Message from the Chair: The Power of Imaging
At the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, we strive for excellence in everything we do to provide the best care possible for our patients—especially those facing complex eye conditions and diseases.
In so many cases, the right combination of imaging technology and medical expertise can save or improve vision. That’s why we pair cutting-edge imaging with exceptional physicians and staff who can leverage the increasingly detailed amounts of information these technologies provide.
Retinal Imaging Today and in the Future
World-class retinal specialists like Michael P. Teske, MD, Moran’s director of Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery, are now using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), one of the latest modalities in our array of imaging options, as part of their everyday practice. OCTA is non-invasive, cost-effective, and produces amazingly sharp 3D images of the retinal and choroidal vascular systems.
More conventional clinical technologies, like ophthalmic ultrasound, in the hands of physicians like Roger P. Harrie, MD, and electrophysiology, under the direction of Donnell J. Creel, PhD, are used to tease out the best diagnosis and treatment paths for complicated, and at times mysterious, cases.
And we have so much to look forward to as the field develops.
Moran physician-scientist Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, is investigating the potential uses of one of the most exciting new imaging technologies I have seen to date: fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO). His work has already uncovered much of FLIO’s enormous potential for clinical use in the early diagnosis of disease. It has also led to several world-first discoveries, playing an important role in identifying the first causal gene for a rare retinal disease, macular telangiectasia.
With the addition of Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg, MD, to the faculty in 2020, Moran will build a state-of-the-art ophthalmic reading center to evaluate images from research sites around the world and undoubtedly expand the role of imaging in research.
How Imaging Helps Patients
For this edition of Clinical Focus, I've asked some of our leading clinicians and researchers to highlight the role of imaging and electrophysiology in the care of our patients. I hope you will find their perspectives enlightening as we consider how new technologies are shaping and improving the practice of ophthalmology.
Sincerely,
Randall J Olson, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology
and Visual Sciences, University of Utah
CEO, John A. Moran Eye Center