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Monika Fleckenstein, MD

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Languages Spoken: English

Monika Fleckenstein, MD, specializes in degenerative retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Dr. Fleckenstein received her medical degree from the University of Heidelberg School of Medicine and completed a research fellowship in inherited retinal diseases at Johns Hopkins University.

A long-time collaborator with Moran’s Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine (SCTM), Dr. Fleckenstein is the former head of the University of Bonn Department of Ophthalmology Clinical Trial Center. She is recognized as an international authority on the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials in retinal diseases.

As part of her role at Moran, Dr. Fleckenstein will oversee the DREAM1 Study, which will determine exactly how homozygous chromosome1-directed AMD progresses in patients and the appropriate stage in the disease to administer therapy.

Clinical Locations

John A. Moran Eye Center

801-581-2352

65 N Mario Capecchi
Salt Lake City, UT  84132
Map

Midvalley Health Center

243 East 6100 South
Murray, UT  84107
Map

Specialties

  • Ophthalmology
  • Retinal Diseases

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Ophthalmology/Visual Sciences - Professor
Board Certification Medical Association of North Rhine-Ophthalmology

Monika Fleckenstein, MD, specializes in degenerative retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Dr. Fleckenstein received her medical degree from the University of Heidelberg School of Medicine and completed a research fellowship in inherited retinal diseases at Johns Hopkins University.

A long-time collaborator with Moran’s Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine (SCTM), Dr. Fleckenstein is the former head of the University of Bonn Department of Ophthalmology Clinical Trial Center. She is recognized as an international authority on the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials in retinal diseases.

As part of her role at Moran, Dr. Fleckenstein will oversee the DREAM1 Study, which will determine exactly how homozygous chromosome1-directed AMD progresses in patients and the appropriate stage in the disease to administer therapy.

Academic Locations

Research Statement

FOCUS OF RESEARCH ACTIVIES

  • Degenerative retinal diseases
    • Characterization by innovative high-resolution imaging technology
    • Identification of prognostic biomarkers for disease progression
    • Validation of clinical endpoints for interventional trials
  • Scientific concept, design and principal investigator:
  • SIGHT-Study (Sparing of the Fovea in GA-Progression, NCT02332343)
  • DSGA-Study (Directional Spread of Geographic Atrophy, NCT0205199)

FOCUS OF CLINICAL ACTIVITIES

  • Degenerative retinal diseases
  • ‘Medical Retina‘
  • Intravitreal drug delivery in exudative retinal diseases
  • Innovative medical therapy of retinal diseases in the context of interventional trials

Board Certification and Academic Information

Academic Departments Ophthalmology/Visual Sciences - Professor
Board Certification Medical Association of North Rhine-Ophthalmology

Education History

Research Fellow Johns Hopkins University
Inherited Retinal Diseases
Research Fellow
Doctoral Training University of Freiburg
Experimental Anesthesiology
Dr. med.
Professional Medical University of Heidelberg School of Medicine
Medicine
M.D.
Professional Medical University of Bonn
Ophthalmology
Dr. med. habil

