News from
The Department of Ophthalmology
& Visual Sciences

Edwin M. Stone, MD, PhD, delivers the distinguished Jackson Memorial Lecture at the 2007 American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Annual Meeting. Listen to his presentation, titled Leber Congenital Amaurosis: The Role of Genetic Testing in the Pursuit of a Cure, given during the opening session on November 11, 2007.

Ophthalmology Professor Jeffrey Nerad, MD travelled to the Eye Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City, South Vietnam from October 26 through November 4m, 2007 to provide hands-on training to physicians as well as help screen patients for oculoplastic surgeries. This hospital-based trip is sponsored by ORBIS. (more...) 

Stone HHMI Appointment Renewed
Dr. Ed Stone has been reappointed as a Howard Hughes Research Institute Investigator. The new appointment will run through 2012. (more...) (UI News Release, Oct 31, 2007)

Ron Keech, MD (1948-2007)
Professor of Ophthalmology Ronald V. Keech, MD passed away peacefully on October 16th in Iowa City with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife, daughter, son, son-in-law, and granddaughter. Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral Service for a private family burial. Gifts may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of Dr. Keech. More information is available at http://teams.lightthenight.org/KeechKrusaders. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.

UI signs third $1.5 million Alcon contract for study of blinding eye diseases  
The Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CBCB), a joint enterprise of the University of Iowa College of Engineering and the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has signed a five-year, $1.5 million contract with Alcon Research, Ltd. of Ft. Worth, Texas, a leading ophthalmic pharmaceutical research company, for research aimed at helping to prevent blindness. (UI News Release)

Hageman appointed to Iowa Entrepreneurial Endowed Professorship  
Gregory Hageman, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has been appointed to an Iowa Entrepreneurial Endowed Professorship. (UI News release, more...)

UI licensee Optherion secures $37 million in startup financing  
Optherion, Inc., a University of Iowa Research Foundation licensee and a company developing products to diagnose and treat age-related macular degeneration and other chronic diseases, today announced that it has completed $37 million startup financing and will expand into new facilities at the Oakdale Research Park in Coralville. (UI News Release, more...)

Kardon Appointed to the Pomerantz Family Chair in Ophthalmology
Randy Kardon, M.D., Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and a staff physician and researcher with the Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System, has been appointed to the Pomerantz Family Chair in Ophthalmology at the UI. (more...)

Former UI Ophthalmology Resident and faculty member, Gunter K. von Noorden, has published an autobiography: From Berlin To Texas: Forging a Life from the Devastation of War. "More than a memoir, From Berlin to Texas exposes the stark reality of Nazi Germany and the lives of ordinary citizens at odds with the regime's ideologies. But at its heart is the uplifting story of how one man rose above the torments of his youth to build a life full of promise and hope." Gunter K. von Noorden immigrated to the United States from Germany after graduating from medical school in 1954 and completing his ophthalmology residency in 1960. He became an ophthalmologist of international renown for his research, teaching, and clinical expertise in ocular misalignment.

UI experts recommend back-to-school vision evaluations
You've probably prepared your children for the upcoming school year by buying school supplies and scheduling vaccinations. But don't overlook one of the most important steps in making sure your child has a good year: getting his or her vision evaluated.

Spivey to Deliver First Annual Distinguished Alumni Lecture October 5, 2007.
Bruce E. Spivey, MD, FACS will deliver the first annual Distinguished Alumni Lecture at the UI Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Clinical Conference on October 5, 2007. (more...)

Melles to Deliver 27th Braley Lecture
Gerrit R. J. Melles, MD, PhD of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, will deliver the 27th Braley Lecture at the Ophthalmology Clinical Conference on September 14th. (more...)

Former UI Ophthalmology Resident, Clyde K. Kitchen, M.D. (1959-1962) has recently writen a book for the general public; Fact and Fiction of Health Vision: eye care for adults and children is available from Greenwood Publishing Group. Dr. Kitchen is a member of the Senior Active Staff of St. Jude Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, in Fullerton, California. He has practiced in Ophthalmology since 1962.

