Visual Acuity Diagnosed by Dr. Smartphone

Posted on 13 February 2012 by admin

Interview by Amy Gallant Sullivan @Eyeppl

Down the street from TFOS headquarters is the MIT Media Labs… the birthplace of EyeNetra, an affordable, mobile diagnostic tool for eyes.  Using a mobile phone, app and eyepiece, EyeNetra has developed an affordable, portable solution to measure refractive errors in the human eye. EyeNetra will be testing their new device in Brazil, India and Mexico.

I had the privilege of speaking with David Schafran, Co-Founder of EyeNetra (www.eyenetra.com).

Amy Gallant Sullivan

According to a recent UN report, India has more mobile phones than toilets.  How could mHealth capitalize on the ubiquity of mobile phones in the developing world and offer health care to millions of ‘forgotten’ patients?

David Schafran

The potential of mHealth will not only make it easier to share knowledge with researchers and health care providers, but it will facilitate prescriptions in the developing world for patients that wouldn’t otherwise have access to diagnostic instruments and hi-tech clinics.

And that’s how we dreamt up EyeNetra!  Our device, NETRA-G, is an eye diagnostic on a mobile phone, consisting of a clip-on attachment and a mobile phone with our software app. NETRA-G allows anyone with minimal training to administer an eye test, receive measurements for glasses, and access care remotely.

EyeNetra will enable the eye care industry to quickly and efficiently build and service demand in a way never possible before, leveraging connected hardware already on the market. Patients will have access to quality testing and options for care, all close to home. Through the cloud, eye care providers and vendors will be able to access patients with actionable data.  We are also looking to build a solution that includes a suite of eye care devices, including other eye diagnostics.

What would you do if you had digital data of millions of patients, with their refractive measurements, their demographics, their locations and more?  The possibilities for building new demand, marketing new products and services and planning for future market efforts using big data analytics are tremendous.

Amy Gallant Sullivan

Innovation is usually correlated with the technology sector… But, why do you think innovation is not only relevant, but also important for biotech & life sciences, or specifically the ophthalmic industry?

David Schafran

Eye health will always be a need, and as the population ages and grows (mostly in emerging markets), there will be more demand than ever for eye care. This is good for the industry, but it will also mean that much more infrastructure will be needed to satisfy the demand.  This will put a lot of pressure on the current system, where costs are already unmanageable and manpower to serve demand is scarce.  So the innovation necessary here is changing the norm so that we can rapidly scale new infrastructure to service this demand.  There is no one way to do this… an industry wide effort to embrace the change that will most certainly happen, benefiting the current industry and millions of people around the world.  And if the current industry players do not, then outsiders most certainly will, like consumer product companies and pharmacy chains.

One thing is for certain — eye care products/services/delivery must and will evolve through innovation.

Amy Gallant Sullivan

How would you define innovation?  Who will be the innovators, and capitalize on the enormous opportunity of the future?  EyeNetra could potentially revolutionize the eye care industry…

David Schafran

Innovation is… changing the norm to make something work better. The better is always relative.

Innovation doesn’t happen in a bubble — its a collaborative effort; millions of collisions and fusions of ideas and iterative design that create something truly innovative.

It’s important to design systems that improve life and collaborate with passionate people on solving big problems.  Our goal is to improve the quality of life of millions of people in a direct, visceral way, drawing from multidisciplinary backgrounds and then leveraging cutting-edge technology, human-centric product and service design, and robust and thoughtful business models to solve those problems.

Amy Gallant Sullivan

How can TFOS help create this ecosystem?

David Schafran

TFOS’ international community and outreach is ideal.  Thanks!  We need help to build this ecosystem. We are looking for partners to help us build this model, and join us as front end distributors and test administrators, or a back end fulfillment partners of products and services.  It’s important to find partners to help with clinical testing.  Please have the TFOS community contact me directly if interested in collaborating: info@eyenetra.com

We want to work with all industry players to create a new ecosystem that empowers patients and opens up the massive untapped market of eye care in emerging markets. This is a win-win for patients and providers and vendors.

Amy Gallant Sullivan

In your opinion, how can TFOS promote innovation within ophthalmology?  Is there an opportunity of collaboration with MIT?

