From conducting groundbreaking research to delivering sight-saving care, there is much to celebrate in the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology. Though it is impossible to fully capture the department’s innovation and positive impact, through publishing more than 40 stories in 2025, the department’s newsroom provides a snapshot into the many ways the department is changing lives for the better.
The accomplishments this year are vast, whether it be opening a new pavilion to improve care for children, investigating ways to better treat eye conditions and injuries, or implementing new technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Though there is much variation in the work being done, it all advances the same mission — bringing sight to life.
To offer a look at how the department is elevating the field, below are the department’s top 10 impactful stories of 2025.
Research suggests there may be a link between semaglutide use in patients with diabetes and an increased risk for non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, which happens when blood flow to the optic nerve is blocked and causes sudden irreversible blindness in the eye. Neuro-ophthalmologist Mary Labowsky, MD, explains the association and what researchers want to know next.
Tuberculosis is commonly known for how it affects the lungs, but the disease can manifest in other parts of the body, including the eyes. Amit Reddy, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology, explains ocular tuberculosis, why it can be difficult to spot, and the treatments doctors use to address the infection and relieve the symptoms.
For centuries there have been anecdotes of mothers treating their children’s eyes with breast milk. Now, CU Anschutz ophthalmology researchers are diving into the science behind the practice.
Emily McCourt, MD, chief of pediatric ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital Colorado, is among a group of ophthalmology researchers and medical students who conducted a study that found human breast milk used on wounded corneas in animal models experienced increased re-epithelialization, a part of the wound healing process, compared to a saline solution and a prescription medication.
A historic $40 million gift to the CU Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology is poised to jumpstart potential cures for eye diseases like macular degeneration and glaucoma. The transformational investment has established the Department of Ophthalmology Research Endowment, which will help support basic science and advanced technologies like AI to transform vision care and aim to try to save and restore sight.
Part of the gift is available for immediate use, including funding for critical basic science research in vision preservation and restoration, while the rest will provide ongoing support well into the future. The donor, a patient at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, has chosen to remain anonymous.
The eye cancer known as uveal melanoma can be deadly when it spreads to organs like the liver, but historically there was no reliable way to know which uveal melanomas would become metastatic and which would remain local to the eye. Scott Oliver, MD, was one of several researchers who conducted a study to determine if the genetic profile of a uveal melanoma tumor can predict whether the cancer will metastasize.
Could a virtual reality headset offer a cheaper, easier, and more comfortable method of testing a person’s vision, particularly among patients with a degenerative eye condition called geographic atrophy? Preliminary research led by ophthalmologist Jesse Smith, MD, indicates that a VR-based vision test was as accurate as a standard test among patients with geographic atrophy, though further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Helping pediatric patients feel comfortable in a doctor’s office can be a challenge, but that was exactly the goal in designing the new eye clinic at Children’s Colorado Outpatient Care at Fitzsimons Village Pavilion in Aurora. Village Pavilion Eye Clinic, which officially opened its doors March 31, is an expansion from the main pediatric eye clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Ophthalmologist Emily Cole, MD, and AI researcher Praveer Singh, PhD, are collaborating to hone the capabilities of AI so that it can be applied in neonatal intensive care units. This AI tool aims to improve the process of evaluating an infant’s eyes for a disease called retinopathy of prematurity as well as detect other systemic diseases.
“We’ve been developing all these algorithms, but the key is ensuring they have real clinical utility and can be effectively translated from bench to bedside,” says Singh, a faculty member in the Division of Artificial Medical Intelligence in Ophthalmology. “That’s what makes this collaboration so exciting.”
The Slingsby family, with three generations of doctors who trained at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine, supports the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center’s mission to advance eye health care.
“With my father, me, and my son going to the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and getting excellent training there, supporting CU is a legacy for us. Watching the growth of the ophthalmology department and the research and advancements they’ve made, being donors seemed like a good way for us to give back,” says J. Geoffrey “Geoff” Slingsby, MD. “Whatever way we can help, that’s what we want to do.”
John Harper, president of the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute Foundation, reflects on the decades-long partnership between the foundation and CU Anschutz, underscoring the value of collaboration in advancing exceptional eye care.
“The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute Foundation has been instrumental in the growth of the CU Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology over the past 30 years,” says Naresh Mandava, MD, chair of the department. “Over 177,500 patient visits and almost 10,000 procedures occur at the eye center annually. All of this would not have been possible without the tremendous support of the Rocky Mountain Lions.”