Pomerantz Gives $2 Million to Endow UI Ophthalmology Chair
Philanthropist, businessman and civic leader, Marvin A. Pomerantz of Des Moines, has made a $2 million gift commitment to the UI Foundation to permanently endow the Pomerantz Family Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. (UI News Release June 16, 2007)

Gift Endows UI Ophthalmology Professorship; James Folk Appointed
Donald H. Beisner, M.D., and Judith A. Beisner of Springfield, Mo., have established a permanently endowed professorship ihe Judith (Gardner) and Donald H. Beisner, M.D., Professorship for Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery. The Beisners' gift of $1 million, made to the UI Foundation, creates the professorship. James C. Folk, M.D., a professor in the department, will be formally appointed to the professorship at a ceremony on June 15. The Beisner Professorship will exist in perpetuity, supporting the research of a distinguished faculty member in the UI ophthalmology department specializing in research and medical and surgical treatment of vitreoretinal diseases such as retinal detachments, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. (UI News Release, June 7, 2007)

UI First in Iowa to Offer IntraLase®-Enabled Keratoplasty
Kenneth Goins was the first ophthalmologist in Iowa to provide IntraLase®-Enabled Keratoplasty (ILEK); he did his first three procedures at The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics on June 5th, 2007.

Dr. Keith D. Carter Awarded Lillian C. O’Brien and Dr. C. S. O’Brien Chair in Ophthalmology
Dr. Keith D. Carter, Professor and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine was awarded the Lillian C. O’Brien and Dr. C. S. O’Brien Chair in Ophthalmology during an investiture program on May 17, 2007. (Read details)

UI Physicians Named As Top Doctors For Men. Forty-eight physicians from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, including 6 physicians from the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, are listed among the top doctors for men.

UI Bats For Project 3000 At Wrigley Field May 5 (2007)
A University of Iowa eye expert was "in the lineup" Saturday, May 5 at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, to help raise awareness for Project 3000, an effort to find every person in the country with a blinding eye disease called Leber aongenital amaurosis (LCA).

Trudy Grout, FCLSA
Trudy Grout, an optician in the Contact Lens Service at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, passed the Fellow examination at the Contact Lens Society of America (CLSA). (Read details)

The Iowa Lions Eye Bank has been chosen to receive the Iowa Medical Society’s Washington Freeman Peck Award.  The IMS Executive Committee nominated the Iowa Lions Eye Bank for their work as a nonprofit service organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of sight through the recovery, processing and distribution of human ocular tissue for transplantation, research and education. Read details in the April 16, 2007 News Release

University of Iowa Health Care Today. Screening for eye diseases caused by diabetes.
Audio Podcast (mp3) Michael Abramoff interview, November 17, 2006.

~ Derrick Lee – Wyc Grousbeck – Project 3000 ~
UI Teams Up With Cubs Star and Celtics Owner To Fight Eye Disease
At a news conference today in Chicago, Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee announced his partnership with Boston Celtics CEO and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck and the Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine to combat Leber congenital amaurosis, an important cause of genetic blindness in children.(UI News Release Sept. 29, 2006)

Wallace L. M. Alward, M.D. is named to the Frederick C. Blodi Chair in Ophthalmology. (News Release Sept. 12, 2006)

A Memorial Celebration of Lee Allen's Life and Legacy, will be held on September 16, 2006 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the University of Iowa Museum of Art, 150 N. Riverside Dr., Iowa City, Iowa. In addition, a scholarship is being established to support a student of regionalist art at the University of Iowa, where Lee studied with Grant Wood. Contributions may be sent to the Lee Allen Memorial Art Scholarship. Checks should be made out to the University of Iowa Foundation", with a note to that it is to go to this scholarship in the School of Art and Art History. Address: University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4550. (more information)

$14.6 Million NIH Grant To UI Will Build On Macular Degeneration Findings
A five-year, $14.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will fund an international, multidisciplinary effort led by the University of Iowa to leverage two recent genetic discoveries into possible treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The grant was awarded August 1.

Baseball Team honors UI Patient (July 17, 2006, UI Press Release)

UIHC & The US News "Best Hospitals" Ranking
For the 17th year in a row, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the state’s only comprehensive academic medical center, ranks overall as one of "America's Best Hospitals" with six of the hospital's specialties listed in an annual survey published by U.S.News & World Report magazine. Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences was ranked as #6.