David Schafran

Absolutely.  TFOS should promote innovation events within its community… Like your new i2 Program… Take for example the HealthGamesCamp I produced — During the Camp we collaboratively learn how games can be used to drive positive change in health behaviors, bringing together multi-disciplinary teams for collaborative learning and co-creation. Together, we learn, have fun and create practical game solutions for real problems! TFOS could even host events like these at MIT Media Lab.

Posted in eye, eyecare, eyehealth, EyeNetra, innovation, iPhone, lifescience, mHealth, MIT Media Labs, ophthalmology, smartphone, visual acuity | Leave a comment

Apply Now! Travel Grants Available for ARVO 2012

Posted on 5 February 2012 by admin

TFOS seeks applicants for the annual TFOS Travel Awards at ARVO. These awards will provide partial travel support for at least four postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, or young investigators (35 years or younger), whose accepted ARVO ’12 abstract, in which they appear as first author, demonstrates significant scientific achievement in the field of tear film or ocular surface research. Each monetary award will be accompanied by a free ticket to the TFOS Dinner* on the evening of Monday, May 7th in Fort Lauderdale, as well as membership in TFOS, that includes a subscription to The Ocular Surface (compliments of Alcon).

Applicants should email their accepted ARVO abstract to rose@tearfilm.org by March 5th in PDF format. Awardees will be notified by April 16th and will be announced during the TFOS Dinner. Individuals who are recipients of other ARVO 2012 travel grant awards are not eligible to apply.

*Details about the TFOS Dinner at ARVO will be announced in early March.

 

Posted in ARVO, ocular surface research, tear film, TFOS Travel Awards | Leave a comment

Save the Date!

Posted on 3 February 2012 by admin

SAVE THE DATE: TFOS DINNER @ ARVO

Please mark your calendars for the annual TFOS Dinner at ARVO on Monday evening May 7, 2012. More details and ticket information will be available in early March.

TFOS TRAVEL AWARDS @ ARVO 2012

TFOS seeks applicants for the annual TFOS Travel Awards at ARVO. These awards will provide partial travel support for at least four postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, or young investigators (35 years or younger), whose accepted ARVO ’12 abstract, in which they appear as first author, demonstrates significant scientific achievement in the field of tear film or ocular surface research. Each monetary award will be accompanied by a free ticket to the TFOS Dinner* on the evening of Monday, May 7th in Fort Lauderdale, as well as membership in TFOS, that includes a subscription to The Ocular Surface (compliments of Alcon).

Applicants should email their accepted ARVO abstract to rose@tearfilm.org by March 5th in PDF format. Awardees will be notified by April 16th and will be announced during the TFOS Dinner. Individuals who are recipients of other ARVO 2012 travel grant awards are not eligible to apply.

*Details about the TFOS Dinner at ARVO will be announced in early March.

EVENT OF THE YEAR

Thank you to Jason Nichols & Contact Lens Spectrum for considering the TFOS MGD Workshop Report their ‘Event of the Year’ for the contact lens industry. As noted, this event that may not, at first, appear to be directly related to contact lenses, but significant portions of the TFOS MGD report were dedicated to discussion of the potential role of contact lens wear in MGD. The impact of the MGD Workshop Reports will be significant for many years to come. Read the Contact Lens Event of 2011.

MGD REPORT UPDATE

Please note that all 9 papers of the TFOS MGD Workshop Report, which was published in IOVS in late March 2011, are ranked among the top 13 read articles in 2011.

ABU DHABI MEETING

In October 2010, TFOS accepted Peter Wiedemann’s invitation to organize and sponsor a 90 minute session at the upcoming World Ophthalmology Congress in Abu Dhabi, February 2012. The session is entitled Surgery-Induced Dry Eye and involves the following speakers and topics:

José Gomes (Brazil)- Definition, diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease
Stefano Barabino (Italy)- Refractive surgery-induced dry eye
Elias Jarade (Dubai)- Penetrating keratoplasty-induced dry eye
Gerd Geerling (Germany)- Ocular plastic surgery-induced dry eye
Stefano Barabino (Italy)- Cataract surgery-induced dry eye

IN ADDITION

Congratulations to Juan Ding, PhD, a TFOS Member and postdoctoral fellow in David Sullivan’s laboratory, who was awarded the inaugural 2011 ARVO Foundation for Eye Research/Vistakon Dry Eye Fellowship. An international competition was held to determine this recipient, and only one award (i.e. Juan’s) was given this year for basic science. This AFER/Vistakon Dry Eye Fellowship was made available through the generous support of Vistakon and focused on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). The ARVO Foundation for Eye Research (AFER) provides continuing education and stable support for original and innovative vision research, particularly research with translational impact that fosters collaboration between clinicians and basic scientists. The Foundation also supports training for new vision research scientists around the world.

