Distinguished Professor
Chief, Glaucoma
Director, Hamilton Glaucoma Center
Glaucoma consultation and surgery, Cataract surgery

Research Interests:

Cell and molecular biology of uveoscleral outflow
Imaging of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer
Mechanisms of optic nerve damage in glaucoma
Neuroprotection in glaucoma

Appointments: (858) 534-6290

Pamela A. Sample, Ph.D.

Professor of Ophthalmology
Director of Clinical Vision Research, Hamilton Glaucoma Center
Director, Visual Function Laboratory, Shiley Eye Center

Research Interests:

Understanding the effects of glaucoma on visual function
Development of new methods for early detection of glaucoma and of glaucoma progression
The effects of normal aging on visual function

Pamela A. Sample is a professor of Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Center of University of California, San Diego and Director of Clinical Vision Research for the Hamilton Glaucoma Center with one of the world's leading research laboratories in visual psychophysics of glaucoma. She is the Principal Investigator of a National Eye Institute (NEI) funded ongoing longitudinal study of visual function in glaucoma that was begun in 1990, the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study: Visual Function (DIGS). Dr. Sample was the co-developer of a new diagnostic test, Short-Wavelength Automated Perimetry (SWAP). SWAP identifies glaucoma-related loss of visual function 3-5 years earlier than standard clinical perimetry and shows progressive damage 1-3 years earlier. The test is also superior for identification of vision defects associated with neuro-ophthalmic disease, age-related macular degeneration, migraine, optic neuritis, diabetes, and HIV infection. Comparing results of new visual function specific tests for glaucoma, two of which were developed in her laboratory, Dr. Sample has found that all retinal ganglion cell subtypes are affected early in glaucoma but tests that isolate subpopulations of these cells are more sensitive for early detection.

Additionally, Dr. Sample is the Principal Investigator of the NEI-funded, multicenter “African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES).” This is the first prospectively designed study to follow this high-risk cohort equating factors such as access to quality care, access to prescribed glaucoma medications, and study protocol to match the DIGS, which primarily follows white participants. This study is currently enrolling and is currently funded for four years of follow-up. The comparisons between the two cohorts, AAG and DIGS, should clarify our understanding of the differences suggested by population-based studies where a variety of factors may have contributed to observed differences between these two groups.

Dr. Sample is co-Investigator on another NEI-sponsored grant, Medical Advice from Glaucoma Informatics, with the principal investigator, Dr. Michael H. Goldbaum, and other members of the Hamilton Glaucoma Center and scientists from the Salk Institute. This research uses machine learning classifiers for interpretation of vision test results and for better identification of progressive change in vision due to glaucoma.

Dr. Sample is internationally recognized in her field and has contributed her expertise to many panels, committees, boards, and global conferences. She is an elected member of the Glaucoma Society of the International Congress of Ophthalmology. Active membership in this prestigious and exclusive society is limited to only 70 individuals from throughout the world. She was a 1999 recipient of the Lew R. Wasserman award for Outstanding Achievements in Vision Research from the Research to Prevent Blindness Association. She is a member of the board of directors for the International Perimetric Society and the editorial board for the Journal of Glaucoma, a past member of the ethics committee for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and for a data safety and monitoring committee for the National Eye Institute-sponsored retinitis pigmentosa study. She was editor of Assessing Visual Function in Clinical Practice and section editor for the most recent edition of Adler's Physiology of the Eye. She was a past panel member for development of the National Eye Institute's five year Vision Research Plan. In 2002 she received the UCSD Earl Warren College Outstanding Faculty Award for Undergraduate Mentoring.

WWW Profile: http://myprofile.cos.com/samplep42

 

John H. K. Liu, Ph.D.

Professor (Molecular Pharmacology)

Research Interests:

Regulation of intraocular pressure and ocular blood flow

The laboratory of John Liu has continued to make significant progress in the research on endogenous regulation of intraocular pressure. Most significantly, the 24-hour profiles of intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients under the treatments with several medicines have been established. This new knowledge in translational medicine has received increasing recognitions in the ophthalmology community worldwide, and Dr. Liu has been asked to serve on the related grant review panels for National Institutes of Health and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In collaborations with several faculty members in the Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, the research projects were expanding to include the 24-hour profile of ocular blood flow in conjunction with the 24-hour change of intraocular pressure. The laboratory also began to study the asymmetry of IOP responses in healthy eyes and glaucomatous eyes. For the first time, the influence of time upon all ocular fluid dynamics is being systemically studied under strictly controlled laboratory conditions. Dr. Liu’s research is supported by a major grant from the National Eye Institute on which he is Principal Investigator. Accomplishments in this laboratory greatly improve our understanding of nocturnal intraocular pressure and its impact on glaucoma pathogenesis.

