Stephen A. Burns

Speaker

Stephen A. Burns, PhD
Professor & Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
School of Optometry, Indiana University

Date and Time

Monday, October 14, 2019
11:10 am - 12:30 pm

Location

489 Minor Hall
Berkeley, CA

Stephen A. Burns's Abstract

AOSLO Imaging of retinal vascular structure and function

Adaptive Optics has allowed imaging the eye with unprecendented resolution, and the range of anatomical targets accesible to measurements continues to expand as imaging improves and the range of contrast mechanisms for visualizing structure and function increases. Our laboratory has been studying changes to the retina in diabetes. The number of individuals affected by diabetes continues to increase worldwide. Diabetes often leads to diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME), the leading cause of vision loss among working age adults in the developed world. While strides are been made in managing serious diabetic retinopathy, using both laser and anti-VEGF based interventions, it is increasingly evident that earlier intervention can improve outcomes. However, with the development of new modes of intervention, and a re-emphasis on life-style interventions, it is increasingly evident that we need techniques for evaluating the early stages of vascular damage and a better understanding of the functional inter-relationship between the microvasculature and the neural retina. Unfortunately, most clinical diagnostics are not sensitive to early stages of diabetic retinopathy and are inaccurate for evaluating individual patients. AO imaging has the potential to address this lack. I will discuss results from our laboratory that use the increased precision of AO based retinal imaging along with the versatility of imaging available to make more precise measurements of vascular structural changes, as well as the use of the dynamic nature of AOSLO imaging to make precise measurments of blood flow in the retina.