University of Rochester Eye Institute Debuts New Research Space

Mar. 17, 2009
Tours offered as part of 54th Annual Ophthalmology Conference

The University of Rochester Eye Institute will host its 54th annual ophthalmology conference Friday and Saturday at the Kornberg Medical Research Building at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The event will feature some of the world’s most esteemed ophthalmologists as guest speakers, as well as experts from the University of Rochester, focusing on a wide spectrum of the latest technologies and therapies in ophthalmology across all subspecialties, says Steven E. Feldon, M.D., M.B.A., chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of the University of Rochester Eye Institute.

Also this year, tours of the newly renovated UREI research facility will be offered. The recently completed addition of 22,000 square feet of laboratory space for the University of Rochester Eye Institute brings to fruition a $5.5 million project funded largely by a prestigious construction grant from the National Institutes of Health. The new space is devoted to understanding and treating conditions such as macular degeneration, dry eye, and recovery of vision after stroke. Central to much of the work is a unique technology developed by researchers at the Eye Institute that allows doctors to see the back of the eye in unprecedented detail.

Conference topics will include findings in the areas of retina, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology and plastics, pediatric ophthalmology, and refractive surgery. Internationally recognized leaders in ophthalmology include:

  • Stanley Chang, M.D., chair of Ophthalmology and director of the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia University;
  • Randall Olson, M.D., chair of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences an director of the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah;
  • Richard Hertle, M.D., chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh and professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh;
  • Robert Noecker, M.D., associate professor of Ophthalmology, vice chair of Ophthalmology and director of the Glaucoma Service at the University of Pittsburgh;
  • Rochester native Julian Perry, M.D., who specializes in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute;
  • Perry Rosenthal, M.D., assistant clinical professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard University Medical School and founder/president of the Boston Foundation for Sight;
  • Nicholas Volpe, M.D., professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania, director of Ophthalmology Residency Program and vice chair Clinical Practice at Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.

University of Rochester experts presenting at the conference consist of faculty from the Eye Institute, including Deborah Friedman, M.D., Scott MacRae, M.D., Matt Gearinger, M.D., Shakeel Shareef, M.D., Mina Chung, M.D., David DiLoreto, M.D., Ph.D., David Kleinman, M.D.,and Joseph Stamm, O.D.