 

Michael H. Goldbaum, M.D.

Professor (Medical Informatics)

Co-Director, Vitreoretinal Division

Research Interests:

Glaucoma Informatics
Neural networks for glaucoma diagnosis and monitoring progression

Michael Goldbaum is Professor of Ophthalmology, Co-Director of the vitreoretinal service and vital member of the research team at the Hamilton Glaucoma Center.
Dr. Goldbaum has been a pioneer in the field of Glaucoma Informatics and is the recipient of a major grant award on his research from the National Eye Institute (MAGI – Medical Advice from Glaucoma Informatics).

His research involves the automated interpretation of standard and nonstandard perimetry, automated interpretation of optic nerve topography and nerve fiber layer thickness, automated diagnosis of glaucoma subgroups with machine learning classifiers, optimization of features and streamlining of perimetry, predicting eyes at risk of developing glaucoma and detecting progression, unsupervised learning of patterns in visual function and structural test data and multimodal inference combining functional data, structural data, and risk factors. It is anticipated that his work will improve the certainty of diagnostic test interpretation and lead to improved management of glaucoma.

Appointments: (858) 534-6290

 

James Lindsey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor (Neurobiology)

Research Interests:

Retinal ganglion cell function
Methods for retinal ganglion cell rescue and optic nerve regeneration, and mechanisms of aqueous outflow regulation

James Lindsey is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and neuroscientist. He has been studying the basis of the optic nerve damage that causes blindness in glaucoma. His recent studies have shown how altered collagen metabolism can increase intraocular pressure. In transgenic mice with a targeted collagen gene mutation, he demonstrated the spontaneous development of increased intraocular pressure. Moreover, these mice gradually develop optic nerve damage similar to human open angle glaucoma. He is now using this model system to further investigate new interventions to preserve the optic nerve and thereby protect vision in glaucoma. This work is supported by a major NIH grant on which his Principal Investigator.

In addition to his work on collagen metabolism, Dr. Lindsey has developed a new imaging technology that has for the first time allowed in vivo measurement of neuronal projection integrity within secondary cortical components of the visual system. This advance facilitates the evaluation of experimental treatments to protect against brain changes that can occur in glaucoma. The importance of these findings was recognized in July 2005 at the World Glaucoma Congress in Vienna with special recognition for his outstanding research. This work is supplemented by another NIH grant on which he is Principle Investigator.

 

Linda Zangwill, Ph.D.

Associate Professor (Epidemiology/Biostatistics)

Research Interests:

Detection and monitoring of optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer damage in glaucoma
Epidemiology of eye diseases

Linda M. Zangwill is Professor of Ophthalmology and co-Director of Clinical Research at the Hamilton Glaucoma Center. Dr. Zangwill’s research focuses on improving techniques for the detection and monitoring of glaucomatous structural damage, and on identifying factors that predict the development and progression of glaucoma. Dr. Zangwill is Principal Investigator of National Eye Institute funded study entitled “Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS): Structural Assessment”. This study, in its eleventh year of funding, has led to improvements in our ability to detect and monitor glaucomatous optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer damage, and in our understanding of the relationship between structural and functional changes in glaucoma. Through Dr. Zangwill’s careful research, we have a better understanding of the complex temporal and topographic relationship between optic disc damage and corresponding visual field loss, and how intraocular pressure influences optic disc topography. Moreover, her studies were the first to demonstrate that topographic optic disc and RNFL measurements obtained using optical imaging instruments can predict the onset of glaucoma and that these instruments provide predictive information that is independent of information obtained from assessment of stereophotographs of the optic disc. In addition, through Dr. Zangwill’s role as co-Investigator of the National Eye Institute funded Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Ancillary Study to the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, we have improved our ability to utilize optic disc topography to predict the development of glaucoma in ocular hypertensive patients.

WWW Profile: http://myprofile.cos.com/zangwill20

 

Rigby Slight, M.D.

Associate Clinical Professor

Research Interests:

Co-Investigator, Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study
UCSD Optic Disc Reading Center

Appointments: (858) 534-6290

 

Felipe Medeiros, M.D.