Selected Publications - Journal Articles

Journal Article

  1. Knzel SH, Mller PT, Lindner M, Goerdt L, Nadal J, Schmid M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M, Pfau M (2020). Determinants of Quality of Life in Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 61(5), 63.
  2. Pfau M, von der Emde L, Dysli C, Mller PT, Thiele S, Lindner M, Schmid M, Rubin DL, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2020). Determinants of cone- and rod-function in geographic atrophy: AI-based structure-function correlation. (Epub ahead of print) Am J Ophthalmol.
  3. Thiele S, Nadal J, Pfau M, Samannshausen M, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmid M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2020). Prognostic value of intermediate age-related macular degeneration phenotypes for geographic atrophy progression. (Epub ahead of print) Br J Ophthalmol.
  4. Eter N, Pauleikhoff D, Agostini H, Fleckenstein M, Ziemssen F (2020). [Value and formats of quality assurance : Ophthalmology and intravitreal therapy between reality and wishful thinking]. Ophthalmologe, 117(4), 298-306.
  5. Guymer RH, Rosenfeld PJ, Curcio CA, Holz FG, Staurenghi G, Freund KB, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Sparrow J, Spaide RF, Tufail A, Chakravarthy U, Jaffe GJ, Csaky K, Sarraf D, Mons JM, Tadayoni R, Grunwald J, Bottoni F, Liakopoulos S, Pauleikhoff D, Pagliarini S, Chew EY, Viola F, Fleckenstein M, Blodi BA, Lim TH, Chong V, Lutty J, Bird AC, Sadda SR (2019). Incomplete Retinal Pigment Epithelial and Outer Retinal Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Classification of Atrophy Meeting Report 4. Ophthalmology, 127(3), 394-409.
  6. Pfau M, Mller PT, Knzel SH, von der Emde L, Lindner M, Thiele S, Dysli C, Nadal J, Schmid M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M (2019). Type 1 Choroidal Neovascularization Is Associated with Reduced Localized Progression of Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Ophthalmol Retina, 4(3), 238-248.
  7. Thiele S, Nadal J, Pfau M, Samannshausen M, von der Emde L, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmid M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Molecular Diagnostic of Age-related Macular Degeneration Study Group (2019). Prognostic Value of Retinal Layers in Comparison with Other Risk Factors for Conversion of Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration. Ophthalmol Retina, 4(1), 31-40.
  8. von der Emde L, Thiele S, Pfau M, Nadal J, Meyer J, Mller PT, Schmid M, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2019). Assessment of Exudative Activity of Choroidal Neovascularization in Age-Related Macular Degeneration by OCT Angiography. Ophthalmologica, 243(2), 120-128.
  9. Pfau M, von der Emde L, Dysli C, Thiele S, Mller PT, Lindner M, Nadal J, Schmid M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M (2019). Light Sensitivity Within Areas of Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 60(12), 3992-4001.
  10. Bhringer D, Goos D, Ach T, Feltgen N, Fleckenstein M, Kohnen T, Lorenz K, Pielen A, Spital G, Wilhelm B, Bhringer S, Reinhard T, Arbeitsgemeinschaft DOG Klinische Studienzentren (2019). [Work sampling in ophthalmological clinical studies. A multicenter field study]. Ophthalmologe, 116(9), 872-878.
  11. Fleckenstein M, Thiele S, Pfau M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG (2019). [Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration - Epidemiology and Classification]. Klin Monatsbl Augenheilkd, 236(9), 1068-1075.
  12. Bax NM, Valkenburg D, Lambertus S, Klevering BJ, Boon CJF, Holz FG, Cremers FPM, Fleckenstein M, Hoyng CB, Lindner M, Foveal Sparing Atrophy Study Team FAST (2019). Foveal Sparing in Central Retinal Dystrophies. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 60(10), 3456-3467.
  13. Pfau M, Lindner M, Goerdt L, Thiele S, Nadal J, Schmid M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Sadda SR, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M, Fundus Autofluorescence in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study Group (2018). PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF SHAPE-DESCRIPTIVE FACTORS FOR THE PROGRESSION OF GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY SECONDARY TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION. Retina, 39(8), 1527-1540.
  14. von der Emde L, Pfau M, Dysli C, Thiele S, Mller PT, Lindner M, Schmid M, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2019). Artificial intelligence for morphology-based function prediction in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Sci Rep, 9(1), 11132.
  15. Grassmann F, Harsch S, Brandl C, Kiel C, Nrnberg P, Toliat MR, Fleckenstein M, Pfau M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Chew EY, Swaroop A, Ratnapriya R, Klein ML, Mulyukov Z, Zamiri P, Weber BHF (2019). Assessment of Novel Genome-Wide Significant Gene Loci and Lesion Growth in Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. (Epub ahead of print) JAMA Ophthalmol.
  16. Lindner M, Pfau M, Czauderna J, Goerdt L, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M (2018). Determinants of Reading Performance in Eyes with Foveal-Sparing Geographic Atrophy. Ophthalmol Retina, 3(3), 201-210.
  17. Birtel J, Lindner M, Mishra DK, Mller PL, Hendig D, Herrmann P, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M, Gliem M, Charbel Issa P (2018). Retinal imaging including optical coherence tomography angiography for detecting active choroidal neovascularization in pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 47(2), 240-249.
  18. Pfau M, Lindner M, Gliem M, Steinberg JS, Thiele S, Finger RP, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2018). Mesopic and dark-adapted two-color fundus-controlled perimetry in patients with cuticular, reticular, and soft drusen. Eye (Lond), 32(12), 1819-1830.
  19. Pfau M, Lindner M, Steinberg JS, Thiele S, Brinkmann CK, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2018). Visual field indices and patterns of visual field deficits in mesopic and dark-adapted two-colour fundus-controlled perimetry in macular diseases. Br J Ophthalmol, 102(8), 1054-1059.
  20. Mller PL, Pfau M, Mller PT, Nadal J, Schmid M, Lindner M, de Sisternes L, Sthr H, Weber BHF, Neuhaus C, Herrmann P, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M (2018). Choroidal Flow Signal in Late-Onset Stargardt Disease and Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An OCT-Angiography Study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 59(4), AMD122-AMD131.
  21. Lindner M, Kosanetzky S, Pfau M, Nadal J, Gordt LA, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Schmid M, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M (2018). Local Progression Kinetics of Geographic Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Are Associated With Atrophy Border Morphology. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 59(4), AMD12-AMD18.
  22. Thiele S, Pfau M, Larsen PP, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2018). Multimodal Imaging Patterns for Development of Central Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 59(4), AMD1-AMD11.
  23. Sassmannshausen M, Steinberg JS, Fimmers R, Pfau M, Thiele S, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2018). Structure-Function Analysis in Patients With Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 59(3), 1599-1608.
  24. von der Emde L, Pfau M, Thiele S, Mller PT, Hassenrik R, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2018). Mesopic and Dark-Adapted Two-Color Fundus-Controlled Perimetry in Choroidal Neovascularization Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Transl Vis Sci Technol, 8(1), 7.
  25. Thiele S, Nadal J, Fleckenstein M, Fang PP, Pfau M, Schmid M, Hua R, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2018). Longitudinal Analysis of Drusen Volume in Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration Using Two Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Scan Patterns. Ophthalmologica, 239(2-3), 110-120.
  26. Steinberg JS, Samannshausen M, Pfau M, Fleckenstein M, Finger RP, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2017). Evaluation of Two Systems for Fundus-Controlled Scotopic and Mesopic Perimetry in Eye with Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Transl Vis Sci Technol, 6(4), 7.
  27. Oishi M, Oishi A, Lindner M, Pfau M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Fleckenstein M (2017). Structural Changes in Optical Coherence Tomography Underlying Spots of Increased Autofluorescence in the Perilesional Zone of Geographic Atrophy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 58(7), 3303-3310.
  28. Pfau M, Lindner M, Muller PL, Birtel J, Finger RP, Harmening WM, Fleckenstein M, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2017). Effective Dynamic Range and Retest Reliability of Dark-Adapted Two-Color Fundus-Controlled Perimetry in Patients With Macular Diseases. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 58(6), BIO158-BIO167.
  29. Pfau M, Goerdt L, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Mauschitz MM, Mishra DK, Holz FG, Lindner M, Fleckenstein M (2017). Green-Light Autofluorescence Versus Combined Blue-Light Autofluorescence and Near-Infrared Reflectance Imaging in Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 58(6), BIO121-BIO130.
  30. Lindner M, Nadal J, Mauschitz MM, Luning A, Czauderna J, Pfau M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Schmid M, Fleckenstein M (2017). Combined Fundus Autofluorescence and Near Infrared Reflectance as Prognostic Biomarkers for Visual Acuity in Foveal-Sparing Geographic Atrophy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 58(6), BIO61-BIO67.

