Page 4 - Flaum Eye Institute | UR Medicine | University of Rochester

Six of our Programs of Excellence

RESTORING VISION AFTER BRAIN DAMAGE

FEI researchers have demonstrated that restoration of vision is
possible with intensive specialized training exercises. Their research
holds great promise for the development of behavioral therapy and
drug treatment strategies to help people recover vision after stroke or
traumatic injury. Images transmitted by the eye must be extensively
processed in the brain before we can see. Strokes, traumatic brain
injury, and other forms of brain damage can cause impairment
as severe as blindness or as subtle as the inability to see colors or
movement. FEI’s Visual Recovery Lab seeks to understand how parts
of the brain can be retrained to recover vision after injury. With
strokes affecting as many as 800,000 Americans each year, and with
our recent increase in combat-related brain trauma, this research is Krystel Huxlin, PhD and

vital in helping patients regain visual function. Steven E. Feldon, MD, MBA

MACULAR DEGENERATION & OTHER RETINAL DISORDERS REFRACTIVE SURGERY

Groundbreaking work in refractive surgery continues to be one of FEI’s
strengths. Improvements by Scott MacRae, MD, to the custom “wave
front” LASIK technology that he, David Williams, PhD, the William
G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics, Geunyoung Yoon, PhD, and
Bausch + Lomb scientists pioneered have resulted in enhanced safety
and unprecedented results for millions seeking less dependence on
contact lenses and glasses. New investigations by Dr. MacRae, Krystel
Huxlin, PhD, Wayne Knox, PhD, and commercial sponsors may soon
yield technologies that further reduce or eliminate the need for spectacle
and contact lens correction for millions of people. The Rochester
Nomogram, developed by Dr. MacRae’s team, has resulted in 99.3
percent of his patients achieving uncorrected vision of 20/20 or better.
It has since been released to surgeons around the world.

CORNEAL DISEASE
The cornea is the transparent window of the eye responsible for

most of the visual system’s optical power. FEI has one of the most
innovative cornea research programs in the world. Researchers
continue to improve patient care for a variety of ocular surface
disorders and corneal diseases. They are introducing new surgical
procedures for corneal transplantation and improving wound
healing to this important part of the eye. James Aquavella, MD, has
conducted cornea research throughout his career. His lab may be
the first to provide reliable information on the characterization of
human tear film dynamics and may also lay the groundwork to new
approaches in the treatment of dry eye syndrome.
James V. Aquavella, MD