TFOS APPS

Don’t forget to download the TFOS App! Also note, the MGD Report now has an App available for Android users:

iPhone/iPad App:
 TFOS APP – http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/tfos/id485364890?mt=8
MGD APP – http://itunes.apple.com/tw/app/tfos-mgd-report/id484975330?mt=8

Android App:
http://www.tearfilm.org/MGDReport.apk

Follow TFOS on Twitter: @Eyeppl

Get the news as it happens! Tweet us your updates!

Posted in Android, ARVO, Contact lens, iPad, iPhone, MGD, TFOS Travel Awards, Upcoming Meetings, World Ophthalmology Congress | Leave a comment

Upcoming meetings. . .

Posted on 28 October 2011 by admin

Gordon Conference on the Biology and Pathobiology of the Cornea, March 25-30, 2012

http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2012&program=cornea

Chairs: Suzanne Fleiszig (TFOS Vice-President) & James Jester

The scope of this conference, which will take place in Ventura, CA, USA, from March 25-30, 2012, will include the cornea and supporting tissues. Sessions will cover a wide range of topics, including development, homeostasis, barrier function, secretion, transparency, response to challenges such as infection, inflammation and dry eye, repair, and tissue engineering/regeneration. Emphasis will be on current challenges in cell and molecular biology as they relate to both basic research and translation to the clinic. The Conference will bring together a collection of investigators at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and trainees to present their work in poster format and to exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Following the Gordon Conference philosophy, the conference will emphasize new unpublished research, informal discussions, poster presentations, career networking, and opportunities for involvement of young scientists and students. Late breaking hot topic talks will be selected from submitted abstracts. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion time and opportunities for informal gatherings, provides an avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations.

* * *

TFOS ASIA, Kenchoji-temple, Kamakura, Japan, April 2-4, 2012

http://www.mediproduce.jp/tfosasia/

Secretariat of 1st TFOS-ASIA
4-1-12-203 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 Japan
Phone: +81-3-5775-2075 Fax: +81-3-5775-2076
E-mail: tfos-asia@mediproduce.jp

—————————————–

The 116th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Ophthalmological Society, Tokyo, Japan, April 5-8, 2012

The largest ophthalmological meeting in Japan is for the first time open for
participants from abroad. Travel grants are available for this meeting.

http://www.mediproduce.jp/116jos/eng/index.html

Call for Abstracts and Travel Grant Application, up to 50 Travel Grants (US$1,000) Awarded.

Apply here: http://www.mediproduce.jp/116jos/eng/call.html

Submission Deadline: November 10, 2011, noon (Japan Time).
Please note there are NO extensions available.

Secretariat of 116JOS
4-1-12-203 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 Japan
Phone: +81-3-5775-2075 Fax: +81-3-5775-2076
E-mail: intl-jos116@mediproduce.jp

* * *

Conference on New Research Challenges in San Quirico d’Orcia, Siena, Italy April 2-5, 2012 at the Neuroscience School of Advanced Studies

The conference purpose is to highlight discoveries, technologies and innovation on mechanisms, novel tools/approaches  that aims  to prevention and  effective therapies for eye diseases:

http://www.nestweb.it/en/events-eng/41-translational-ophthalmology.html

* * *


27th APAO Congress in Busan, Korea, April 13 – 16, 2012

The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) is pleased to offer up to 10 Prof. Yasuo Tano Travel Grants to young ophthalmologists in the Asia-Pacific region to attend the 27thAPAO Congress, which is going be held on April 13 – 16, 2012 in Busan, South Korea. Priority will be given to ophthalmologists who are aged 40 or below, come from a developing country and whose presentations (oral, poster and/or video) have been accepted by the scientific program committee of the 27th APAO Congress. Each successful applicant will receive US$500 if they live outside the host country of the 27th APAO Congress (i.e. South Korea) whereas those who live in the host country will receive US$250.