Review

  1. Fleckenstein M, Mitchell P, Freund KB, Sadda S, Holz FG, Brittain C, Henry EC, Ferrara D (2018). The Progression of Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration. [Review]. Ophthalmology, 125(3), 369-390.

Conference Proceedings

  1. Sadda SR, Guymer R, Holz FG, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Curcio CA, Bird AC, Blodi BA, Bottoni F, Chakravarthy U, Chew EY, Csaky K, Danis RP, Fleckenstein M, Freund KB, Grunwald J, Hoyng CB, Jaffe GJ, Liakopoulos S, Mons JM, Pauleikhoff D, Rosenfeld PJ, Sarraf D, Spaide RF, Tadayoni R, Tufail A, Wolf S, Staurenghi G (2018). Consensus Definition for Atrophy Associated with Age-Related Macular Degeneration on OCT: Classification of Atrophy Report 3. Ophthalmology, United States, 125(4), 537-548.
  2. Holz FG, Sadda SR, Staurenghi G, Lindner M, Bird AC, Blodi BA, Bottoni F, Chakravarthy U, Chew EY, Csaky K, Curcio CA, Danis R, Fleckenstein M, Freund KB, Grunwald J, Guymer R, Hoyng CB, Jaffe GJ, Liakopoulos S, Mones JM, Oishi A, Pauleikhoff D, Rosenfeld PJ, Sarraf D, Spaide RF, Tadayoni R, Tufail A, Wolf S, Schmitz-Valckenberg S (2017). Imaging Protocols in Clinical Studies in Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Recommendations from Classification of Atrophy Consensus Meetings. Ophthalmology, United States, 124(4), 464-478.

Global Impact

Education History

Professional Medical University of Heidelberg School of Medicine
Medicine
M.D.

News Articles

Moran Researchers Applying Artificial Intelligence for Age-Related Macular Degeneration Breakthroughs

Moran Patients, Physicians, Staff Navigating Care for Vision-Threatening Conditions During the Covid-19 Pandemic 

Clinician-Scientist Monika Fleckenstein, MD, Joins Moran Eye Center

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