Residency and fellowship program directors in the University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology described the Class of 2022 as incredibly resilient. The graduating class, comprised of six residents and five fellows, has withstood frequent changes in training, hospital protocols, and personal milestones amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patient Care Community Cataracts
“You can’t hurt steel.”
Phil Cusimano means it, too. While fixing his roof a few months ago, the 74-year-old veteran fell through and onto his patio – getting right up with nothing but a scratch.
Cusimano is known for his strength, from excelling in track and field during his high school days to enlisting in 1967 to serve in the Vietnam War. His kryptonite seemed to be his eyes.
Rachel Wittel | 
June 23, 2022
Residency and fellowship program directors in the University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology described the Class of 2022 as incredibly resilient. The graduating class, comprised of six residents and five fellows, has withstood frequent changes in training, hospital protocols, and personal milestones amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rachel Wittel | June 19, 2022
Community COVID-19 Cataracts Cornea
The COVID-19 pandemic found many of us spending more time in isolation, exercising less, and eating and drinking more. All of that caused negative effects on physical and mental health, but what did the pandemic mean for our eye health? As it turns out, plenty — from the effects of increasing screen time to skipping routine eye exams due to COVID-related health concerns.
Greg Glasgow | June 19, 2022
Pop singer Justin Bieber shocked fans last week when he posted a video on Instagram in which he explained he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a condition that causes paralysis on one side of the face.
Greg Glasgow | June 14, 2022
Patient Care Clinical Trials CU Medicine Today
Brigette Douglass lives by the 10% rule: To avoid losing sight of the big picture of her life, she never lets anything consume more than 10% of her focus.
This approach has allowed a full embrace of family, career, and world travel adventures while also becoming one of the longest-participating patients in a clinical trial for metastatic uveal melanoma.
Rachel Wittel | April 27, 2022
Patient Care Advancement Cataracts Glaucoma
Philip Tarlow’s inspiration to pursue art was sparked at an early age. He recalls a kindergarten teacher noticing his fascination with construction workers, which ultimately became the subject matter of his creations 30 years later.
Rachel Wittel | April 13, 2022
As ski season comes to a close in Colorado, the spring and summer seasons remain sprinkled with winter’s health risks. Whether you are hiking at higher elevations, skiing, or spending the day by a lake, a condition known as snow blindness could occur at any point during the year.
Rachel Wittel | March 29, 2022
Innovation Press Releases Health Sciences
Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer, PhD, has been named chief of the new Division of Artificial Medical Intelligence in Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado (CU) School of Medicine. In her new role, Kalpathy-Cramer will translate novel artificial intelligence (AI) methods into effective patient care practices at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center.
Rachel Wittel | March 17, 2022
Patient Care Awareness Low Vision Rehabilitation
By the time Karre Wakefield’s friends and classmates turned 16 and got behind the wheel, she had accepted riding as only a passenger. Wakefield was born with hydrocephalus, or excess fluid in her brain, which damaged her optic nerve and rendered her ineligible for a driver’s license in the state of Colorado.
Rachel Wittel | February 04, 2022
Procedures to alleviate eye pressure associated with blinding diseases such as glaucoma date back over a century. Although glaucoma, a condition that damages the eye’s optic nerve, allows for a number of treatment options prior to surgery, including drops and lasers, research has shown traditional surgical techniques could result in higher risks of vision complications, longer recovery times, and higher associated costs. Identifying this disconnect, Malik Y. Kahook, MD, professor of ophthalmology and the Slater Family Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, sought out a more accessible and practical solution to propel glaucoma treatment into the 21st century.
Rachel Wittel | January 31, 2022
Press Releases Community Faculty
Malik Y. Kahook, MD, professor of ophthalmology and the Slater Family Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been named chair of the Orbis Medical Advisory Committee. A global non-profit, Orbis International focuses on prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness through training, education, and advocacy, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Rachel Wittel | January 25, 2022
The University of Colorado School of Medicine is proud of our faculty's work at UCHealth that contributes to its annual rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals. These rankings are important as many students, residents, faculty, and patients consider these rankings when deciding where to train, practice and receive care.
School of Medicine | January 19, 2022
Research Patient Care Awareness
For more than a decade, Tom Poindexter managed his glaucoma with drops as routinely as brushing his teeth. Catching it early, he was diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma, the most common form, in his 50s.
Rachel Wittel | January 14, 2022
Although early warning signs are often out of sight, patients with any type of diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic eye disease. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision loss or blindness for people who have diabetes, but it’s not the only type of diabetic eye disease.
Rachel Wittel | November 29, 2021
Research Press Releases Advancement Epidemiology
Jennifer Patnaik, PhD, researcher at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, received the first-ever Philip and Elaine Ellis New Investigator in Ophthalmology Research Award. The gift provides independent research funding to new ophthalmic investigators.
Rachel Wittel | November 23, 2021
Press Releases Funding Advancement
Scott Oliver, MD, chief of the Retina Service and director of the Eye Cancer Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been named the inaugural Vitale-Schlessman Endowed Chair in Retinal Diseases at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, effective Nov. 1, 2021.