Interested young ophthalmologists please complete the application form online atwww.apaophth.org/APAO/2012/congress/travel_grant_nomination by November 30, 2011.

* * *

5th Military Vision Symposium on Ocular and Vision Injury, Boston,
September 18-20, 2012

http://www.schepens.harvard.edu/military_conference/military_symposium.html

Topics: Warfighter Vision Readiness; Blast Injury, Blast Eye; Ocular Pain; Inflammation and Infection; Telehealth and Telepresence: Advanced Technologies Informatics; Regenerative Medicine; Modeling and Simulation; Vision Funding Update; Restoring the Functional Eye

Sponsored by: Schepens Eye Research Institute, Mass. Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, United States Army Medical Research & Materiel Command (USAMRMC), Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), DOD-VA Vision Center of Excellence (VCE)


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TFOS Passport Stamps – MGD Report Travels the World

Posted on 21 October 2011 by admin

Since the publication of the TFOS MGD Workshop Report, and its distribution to over 12,600 ARVO members, TFOS has actively promoted its dissemination to clinicians and researchers around the world. In brief, we have:

  • distributed complimentary hard copies of the special IOVS issue containing the Report to all Workshop participants and TFOS members.
  • published an overview of the TFOS MGD Report in the Contact Lens Spectrum, Ophthalmology Management and Optometry Management
  • emailed (via the Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions Vision Care Group) an overview of the Report to 8,800 ophthalmologists and 34,000 optometrists in the USA.
  • distributed information about the Report to members of The External Eye Disease Group received details about the Report – Members originate from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Israel, Lebanon, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Turkey. This distribution was made by Dr. Igor Petricek, an ophthalmologist from Zagreb University Hospital in Croatia. He will also post links to the Report on the Croatian Ophthalmology Society webpage.
  • received permission to have the overview, and links to the Report, placed on the VISION2020 and The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) websites (http://www.vision2020.org/main.cfm?Type=NI&objectid=4471). VISION 2020 is the global initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness, a joint program of the World Health Organization and IAPB. These websites reach people throughout Africa, as well as other regions throughout the world. Ms. Neebha Budhoo, the IAPB Regional Administrator for Africa, gave us this permission. Dr. Kovin Naidoo recommended that we communicate with Neebha. Kovin, in turn, is the Global Director of the International Centre for Eyecare Education Africa, the President-Elect of the African Council of Optometry and an Associate Professor of Optometry at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.
  • received permission to have the overview, and links to the Report, placed on The Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) website (http://meaco.org/page.php?mdid=30). MEACO is one of the four supranational organizations recognized by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO), representing the national and sub regional ophthalmological societies in Africa and the Middle East including Turkey and Iran. This permission was granted by the MEACO President, Abdulaziz AlRahji, MD (Saudi Arabia), who will also link the overview in their next newsletter.
  • licensed various translation rights to Laboratories Thea, which will distribute the overview & Executive Summary in Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Turkish to hundreds of thousands of eye care practitioners. The translations will also be available on the TFOS website and TFOS App (coming soon).
  • licensed the Japanese translation rights to Santen, which will distribute the entire translated Report and overview to thousands of ophthalmologists throughout Japan.
  • learned that Dr. Ahmad Salamat Rad, an Iranian ophthalmologist, will translate a concise version of the Report and publish this translation in the Iranian Journal of Cornea and Contact Lens.
  • asked Drs. Fiona Stapleton and Eric Papas are distributing the overview and Report link to the Australian professional eyecare associations (i.e. RANZCO, OAA, Australian Cornea and Contact Lens Society). They will or have forward(ed) this information.
  • received permission from Dr. Mark Mannis, the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) President, to publish the overview and Report link in Spanish in Vision Pan-America, the PAAO journal (http://www.paao.org/). This journal reaches over 1,500 eye care practitioners throughout Latin and South America.
  • asked Dr. Donald Tan for help in circulating the overview and Report link to all Asia Cornea Society members. Donald agreed, and will also send the information to regional and national cornea societies in Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, etc.
  • followed Dr. Eduardo Rocha’s advice and received permission from Dr. Wallace Chamon, Editor-in-Chief, to publish the overview and Report link in Portuguese in the September issue of the Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia. This journal reaches ophthalmologists throughout Brazil. An editorial about the Report will also appear in the journal.
  • learned that ASCRS published a special report in June  about the TFOS MGD Workshop and distributed this summary to its members via EyeWorld. This organization has a distribution to over 22,000 ophthalmologists throughout the world.
  • commissioned Jing Hua, MD (Boston) to translate the overview into Mandarin and Cantonese. Her translations were proofread by Yan Wang, MD (Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University) and will be distributed soon to clinicians in the Chinese Ophthalmological Society by Lixin Xie, MD (Society President and Director of Shandong Eye Institute). Lixin also invited Dr. David A. Sullivan to give an overview of the entire Workshop Report at the 16th Congress of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society (http://www.coschina.org/2011/en/index.asp).
  • learned that all 9 chapters of the Report are the most frequently read articles in IOVS between October 2010 through September 2011 – and our Report was only available for 6 of those months.

