William D. Mathers, M.D.
Background
I have three areas of interest in my research. I have studied for many years the complications of contact lenses. In particular, I am interested in a type of infection caused by an amoeba which is particularly difficult to diagnose and treat. It is also much more common than generally appreciated. It can be diagnosed by a specialized type of microscope that examines the surface of the living eye without injuring it. I am considered one of the worlds’ authorities on this disease called acanthamoeba keratitis. I have also been studying the relative safety of contacts versus laser surgery. By comparing the risks in ways that can be calculated and objectively assessed, we have determined that laser surgery and contact lenses represent risks that are remarkably similar although they occur over different time frames and each has its own set of complications. This is a public health issue of large proportions since thirty million Americans wear contacts and millions undergo laser surgery every year. Understanding these risks will help us make both approaches to vision correction safer for everyone. I am also an authority on dry eye and have studied the mechanisms that cause dry eye from both a clinical and basic science point of view. Dry eye is fundamentally a stress response controlled by gene expression in the lacrimal gland. This work has lead to the study of how the body controls gene expression in general and thus to the study of transcription factors, the proteins that bind to our DNA and control our genes. We have created a new technology that can measure the activity of these proteins, not just one at a time which is the limit of our current science, but all at once from a single sample of tissue. The primary application of this discovery will be in cancer research, since cancer growth occurs when gene expression is out of control. We have created a startup company, Genefac, to develop this concept. We hope to enable scientists and laboratories everywhere to use this technology to find new cures for disease.
Selected Publications
"Acanthamoeba keratitis: The persistence of cases following a multistate outbreak,"
"The role of medications in causing dry eye,"
"Femtosecond laser-assisted keratoplasty in failed penetrating keratoplasty and globe trauma,"
"Comparison of femtosecond laser-assisted keratoplasty versus conventional penetrating keratoplasty,"
"Laser in situ keratomileusis versus long-term contact lens wear: Decision analysis,"
