By Alexandra Brodin
Scheie Vision Summer 2021
This year, the Scheie Eye Institute kicked off a virtual event series featuring educational presentations by physician-scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Department of Ophthalmology. This event series was spearheaded by Charles Nichols, MD, Vice Chairman for Philanthropy and Development at Scheie and Chief of Ophthalmology at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (PCAM).
The Department plans to continue to host these events leading up to the 50th Anniversary of the Scheie Eye Institute in 2022 and the 150th Anniversary of the Department of Ophthalmology in 2024. The purpose of these events is to share cutting edge research and eye care information with patients and friends of the Scheie Eye Institute, as well as to expand awareness of all that Scheie clinician-scientists are doing to promote vision health.
“With the Anniversaries approaching, it is Dr. Joan O’Brien’s and my hope that these events will invigorate viewers’ interest in the activities and research advances taking place at the Scheie Eye Institute,” said Dr. Nichols. Joan O’Brien, MD, Chairman of Ophthalmology, gives a brief welcome address at the start of each event.
The first of these events, titled ‘Dry Eye in a Virtual World,’ was given on February 3 to an audience of more than 100 attendees. Mina Massaro-Giordano, MD, Co-Director of the Penn Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Center and leading expert on dry eye disease (DED), provided tips and answered questions about managing DED. Dr. Massaro focused specifically on DED management during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, the pandemic has led to an increase in time spent looking at screens, which can exacerbate DED symptoms. She also reviewed several exciting treatment options for DED and discussed the use of telemedicine to diagnose and treat this disease during the pandemic.
Jean Bennett, MD, PhD, Co-Director of the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT) at UPenn, presented her talk ‘Reversing Blindness Through Gene Therapy’ on March 31. In collaboration with Albert Maguire, MD, among others, Dr. Bennett is internationally known for leading the development of Luxturna, the first-ever FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited disease. Children and adults who are blind from RPE65-associated Leber’s congenital amaurosis, an inherited retinal degenerative disease, can have their vision restored with a one-time injection of healthy genetic material into the retina.
In her presentation, Dr. Bennett discussed breakthroughs in retinal gene therapy and answered questions about potential therapies for other ocular diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The Scheie Eye Institute plans to invite other guest speakers from CAROT to participate in these virtual events, including Katherine Uyhazi, MD, PhD, who joined the Scheie faculty in January 2021. Dr. Uyhazi’s research on cellular therapies shows tremendous promise for developing novel treatments for inherited blindness.
The most recent event took place on May 12 and was titled ‘The Evolution of Protective Eyewear.’ This event featured guest speakers Ranjoo Prasad, OD, low vision specialist and the Director of the Penn Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation, and Dirk Breiding, J.J. Medveckis Associate Curator of Arms and Armor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mr. Breiding gave a fascinating overview of eye protection throughout history, starting with armor used in the Middle Ages. Dr. Prasad followed with information on present-day recommendations for keeping the eyes safe, especially during outdoor activities such as camping and sports, as well as home improvement projects.
Dr. Nichols is currently working with the UPenn Development team to plan the next event in fall 2021.