Executive Director of the Iowa Lions Eye Bank Receives Warren Coleman Honorary Award. Dr. Cynthia Reed, executive director of the Iowa Lions Eye Bank (ILEB), of Solon has received the Iowa Lions Foundation Warren Coleman Honorary Award in recognition for her commitment to serving Lionism. (June 16, 2006 Press Release)

Golf Tour Will Benefit Iowans. Amateur golfers from across Iowa will have an opportunity to play in a statewide tour sponsored by the Lions Clubs of Iowa. The Iowa City tournament will be held at Finkbine Golf Course on July 12. (June 2, 2006 Press Release)

UI Doctors Provide Latest Information On Age-Related Macular Degeneration (University of Iowa Press Release, May 31, 2006)

Hageman Selected To Receive Roger H. Johnson Macular Degeneration Prize
Gregory Hageman, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has been selected to receive the 2006 Roger Johnson Macular Degeneration Prize managed by the University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology.

Renowned Medical Illustrator, Lee Allen, Dies
Associate Emeritus, Lee Allen, a retired UI medical illustrator and renowned artist who studied with Grant Wood and Diego Rivera, died on May 5, 2006. He was 95.

James C. Folk, M.D. and Mark E. Wilkinson, O.D. publish their book, Protect Your Sight: How to Save Your Vision in the Epidemic of Age-Related Macular Degeneratio, in a unique way
Iowa City authors and professors in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, James C. Folk, M.D. and Mark E. Wilkinson, O.D., have signed a contract with Free Educational Publications International (F.E.P) to publish their book Protect Your Sight: How to Save Your Vision in the Epidemic of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.  It has been published in electronic form at http://www.medrounds.org/protect-your-sight/ where the entire book can be accessed and read for free. (press release)

Retinal Telediagnosis for Rural Iowa project Update
On April 4, 2006, the Retinal Telediagnosis for Rural Iowa project headed by Dr. Michael Abramoff celebrated the receipt of nine retinal cameras that will be used by community clinics in rural Iowa for early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. (more)

Public Health Notice: Investigation of serious eye infections associated with soft contact lens use and contact lens solution. / Dr. Sindt comments on Contact Lens Solution Problems

Renaming Dedication Ceremony of the UI Center for Macular Degeneration
in recognition of the Carver family's generosity to be held April 20, 2006

$13.7 Million In Gifts Support UI Center For Macular Degeneration. Gift commitments totaling $13.7 million -- including $10 million from the family of the late Roy J. Carver Sr. -- will fund three new endowed chairs at the University of Iowa, create a new genetics testing laboratory and rename the UI's world-renowned Center for Macular Degeneration.
[UI News Release] | [ Wall St. Journal Article -- subscription required]

Haiti Vision Mission 2006 Team Provides Sight Assistance to 550 Haitians

Discovery of mutant gene, may lead the way to new AMD treatments.
According to a paper published online on Monday, March 6 in Nature Genetics, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), may be attributed to two genes.

Donations To Help Create UI Genetics Testing Lab
Donations of $6.2 million will be used by the University of Iowa to create a genetics lab to fight degenerative eye diseases. The lab will help researchers understand the genetics of the macular degeneration. The leading donor is Lucille Carver, of Muscatine, who contributed $5 million on behalf of her son, John Carver. The Foundation for Fighting Blindness contributed the rest. The lab will be named the John and Marcia Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Lab. (more...  |  also see UIHealthcare news release )

Hageman Receives Foundation Fighting Blindness Major Achievement Award
Gregory Hageman, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, has been awarded the annual Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) award for the most significant achievement in the past year among all scientists who received FFB funding. (more)

Carter Appointed New UI Ophthalmology Department Head
Keith D. Carter, MD. has been appointed as the New Head of the UI Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The announcement was made at a noon-time ophthalmology faculty meeting on December 28th by Carver College of Medicine Dean Jean Robillard and UI Healthcare CEO Donna Katen-Bahensky. The appointment is effective January 1, 2006. (more)
Also see the News Release from the University of Iowa News Service

Iowa Eye Association Annual Meeting Photographs