Overall, our goal was to disseminate the TFOS MGD Workshop information throughout the world. We are well on our way to achieving that goal.

 

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65 Most-Frequently Read IOVS Articles

Posted on 19 October 2011 by admin

The popularity of the TFOS MGD Workshop Report has been amazing! The new listing of the 65 most-frequently read articles in IOVS from October 2010 through September 2011 has just been released. The TFOS MGD Workshop was available for 6 months during this period. The top 15 articles are reported below.

Congratulations once again Members of the TFOS MGD Workshop!

The 65 Most-Frequently Read Articles in Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. during October 2010 thru September 2011… Most-read rankings are recalculated at the beginning of the month and are based on full-text and pdf views.

1. Kelly K. Nichols, Gary N. Foulks, Anthony J. Bron, Ben J. Glasgow, Murat Dogru, Kazuo Tsubota, Michael A. Lemp, David A. Sullivan
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Executive Summary
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 1922-1929.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 5554 times)

2. Kelly K. Nichols
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Introduction
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 1917-1921.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 5318 times)

3. Erich Knop, Nadja Knop, Thomas Millar, Hiroto Obata, David A. Sullivan
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Subcommittee on Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology of the Meibomian Gland
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 1938-1978.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 4663 times)

4. Alan Tomlinson, Anthony J. Bron, Donald R. Korb, Shiro Amano, Jerry R. Paugh, E. Ian Pearce, Richard Yee, Norihiko Yokoi, Reiko Arita, Murat Dogru
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Diagnosis Subcommittee
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 2006-2049.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 4074 times)

5. Gerd Geerling, Joseph Tauber, Christophe Baudouin, Eiki Goto, Yukihiro Matsumoto, Terrence O”Brien, Maurizio Rolando, Kazuo Tsubota, Kelly K. Nichols
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Subcommittee on Management and Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 2050-2064.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 4027 times)

6. J. Daniel Nelson, Jun Shimazaki, Jose M. Benitez-del-Castillo, Jennifer P. Craig, James P. McCulley, Seika Den, Gary N. Foulks
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Definition and Classification Subcommittee
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 1930-1937.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 3221 times)

7. Penny A. Asbell, Fiona J. Stapleton, Kerstin Wickström, Esen K. Akpek, Pasquale Aragona, Reza Dana, Michael A. Lemp, Kelly K. Nichols
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Clinical Trials Subcommittee
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 2065-2085.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 2580 times)

8. Kari B. Green-Church, Igor Butovich, Mark Willcox, Douglas Borchman, Friedrich Paulsen, Stefano Barabino, Ben J. Glasgow
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Subcommittee on Tear Film Lipids and Lipid-Protein Interactions in Health and Disease
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 1979-1993.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 2546 times)

9. Debra A. Schaumberg, Jason J. Nichols, Eric B. Papas, Louis Tong, Miki Uchino, Kelly K. Nichols
The International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Report of the Subcommittee on the Epidemiology of, and Associated Risk Factors for, MGD
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Mar 30, 2011; 52: 1994-2005.
(In “Special Issue”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 2437 times)

