BroadEye: An Ophthalmology Podcast

In this episode our guest is Dagmar Jamieson, a mentor and life coach at CNIB. We discuss the challenges in everyday life as a visually impaired person, how that affects our social skills, are there any professional limitations and how does Dagmar cope with all those challenges.

Ariel Cao is the president/CEO and co-founder of Injectsense. We talked about the current challenges in the management of patients with glaucoma, still one of the major causes of blindness worldwide. Cao and his team developed an implantable intraocular device that can continuously monitor intraocular pressure. By providing accurate, clinically actionable information, physicians will be able to individualize therapeutic interventions for each patient, properly assess the effectiveness of glaucoma therapy, and ultimately avoid blindness.

In this episode, we review differences in regulatory requirements for branded and generic therapeutic agents, and how these differences can manifest in eye care. Dr. Andrew Meagher sheds light on the subject using IOP-lowering glaucoma drops as an example. Drawing on his experience in the clinic and keen attention to scientific detail, Dr. Meagher shares knowledge as Associate Professor at the Salus University, School of Optometry.

In this episode, we had the chance to talk with Dr. Farris about his charitable work in eye care both in the United States and internationally. For the past 20 years, he has led a team annually from Dean McGee Eye Institute to develop academic exchange and work with the local residency-training programs in China. He has done the same in Africa for the past 11 years. Dr. Farris is the 2021 recipient of the Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma and Dean McGee Eye Institute.

Dr. Duker is an accomplished ophthalmologist, that is now the Chief Operating Officer of EyePoint Pharma, a biotech company that develops sustained-release medications to treat serious ocular disorders. We talked about his career path and what motivated him to move from a clinical to an executive position. For the 21 years before he took the COO position at EyePoint, Dr. Duker was the Director of the New England Eye Center (NEEC) and Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Duker received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. He completed a residency and fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases and ocular oncology at the Wills Eye Hospital.

What might come as a surprise to most people is that the visually impaired can draw! Dr. Kennedy is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and is especially interested in the theory of pictures drawn by people who are blind. The key idea is that lines in outline drawings mean the same thing to the sighted and people who are blind -- edges of surfaces, such as profiles of people and corners of cubes. These shapes are understood via touch as well as vision. We also talked about how drawing kits are now made available free to all children who are blind in the US and his book on the topic: Drawing and the Blind: Pictures to Touch.

In this episode, we learned how Orbis International is much more than a flying hospital. Using the latest technologies such as AI and telemedicine, Dr. Hunter Cherwek is leading a global initiative to train ophthalmologists and help eliminate avoidable blindness in low-resource communities.

Christian is the Head of Digital Therapeutics and Director of Business Development at Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, a joint venture between Verily Life Sciences, an Alphabet company, and Santen, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company. We talked about the company’s vision to eliminate preventable blindness with technology that empowers patients to care for their own vision between doctors’ visits.

Dr. Seigel is an accomplished researcher, helping to develop more efficient ways to treat retinoblastoma. We also had the chance to chat about her role in the Rochester NY March for Science, a global movement that aims to promote science for the common good and equitable access to scientific education and opportunities.

In this episode, Dr. Bill Stell gives a comprehensive overview of the most promising clinical research and potential treatments for inherited retinal diseases, including Retinitis Pigmentosa. Dr. Stell further explores avenues for retired researchers and clinicians to continue helping patients and mentoring young professionals.

In this episode, Dr. Dennis Levi provides an in-depth overview of the causes and treatment options for patients with Amblyopia. Dr. Levi highlights how virtual reality and perceptual learning are becoming increasingly important in optimizing stereovision.

In this episode, Dr. Mark Pennesi provides an overview of inherited retinal dystrophies and how CRISPR is being used to edit DNA in the eyes of patients. Dr. Pennesi further shares recent research findings from a clinical trial using CRISPR to treat patients with Leber Congenital Amaurosis.

In this episode, Anthony Ferraro shares the story of his journey from being diagnosed with Leber Congenital Amaurosis — a rare and blinding eye disease — to training for the 2024 Paralympic Games. In recent years, Anthony has gained an incredible following on social media as an inspiring athlete, amateur musician, and overall beacon of positivity.

In this episode, Dr. Jacque Duncan provides an overview of how The Foundation Fighting Blindness is funding critical research that could impact millions of patients with inherited and degenerative retinal diseases. Dr. Duncan further describes her research focus which aims to preserve vision and stimulate visual function.

In this episode, Ophthalmologist Dr. Allen Roth gives an overview of corneal disease management and how these practices have changed in recent years. Dr. Roth also discusses his role as President of The Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation, highlighting cutting-edge research supported by the Foundation and explaining how the community can get involved.

Uncorrected refractive errors (i.e. myopia) represents almost half of the 2.2 billion people who are visually impaired worldwide. Dr. Cummings believes one of the best ways to address the problem is through refractive surgery. He founded The College of Refractive Surgery with the goal of helping more doctors, and bring the benefits of refractive surgery to more people.

Mr. Stenvers works as a Director at the Eye Care Foundation while also working for the International Council of Museums, advising at UNESCO World Heritage and teaching at the Amsterdam University of the Arts and the Presidential program for Ministers of RANEPA in Russia. In this episode, we discuss how those seemingly distant roles are actually somehow related, and the skills he acquired during the years are being used to help the +200 million people with visual disabilities in developing countries.

As the president and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind, Dr. Kirk Adams is a leader in the field of blindness and is committed to pursuing strategic relationships with peers, policymakers, employers, and other influencers to create a more inclusive and accessible world for the more than 20 million Americans with vision loss.

In this episode, Dr. Joel Schuman gives a detailed overview of how a team of collaborators from diverse academic backgrounds developed Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a technology that was a leap forward in the field of Ophthalmology. Dr. Schuman further explores how curiosity lies at the center of his motivation to continue discovering and innovating even after co-developing a breakthrough medical technology.

In this episode, Dr. David Pyott shares insights and lessons learned as the former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Allergan. David further details the genesis of The Ophthalmology Foundation, highlighting the importance of education and maintaining a global perspective in order to improve eye care and advance the preservation and restoration of vision for all.