More than 3 million people in the United States are currently living with glaucoma—the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The National Eye Institute predicts that this number will skyrocket to 4.2 million by the year 2030.
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month and the Department of Ophthalmology at IU School of Medicine is at the forefront of glaucoma research, treatment and prevention. The below experts are available to talk to media about the effects of glaucoma and ways to prevent this devastating disease.
Louis Cantor, MD, is the Jay C. and Lucile L. Kahn Professor of Glaucoma Research and Education at IU School of Medicine. An IU School of Medicine alumnus, Dr. Cantor served as chair for the department from 2009-2017 and played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute. Dr. Cantor is heavily involved in research regarding glaucoma laser therapy, glaucoma surgical therapy and glaucoma pharmaceutical and biomedical research.
Darrell WuDunn, MD, PhD, is a principal investigator for several clinical trials involving new treatments for glaucoma, most of which focus on the outcomes of glaucoma surgery. He is currently leading a department-wide effort to study the proteins of ocular fluid with the goal to identify protein-signaling pathways that are affected in glaucoma and other eye diseases, which could lead to better treatments for these conditions.
Alon Harris, PhD, serves as the director of clinical research and director of the Glaucoma Research and Diagnostic Center at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute. An internationally-recognized leader in clinical ophthalmic research, his areas of expertise include glaucoma, ocular perfusion assessment, ophthalmic treatments and ocular imaging as it relates to minority populations.
Please direct all media inquiries to Emily McKnight at emcmckni@iu.edu or 317-274-2656. Images and video are available upon request.