10. Henry F. Edelhauser, Cheryl L. Rowe-Rendleman, Michael R. Robinson, Daniel G. Dawson, Gerald J. Chader, Hans E. Grossniklaus, Kay D. Rittenhouse, Clive G. Wilson, David A. Weber, Baruch D. Kuppermann, Karl G. Csaky, Timothy W. Olsen, Uday B. Kompella, V. Michael Holers, Gregory S. Hageman, Brian C. Gilger, Peter A. Campochiaro, Scott M. Whitcup, Wai T. Wong
Ophthalmic Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Retinal Diseases: Basic Research to Clinical Applications
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Nov 01, 2010; 51: 5403-5420.
(In “Research Opportunities”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 2257 times)

11.Young Hee Yoon, Kyung Sook Cho, Jung Jin Hwang, Sook-Jeong Lee, Jeong A. Choi, Jae-Young Koh
Induction of Lysosomal Dilatation, Arrested Autophagy, and Cell Death by Chloroquine in Cultured ARPE-19 Cells
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Nov 01, 2010; 51: 6030-6037.
(In “Retinal Cell Biology”) [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 2212 times)

12. Hidetoshi Tanioka, Norihiko Yokoi, Aoi Komuro, Takasumi Shimamoto, Satoshi Kawasaki, Akira Matsuda, Shigeru Kinoshita
Investigation of the Corneal Filament in Filamentary Keratitis
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Aug 01, 2009; 50: 3696-3702.
(In “Cornea”) [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 1969 times)

13. 2008 E-ABSTRACT FIRST AUTHOR INDEX
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci May 01, 2008; 49: 2223-2301.
(In “2008 E-Abstract First Author Index”) [PDF]
(Read 1963 times)

14. Trevor D. Lamb, Edward N. Pugh
Phototransduction, Dark Adaptation, and Rhodopsin Regeneration The Proctor Lecture
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Dec 01, 2006; 47: 5138-5152.
(In “Lecture”) [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 1758 times)

15. Naoko Kato, Shigeto Shimmura, Tetsuya Kawakita, Hideyuki Miyashita, Yoko Ogawa, Satoru Yoshida, Kazunari Higa, Hideyuki Okano, Kazuo Tsubota
ß-Catenin Activation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in the Pathogenesis of Pterygium
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Apr 01, 2007; 48: 1511-1517.
(In “Cornea”) [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
(Read 1711 times)

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MGD REDEFINED: TFOS International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Posted on 10 October 2011 by admin

The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) reported the conclusions and recommendations of the International Workshop on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).

The MGD Workshop, sponsored by TFOS, was conducted to provide an evidence-based evaluation of meibomian gland structure and function in health and disease. MGD is an extremely important condition, conceivably underestimated, and very likely the most frequent cause of dry eye disease. The Report required over 2 years to complete and involved the efforts of more than 50 leading clinical and basic research experts from around the world.

“This report will have a significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of lid disease and evaporative dry eye. It is intended to be a stimulus for future MGD research that will benefit the clinical care of patients around the world for years to come,” said Dr. Kelly Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, Ohio State University and Chair of the MGD Workshop Steering Committee.

“MGD may well be the leading cause of dry eye disease throughout the world. Although this condition influences the health and well being of millions of people, there has not previously been a global consensus on the definition, classification, diagnosis or therapy of MGD,” explained Dr. David A. Sullivan, PhD, TFOS President, Senior Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute/Harvard Medical School and Organizer of the MGD Workshop. “To achieve such a consensus, TFOS, a non-profit organization, launched this international workshop.”

“This TFOS Workshop developed a contemporary understanding of the definition and classification of MGD,” noted Dr. Gary N. Foulks, MD, FACS, Professor, University of Louisville and Vice-Chair of the MGD Workshop Steering Committee. “Furthermore, we developed recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation and grading of severity of MGD, the management and therapy of this disease, as well as norms of clinical trial design to evaluate pharmaceutical interventions for MGD treatment.”

“Workshop members used an evidence-based approach and a transparent review process in order to achieve a global consensus and the highest level of report credibility. While commercial products are discussed in the report, no individual product is endorsed,” said Dr. Nichols. “Moreover, all Workshop members were required to provide financial disclosure in accordance with TFOS and ARVO guidelines.”

The TFOS MGD Report was just published by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO; (www.arvo.org) in a special issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS) and made available to scientists and clinicians worldwide. A downloadable version of the document may be obtained through a link on the TFOS website (www.TearFilm.org) to the IOVS publication. Complete or partial translations of the report will be offered in numerous languages, including English, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish and Russian.