Assistant Clinical Glaucoma Professor

Research Interests:

Optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber layer analysis in glaucoma
Visual function in glaucoma
Potential risk factors for development and progression of glaucoma
Methods for early detection of glaucoma and glaucoma progression

Felipe A. Medeiros, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of California San Diego. After completing a 2-year fellowship in glaucoma at the Hamilton Glaucoma Center, he was appointed to the UCSD faculty. Dr. Medeiros’ research interests include imaging of the optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer, development of new methods for early detection of glaucoma, and elucidation of potential risk factors for development and progression of the disease. He has published two books on the evaluation of the optic nerve and visual field in glaucoma and has over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts in ophthalmology.

Dr. Medeiros is the recipient of several awards in ophthalmology. He also was recognized by the Association of International Glaucoma Societies (AIGS) Award for the outstanding poster presentation during the 2005 World Glaucoma Congress in Vienna.

Dr. Medeiros is a member of the Associate Advisory Board of the Association of International Glaucoma Societies and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Appointments: (858) 534-6290

 

Christopher Bowd, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Scientist (Visual Psychophysics, Optical Imaging)

Research Interests:

Optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer analysis in glaucoma
Structural and functional relationships in glaucoma
UCSD Optic Disc Reading Center

Christopher Bowd is Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Ophthalmology. He received his PhD in Experimental Psychology/Neuroscience from Washington State University in 1998, after which he completed a 2 year post-doctoral fellowship in the UCSD Department of Ophthalmology studying optical imaging and visual function in glaucoma.

His current research involves assessing and improving new techniques for the detection and monitoring of glaucoma, as well as investigating the relationship between anatomical damage caused by the disease and its effect on visual sensitivity. Bowd has published over 30 manuscripts and several book chapters on these topics. Much of his recent work has involved the application of machine learning classifiers (advanced non-linear analysis techniques) to combine the large amount of data available from optical imaging devices to increase these techniques' ability to discriminate between healthy and glaucoma eyes. This work is done in conjunction with personnel from the UCSD Institute of Neural Computation. Bowd also is the Co-Director of the UCSD Imaging Data Evaluation and Analysis (IDEA) Center that is designed as a reading center for clinical trials/large studies using optical imaging data including that obtained using stereophotography, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, optical coherence tomography, and scanning laser polarimetry. Recently, Dr. Bowd has begun investigating electrophysiological techniques for detecting glaucoma.

WWW Profile: http://myprofile.cos.com/cbowd

 

 

Won-Kyu Ju, Ph.D.

Assistant Project Scientist

Research Interests:

Retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma
Mitochondria in glaucoma

Won-Kyu Ju is Assistant Project Scientist in the Department of Ophthalmology. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Department of Anatomy at Medical College of Catholic University in Korea in 2001, and then completed a 2 year post-doctoral position in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis studying the mechanisms of cell death and protection in retinal neurodegeneration in retinal ischemia and glaucoma. He worked at the Burnham Institute in San Diego as a senior post-doctoral associate from 2003 and as a staff scientist from 2005 studying the mechanisms of OPA1 mutation-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in dominant optic atrophy. Dr. Ju published over 30 scientific publications. Dr. Ju is interested in the fundamental issues of whether acute or chronic intraocular pressure (IOP) induces breakdown of mitochondria network, such as mitochondrial fragmentation, and how IOP triggers mitochondrial dysfunction of retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma. Recently, he has established a specialized pressure model to mimic pressure-induced glaucoma in vitro and has found that hydrostatic pressure induced mitochondrial fission, which may cause cell death, in differentiated retinal ganglion cell (RGC-5). He has also begun investigating mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse glaucoma in vivo model by acute or chronic IOP elevation. This work will be extremely important to determine how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to progressive RGC degeneration and identify new potential targets for therapeutic intervention in glaucoma.

 

Robert Duncan , Ph.D.

Assistant Project Scientist

Research Interests:

Retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma

Robert Duncan is Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Ophthalmology. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego. He subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where he studied the physiological underpinnings of visual and tactile resolution using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Dr. Duncan's primary research interest is cognitive neuroscience, including the study of neurodegeneration and plasticity in response to visual disorders. Expertise in several techniques to investigate visual behavior including psychophysics, extracellular electrophysiology, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), laser interferometry, and various clinical measures of visual performance and optic disk structure.

WWW Profile: http://myprofile.cos.com/alreet

 

 

UCSD Hamilton Glaucoma Center

 

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