ANNUAL REPORT 2019
The inaugural Stanford Ophthalmology 2019 Annual Report, "Vision Matters" highlights the department's recent news and accomplishments. Click here to read or download the PDF.
Illustration by Alton Szeto, MFA, © 2019.
In this Issue
For image credits, view PDF
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Invented at Stanford
The Stanford Department of Ophthalmology has a rich history of innovation and academic accomplishment dating back more than 100 years.
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The gift of sight
Almost four years ago, Peggy Kixmoeller was diagnosed with thyroid eye disease (TED). This is an autoimmune disorder where the body mistakenly attacks healthy cells, specifically the thyroid gland and the tissues around the eye.
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Stopping cancer in its tracks
To a passerby, Cru Silva looks like your average three-year-old. His energy is contagious as he runs around the room laughing and playing with his new toy garbage truck.
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Training for breakthroughs
Lopa Y. Gupta, MD, a leading eyelid and cosmetic surgeon in New York City and a past Stanford ophthalmology resident, has generously established two funds to support current and future residents’ research: The Marmor-Blumenkranz Ophthalmology Residents Research Fund and the Lopa Yogesh Gupta Ophthalmology Residents Research Fund.
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Going global
About 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of visual impairment, 80 percent of which could have been prevented or is treatable, according to the World Health Organization.
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SOAR Residency Program lays foundation for independent research careers
The Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford prides itself on training undergraduates, medical students, residents, and clinical fellows in both clinical care and innovative research.
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One cell at a time
Retinal cell death due to glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and a myriad of other conditions leads to irreversible vision loss.
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Creating a field of molecular surgery to guide new therapies
A significant challenge for ophthalmologists is diagnosing diseases that appear clinically similar. Inside the eye, a “snowstorm” of white cells can be due to an autoimmune disease, cancer, or an infection, each requiring very different therapies.
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Developing cures with stem cells and regenerative medicine
Too many major eye diseases lead to loss of vision that, even with current medicine or surgery, is irreversible. In macular degeneration, glaucoma, and the major corneal diseases, the cells responsible for normal visual function die and are not replaced through natural healing mechanisms.