Interviews can be scheduled by emailing Amy Gallant Sullivan: Amy@TearFilm.org

About the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society

TFOS, incorporated in 2000, is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Boston, MA. TFOS is committed to advancing the research, literacy and educational aspects of the scientific field of the tear film and ocular surface. TFOS reaches out to basic scientists, academic clinicians and industry representatives originating from more than 80 countries. TFOS organizes and coordinates international conferences, workshops and seminars, and promotes research collaborations, to help achieve its educational mission. More information about the Society can be found on the TFOS web site at www.TearFilm.org.

Note to Editors: Please note that TFOS received funds to support this Workshop from Laboratoires Théa, Pfizer, Inspire, Bausch & Lomb, TRB Chemedica, Santen Pharmaceutical, Allergan, Alcon, Johnson & Johnson, Advanced Vision Research, Senju, CIBA Vision and SOOFT Italia.

View the TFOS MGD Report: CLICK HERE

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Research course in Translational Medicine

Posted on 9 October 2011 by admin

TFOS will soon launch a very special research course in translational medicine. This course will involve a number of the brightest young investigators from around the world, who will be the leaders of the future in ocular surface research. Our goal is to forge bonds among these young investigators and to stimulate global collaborations among them in translational medical research.

Individuals being invited to serve on the Faculty are internationally renowned scientists and clinicians, as well as lawyers, financiers, intellectual property specialists and business development experts.

This TFOS course will involve intensive training in translational medicine, drug discovery, intellectual property, patent preparation, licensing, financing, commercialization, ethics, clinical trials and regulatory issues, and will also feature an entrepreneurial challenge.

We will teach young investigators how to work together to translate innovative ideas into the generation of the ocular surface therapeutics and diagnostics of tomorrow.

More details to be announced soon. Sponsorship opportunities are available – please contact Amy for information.

Thanks,
TFOS

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TFOS Travel Awards, ARVO 2011

Posted on 5 October 2011 by admin

The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society congratulates the following individuals for winning the TFOS Travel Awards for ARVO 2011:

  • Javier Belmonte (Alicante, Spain) – Evolution of mechanical and chemical corneal sensitivity and innervation after penetrating keratoplasty (Program#/Poster# – 360/D876)
  • Mindy Call (Cincinnati, USA) – Integrin and TGF-ß signaling: involvement in two types of corneal wound healing (Program#/Poster# – 2032/D1013)
  • Osama Ibrahim (Tokyo, Japan) – Evidence for accelerated apoptosis and altered meibomian glandular differentiation in the SOD1-/- knock-out mice novel model for age related dry eye disease (Program#/Poster# – 3771/D904)
  • Wendy Kam (Boston, USA) – Vasoactive intestinal peptide stimulates the adenylyl cyclase pathway in immortalized human meibomian gland epithelial cells (Program#/Poster# – 3730/D863)
  • Shubha Tiwari (Hyderabad, India) – Establishing human lacrimal gland cultures and evaluating their ex-vivo secretory function (Program#/Poster# – 3711/D844)
  • Lili Zhang (Houston, USA) – TLR4/MyD88 innate immunity pathway mediates TSLP/IL-33 triggered inflammation in murine allergic conjunctivitis (Program#/Poster# – 2913/D1007)

These awards provide partial travel support for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, or young investigators (35 years or younger), whose accepted ARVO ’11 abstract, in which they appear as first author, demonstrates significant scientific achievement in the field of tear film or ocular surface research. Each monetary award ($750.00) is accompanied by a free ticket to the TFOS Annual Dinner on the evening of Monday, May 2nd in Fort Lauderdale, as well as membership in TFOS, that includes a subscription to The Ocular Surface (compliments of Alcon).

TFOS also expresses its appreciation to the TFOS Travel Award Committee Members (listed below), who considered the hypothesis, experimental design, creativity, innovation, scientific results and significance of each abstract in making their evaluations:

Alison McDermott (Houston, USA)
Pablo Argueso (Boston, USA)
Matthew Petroll (Dallas, USA)
Barbara Caffery (Toronto, Canada)
Jutta Horwath-Winter (Graz, Austria)
Eduardo M. Rocha (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil)
Douglas Dickinson (Augusta, USA)
Norihiko Yokoi (Kyoto, Japan)
Driss Zoukhri (Boston, USA)

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