legally blind.
New offerings in gene and cell therapies
Audrey Poppers has spent much of her life helping and offering hope to others, even as a sight-stealing diagnosis made it difficult to keep up many of her passions. Now Poppers is on the receiving end of a treatment through a clinical trial at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford that has offered her hope for a better future.
Poppers is part of a clinical trial for one of two leading-edge therapies being deployed at the Byers Eye Institute to slow, halt, or possibly even improve vision in those who previously had no other treatment options.
Providing destination-level care for patients
Read about the experiences of just a few of the patients from around the world find hope at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford through clinical trials, research advances and cutting-edge clinical care.
Research and Innovation
The Future of Innovation
Fostering the next generation of ophthalmic innovators
Innovation is at the heart of medicine advancement; it’s how new treatments, imaging, diagnostics, and trials come to the fore to benefit patients, which is a driving ambition at the Byers Eye Institute. Read more.
ROP research for a brighter future
A decades-long mission to treat and prevent ROP
For more than two decades, Mare Elizabeth (M.E.) Hartnett, MD, faced skepticism as she tirelessly pursued a novel line of research on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Now, her data is showing she may have been right. Read more.
Inception Insights
Tolias' arrival at the Byers Eye Institute brings new connections
The research that Andreas Tolias, PhD, does in his laboratory is undeniably futuristic, even by Silicon Valley standards. That is why when he took up his post as professor of ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute in April 2024, the feeling across the university was one of elation. Read more.
The accomplished faculty and trainees at the Byers Eye Institute were recognized with a long list of grants, awards, speaker invitations, new leadership opportunities and more during 2024. Here is a snapshot of just some of those accomplishments. Read more.
Meet our newest faculty
Over the past year, we've welcomed five new full-time faculty who will enhance the work our clinicians and scientists have been diligently pushing forward for decades to preserve sight and eradicate blindness.
Patient Care and Philanthropy
A lifelong commitment
Leading the way in treating ROP, a potentially blinding condition
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When the retina detaches from its place in the eye, it is a daunting and scary experience — an emergency that could end in permanent blindness. But for Aman Kumar, it was also paired with exceptional personal care and comfort provided by his doctors at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford. Read more.
Unraveling mysteries
A generous gift accelerates ocular cancer research
Ocular oncology tends to be an under-funded and under-studied area in cancer research, but scientists at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford are making substantial strides thanks to a generous gift. Read more.
Beating the odds
How one family paired with the Byers Eye Institute to find answers
Quinn’s breakthrough started in 2022, when his primary pediatric ophthalmologist, Euna Koo, MD, clinical associate professor at the Byers Eye Institute, noticed a thin spot on his cornea during a routine exam. Read more.
Finding a purpose
This patient is pursuing her dreams despite an untimely diagnosis
When Stacy Miller found herself couch-bound after a head injury in 2015, she kept herself busy with books. At first, she was just following her neurologist’s advice to keep her brain active, but soon it was more than that. Read more.
Education and Training
Global training
Byers Eye Institute trainees make their mark across the globe
Many current and former residents and fellows have made an indelible mark on people around the world with the global ophthalmic training and mentorship they’ve received at the Byers Eye Institute. Read more
Training for tomorrow
Fostering a strong, diverse new generation of eye care leaders
National medical associations and medical researchers have for decades illustrated the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce across medicine. The Byers Eye Institute at Stanford has worked to make that possible. Read more.