Rachel Wittel | November 16, 2021
CellSight researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are offering the first evidence connecting drusen formation, or yellowish deposits that accumulate under the retina, with extracellular vesicles and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Rachel Wittel | November 12, 2021
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have been awarded a $1.6 million, four-year grant by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study systemic biomarkers of inflammation that signal the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Rachel Wittel | November 08, 2021
If you think ghosts, goblins, and vampires are spooky, then beware of the terrors that can result from wearing costume contact lenses that have not been properly prescribed or fitted. Studies show people wearing cosmetic contacts have an increased risk for infections.
Rachel Wittel | October 26, 2021
Research Patient Care Community CU Medicine Today
The death of a 16-year-old boy who was bullied for being gay inspired Michael A. Puente, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, to campaign to change a 27-year-old federal regulation restricting the ability of gay and bisexual men to donate their corneas in the United States.
Chanthy Na | October 21, 2021
Kathryn Mayer was sitting outside with friends one evening when she experienced a strange sensation that caused her right eye to feel very blurry. She went to bed that night thinking it must be an issue with her contact lenses and carried on normally the next day.
Rachel Wittel | September 30, 2021
Patient Care Clinical Research
As controversy swirls around the first disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drug ever approved, top experts at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus see the move – for the most part – as a step forward.
Debra Melani | June 15, 2021
Diego Restrepo, PhD, professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is leading a National Institutes of Health-funded grant into why people infected with SARS-CoV-2 often lose their sense of smell. It’s frequently one of the first symptoms of the infection.
Chris Casey | March 23, 2021
Natalia Vergara, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been awarded a 3D ROC prize by the National Eye Institute (NEI) for her research team’s work to create better models to accelerate the development of new therapies for retinal diseases.
School of Medicine | February 03, 2021
During the months-long pandemic, healthcare providers have seen a lot of things, often on levels they have never seen before. From brain fog and loss of smell to leg clots and purple toes, what began as a mysterious pulmonary disease has shown the world that its destructive powers far transcend the lungs.
Debra Melani | January 21, 2021
Some forms of blindness and visual impairment can be cured with a corneal transplant surgery using donated eye tissue. However, federal regulations in the United States and Canada severely restrict the ability of sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating their eye tissue.
School of Medicine | September 24, 2020
Each year, Denver-area magazine 5280 publishes its list of top doctors. The annual list was recently released, and year after year, our CU School of Medicine faculty members were ranked among the best. We're proud to congratulate the more than 160 CU School of Medicine faculty members honored with the title top doctor.
School of Medicine | August 12, 2020
Research Press Releases COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have won a grant to study why many infected with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell.
David Kelly | July 21, 2020
The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has been awarded $4 million over the next four years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) grant. As a result, the university is now part of a national network of research institutions sharing best practices around commercialization of academic discoveries.
Staff | October 23, 2019
United by a mission to remove barriers, advance research and improve lives, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus with its hospital partners, Children’s Hospital Colorado and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, today launched its first-ever marketing campaign: This Is Breakthrough.
Staff | September 30, 2019
When an academic medical campus attracts the best minds in science and unleashes them on the biggest challenges in health care, barriers simply don’t stand a chance.
Staff | September 15, 2019
In contrast to the science fiction portrayal of evil computers plotting to overthrow humankind, artificial intelligence (AI) in fact seems poised to help improve human health in a multitude of ways, including flagging suspicious moles for dermatologist follow-up, monitoring blood volume in military field personnel and tracking flu outbreaks via Twitter.
Guest Contributor | September 03, 2019
When Valeria Canto-Soler, Ph.D., was a biology student in Argentina, she dreamed of a career studying elephants and other African wildlife in their natural habitat.
Kathleen Bohland | August 30, 2017
The Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and CU Innovations have awarded three researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus $350,000 grants with the hope they will strike scientific gold.
Michael Davidson | April 18, 2017
AURORA, Colo. – A new device designed to perform safer, more effective cataract surgery is going on the market following a licensing agreement between the University of Colorado and Mile High Ophthalmics LLC.
Staff | January 26, 2015
The CU Technology Transfer Office reports researchers from CU Anschutz have been granted two new patents.
Danielle Zieg | April 14, 2014
AURORA, Colo.– Galaxy Ophthalmics and CU have completed an exclusive option agreement to allow the company to commercialize an implantable medical device to help prevent loss of vision resulting from glaucoma.
Staff | November 04, 2013
Denver 7
May 24, 2022
Dr. Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer discusses a recent study found that AI deep learning models can be trained to identify race in these same medical images. Something radiologists could only determine with 50 percent accuracy.
AAO Newsroom
May 10, 2022
Dr. Casey Smith discusses guidelines on using corneal tomography to screen for keratoconus in children with Down syndrome. Screening is recommended not only because keratoconus is prevalent in this population, but because those with Down syndrome may be less likely to be myopic and to have lower rates of astigmatism at the time of keratoconus than those without Down syndrome.
Neurodiem
May 03, 2022
Half of the human brain is devoted to vision, either exclusively or through important connections within functional networks essential for memory, cognition, and behavior. Not surprisingly, most people with a neurodegenerative disease that leads to dementia will develop higher-order visual dysfunction at some point in the course of their illness, including the pre-dementia or mild cognitive impairment stage.
Glaucoma Today
April 30, 2022
Given that much clinical decision-making in glaucoma is based on IOP, it seems surprising that, on average, providers rely on a handful of in-office IOP measurements obtained over the course of a year to determine IOP control. Monica K. Ertel, MD, and Leonard K. Seibold, MD, discuss the use of the iCare Home to improve clinical decision-making.
