Early and quantitative detection of age-related macular degeneration

Albert O. Edwards, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of Ophthalmology and McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Tuesday, September 7, 2004, 2:00-3:00pm

110 Jerry Junkins Building

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in older individuals. About 30% of Americans age 75 or older have early manifestations characterized by accumulation of subretinal deposits leading to mild-moderate visual dysfunction, while 7% in this age group have late forms characterized by death of the retina and growth abnormal blood vessels under the retina leading to severe vision loss. AMD is a late onset complex trait with environmental, dietary, and hereditary risk factors. A major limitation in the study of AMD is the difficulty in diagnosing the maculopathy before the age of 50 and in a quantitative manner. Currently no such techniques exist. Professor Alireza Khotanzad and I have been working together over the past 2 years toward evaluating novel endpoints for early, qualitative, and possibly quantitative description of AMD. In my presentation I will (i) present an overview of the epidemiology, pathology, and pathophysiology of AMD,

(ii) describe the current state of diagnosis and detection of AMD, (iii) summarize the spline-vessel matching image registration method we have developed for evaluating novel endpoints, and (iv) discuss areas in need of novel biomedical approaches to facilitate the study of AMD.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Edwards is Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Dr. Edwards received his MD and PhD from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He completed a residency in ophthalmology at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he trained with Dr. Gerald Fishman in hereditary eye diseases. Dr. Edwards did a year of fellowship training with Drs. Michael Klein, James Rosenbaum, and Richard Weleber in medical retina, uveitis, and ophthalmic genetics and a second year of vitreoretinal surgery with the retina faculty at the Casey Eye Institute at the Oregon Health Sciences University.

Dr. Edwards is conducting National Eye Institute and private foundation funded research programs in macular degeneration. He is the winner of Career Development Awards from the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Research to Prevent Blindness and the holder of an International Retinal Research Foundation Award. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has delivered numerous invited lectures and presentations at national meetings. Dr. Edwards has published many journal articles, book chapters, and abstracts, and is a reviewer several eye research and clinical journals.

Back to EE Seminars