UC Davis ophthalmology professor to deliver keynote lecture at glaucoma society meeting

James D. Brandt, professor of ophthalmology and vision science and director of the Glaucoma Service at the UC Davis Eye Center, will deliver the Clinician-Scientist Lecture at the 22nd annual meeting of the American Glaucoma Society on March 3 in New York.

His talk, entitled "Is it real or is it artifact  - what the cornea can tell us about glaucoma," will summarize nearly two decades of research on the role of central corneal thickness in the diagnosis of glaucoma.

As a principal investigator of the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, a $40 million National Eye Institute clinical trial focused on early prevention and treatments for glaucoma, Brandt spearheaded the identification of central corneal thickness as an independent risk factor for glaucoma. Today, that measure is recognized as an important predictor for glaucoma, and central corneal thickness and the genes that control it are new targets for understanding the biology of glaucoma, the second-eading cause of blindness worldwide.

Brandt also focuses on infantile and pediatric glaucomas and conducts research on the material properties of the eye as they affect the measurement of intraocular pressure and in the physiology of outflow resistance. He is currently collaborating with researchers in the fields of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering to develop new methods to measure outflow resistance in the living human eye.

The mission of the American Glaucoma Society is to promote excellence in the care of patients with glaucoma and preserve or enhance vision by supporting glaucoma specialists and scientists through the advancement of education and research. Established in 1985, the society has more than 800 members from 17 countries.

The UC Davis Eye Center aims to be the world's transformational leader in collaborative vision research and in the development of cures for blinding eye diseases from cornea to cortex.