First FDA Approved Encelto Treatment for MacTel and The Vanderbilt Vision Research Center

Dr. Diana Do (Stanford University - Stanford, CA)

Dr. David J. Calkins (Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN)

Dr. Diana Do, Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair For Clinical Affairs, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, discusses the first FDA approved treatment, Encelto, for MacTel (macular telangiectasia),  which causes central vision loss. 

Dr. David J. Calkins, Denis O'Day Professor, Vice Chair For Strategy, Vice President For Research, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Director of Vanderbilt Vision Research Center (VVRC), talks about the renewal of the NIH grant for Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, its mission, and its current projects.

11/9/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

DHDDS Enzyme Influence On Retinitis Pigmentosa And New Imaging Technique To Study Diabetic Retinopathy

 

Dr. Steven Pittler (University of Alabama - Birmingham School of Optometry)

Dr. Midhat Abdulreda (University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute - Miami, FL)

Dr. Abigail Hackam (University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute - Miami, FL)

Dr. Steven Pittler, Department of Optometry and Visual Science, Senior Scientist and Director of the Vision Science Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, explains how the DHDDS enzyme in mice can lead to a from of retinitis pigmentosa called, RP59.

Dr. Midhat Abdulreda, Senior Scientist, Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Dr. Abigail Hackam, Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of Laboratory Research at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, discuss how the special imaging technique, fluorescence angiography with dual-fluorescence (FA-DF) and the drug, aflibercept, have been used to study how diabetic retinopathy develops in mice.

11/2/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

DOJ Lawsuit Against Uber Regarding Guide Dog Users and Glutamine's Importance In Eye Health

Chris Danielsen (National Federation of the Blind - Baltimore, MD)

Dr. Thomas Wubben (University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center - Ann Arbor, MI)

 Chris Danielsen, Director of Public Relations, National Federation of the Blind, goes over a lawsuit filed by the United States Department of Justice against Uber concerning guide dog users being denied rides.

Then, Dr. Thomas Wubben, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Medical School, explains how an amino acid, glutamine, is vital in maintaining the health of the photoreceptors in the retina.

10/26/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

DONUT Nearsightedness Study In Children and Metabolites Being Biomarkers For Glaucoma

Dr. David Berntsen (University of Houston - Houston, TX)

Dr. Pawan Singh (University of Missouri - Columbia, MO)

 Dr. David Berntsen, Clinical Sciences Department Chair and Golden-Golden Professor, College of Optometry, University of Houston, explains a clinical trial using atropine eye drops in the Delaying the Onset of Nearsightedness Until Treatment (DONUT) study.

Then, Dr. Pawan Singh, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, discusses how the metabolites, agmatine and thiamine, could be biomarkers in the early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

10/12/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Deepeye TPS AI and Imaging for Wet AMD and Northwestern CEVO AI and Advanced Imaging for Glaucoma

Dr. Adam Dubis (University of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT)

Dr. Nicholas Volpe (Northwestern University  - Evanston, IL)

Dr. Hao Zhang (Northwestern University - Evanston, IL)

Dr. Adam Dubis, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, John A. Moran Eye Center, explains how deepeye TPS (Therapy Planning Support) assists in personalizing treatment of the "wet" form of age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. Nicholas J. Volpe, Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, George W. and Edwina S. Tarry, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Dr. Hao Zhang, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, explain how Center for Engineering in Vision and Ophthalmology (CEVO) engineers have collaborated with ophthalmologists to advance personalized glaucoma treatment with AI and high resolution imaging.

10/5/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below) 

Space-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) and Identifying Certain Brain Circuits Responsible For Visual Acuity

 

Dr. Tyson Brunstetter (NASA Johnson Space Center - Houston, TX)

Dr. Farran Briggs (National Eye Institute - Bethesda, MD)

Dr. Tyson Brunstetter, NASA Johnson Space Center Clinical Lead In Eyes and Vision, discusses SANS, Space-associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome, which can affect the vision of astronauts, with the movement of fluids in the eyes and brain in microgravity.

Then, Dr. Farran Briggs, Senior Investigator in the Thalamocortical Visual Processing Section and the Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, explains research identifying certain brain circuits responsible for visual acuity in ferrets by studying neurons along the X and Y pathways in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN).

9/21/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Vision Loss and Falls Leading To Greater Mortality Risk And Female Sex Hormones Affect On RP In Mice

Dr. Shu Xu (University of Michigan Institute For Social Research - Ann Arbor, MI)

Dr. Katherine Wert (University of Texas - Southwestern - Dallas, TX)

Ashley Rowe (University of Texas - Southwestern - Dallas, TX)

Dr. Shu Xu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan Institute For Social Research, discusses the relationship among vision loss, falls, and mortality risk for seniors.

Dr. Katherine Wert, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology with a secondary affiliation in the Department of Molecular Biology, and Ashley Rowe, Graduate Student, Wert Lab, at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, go over how female sex hormones affect the progression of retinitis pigmentosa in mice.

9/7/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)