OHSU Casey Eye Institute has invested in the long-term, foundational aspects of innovation, which has led to remarkable breakthroughs in vision health. We are excited to present Innovations 2023, featuring highlights of Casey Eye Institute's transformative work in ophthalmology research and clinical care, which have been built on a sustained commitment to discovery.

The Oregon Vision Health Network will increase access to vision screenings, promote early detection, and enhance care coordination to overcome barriers to accessing eye care for communities who are at the highest risk for blindness. Learn more.

Researchers discovered circulating hybrid cells present in the blood of patients with ocular melanoma. Measuring the levels of these hybrid cells at initial diagnosis was shown to predict which patients have cancer that eventually spreads outside the eye. Learn more.

Led by the ophthalmic genetics team at Casey Eye Institute, the Retinal Stem Cell Center is building a repository of stem cell lines from patients with inherited retinal diseases to do pre-clinical trial research that advances new treatments. Learn more.

Dr. David Huang was elected a Member of the National Academy of Engineering’s Class of 2023 in recognition of his distinguished contributions to engineering. Dr. Huang co-invented optical coherence tomography, or OCT, an ocular imaging technology that revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. Learn more.

Usher Syndrome is a hereditary condition that causes deafness and blindness in children, and there is no treatment. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have confirmed the first-ever nonhuman primate model of the disease, which means that a gene therapy can finally be tested for the condition. It could help affected children retain their sight. Learn more.

OHSU and Oregon State University researchers are developing a new approach to gene therapy that uses lipid nanoparticles to target light-sensitive cells in the eye and may improve how physicians treat inherited forms of blindness. Learn more.

“It's quite remarkable how much reconstruction we can do in this part of the eye versus other parts of the eye, like the retina...We can get fantastic outcomes, and are often able to give patients their lives back,” said Dr. Winston Chamberlain, cornea specialist at Casey Eye Institute. Learn more about the latest in corneal disease clinical care and research.

The Casey community and the Oregon State Elks Association celebrated the grand opening of the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic (ECEC) building on Marquam Hill. The Grand Opening was a celebration of the historic facility and an occasion to recognize the incredible role the Oregon State Elks Association have played in Casey’s success over decades. Learn more.

OHSU School of Medicine Interim Dean David Jacoby has appointed Andreas K. Lauer, M.D., director of the Casey Eye Institute, succeeding Dr. David J. Wilson, M.D., who retired June 30. Dr. Lauer takes on the director role in addition to his roles as professor and chair of ophthalmology in the school. 

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is on the rise in the U.S. and around the world—particularly among children. "If we can do something now to slow myopia development in children, we have the chance to prevent irreversible visual loss down the road," said Dr. Douglas Fredrick. Learn more.

The Ocular Immunology Laboratory at Casey Eye Institute, led by Dr. Grazyna Adamus, is in demand as the only location in the world offering a special antibody test to diagnose rare and challenging cancers that can cause vision loss. Once diagnosed, it allows doctors to identify the cause for vision loss and to begin the search for the undiagnosed cancer. Learn more.

“Facial paralysis is a fairly common issue, and one that has profound psychosocial effects. For maintaining eye health, the best care is early care,” said Dr. John Ng. OHSU is the only center in Oregon and only one of a handful in the U.S. that offers minimally invasive corneal neurotization, a technique of grafting a healthy donor nerve to the affected eye to restore sensation. Learn more.

Researchers at Casey Eye Institute take a cooperative approach to glaucoma research by studying both the front (anterior) and back (posterior) mechanisms in the eye. This collegial environment allows for a lot of excitement in discovery working towards breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment options to fight this sight-stealing disease. Learn more.

Groundbreaking work in ultrawide-field by researchers at Casey Eye Institute represents the next evolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT). This innovative technology makes it possible for doctors to see wide areas of the retina, and can be used to help improve diagnosis and treatment for many eye diseases. Learn more.

How can we improve the evaluation and care of patients with glaucoma? Early diagnosis is key. Learn more.

Just months after receiving gene therapy surgery at OHSU Casey Eye Institute, JoDee Hambright wrote her doctors to say, “I am ecstatic to report that my night vision has improved drastically. I was able to see stars with my naked eye for the first time!”

Hambright was one of the first 14 patients to receive the groundbreaking gene therapy Luxturna at Casey—one of only six sites in the U.S. qualified to offer this vision-saving treatment. Learn more about JoDee's story.

The start of the academic year in July 2021 was very exciting as we welcomed new residents to our program including the inaugural class of integrated internship, expanding our program to include 20 total residents. All of our residents play a central role in not only clinical care but also our outreach program, which is an important part of our culture of service. Read more about our expanded residency program.

Nine community health workers from Hood River’s One Community Health were the first to receive training on the basics of eye health on Nov. 12, 2021, as part of a statewide effort to improve eye care access for the state’s underserved and underinsured residents.

Called the Oregon Vision Health Network, the effort involves OHSU’s Casey Community Outreach Program growing partnerships with community clinics across the state to train local community health workers and clinical staff as vision health navigators who will help local residents determine if they need glasses or if they might have common sight-threatening diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Read the OHSU News story.

"Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)​ is part of a national research project investigating stem cell therapy as a potential treatment for glaucoma, the world’s second leading cause of blindness.

As part of the study, Casey Eye Institute researcher Benjamin Sivyer, Ph.D., will evaluate whether lab-transplanted cells respond to light, are successfully transplanted and form the eye-retina connections needed for vision." Read OHSU News article.

Although it’s too soon to know if the experimental treatment will impact her own vision, Knight volunteered for the trial to help children enhance their own lives with the increased opportunities that sight can bring.

Casey is part of a landmark study designed to restore vision for people with a rare inherited retinal disease. Dr. Mark Pennesi leads OHSU’s involvement in the clinical trial, which is the first time scientists are using the gene-editing technique CRISPR inside the human body. Read the story.

We are excited to announce two new philanthropic gifts totaling $3.25 million to the Casey Community Outreach Program. These generous donations from the Roundhouse Foundation and Oregon philanthropist Heather Killough are making it possible to dramatically expand the free mobile clinic services we provide and save more Oregonians from preventable blindness. Read the OHSU News story.

We are extremely grateful to our donors for this funding, and feel fortunate to have such wonderful friends, volunteers and community partners who share our commitment to reaching more individuals in need of vision health services. Read the ONWARD blog post.

Using data analytics to solve real-world workflow challenges, clinical informaticist Michelle Hribar, Ph.D., created scheduling templates based on novel computer models that reduced patient wait times by 15% while increasing clinic volumes by 15%.

“If you can schedule patients whose exams are going to take a short time and have less variability at the beginning of clinic, you can avoid the snowball effect of delays that lead to long wait times,” Hribar found.

Learn more about these novel models and how Casey is using computers to support patient care.

Vision researchers at Casey Eye Institute use new visible-light OCT technology and novel algorithm to detect blood oxygen saturation in retinal capillaries. Yali Jia, Ph.D., and her lab are the first to bring this technology to the capillary level. This could lead to earlier detection of many blinding eye diseases and could have a major impact on doctors’ ability to save sight.

"This technology has applications for retinal diseases and glaucoma but could also impact imaging for all vascular diseases, including stroke," says Dr. Jia. Learn more.

After the first gene editing procedure in a living person in all of medicine was performed at Casey, Dr. Mark Pennesi and Dr. Andy Lauer share about their experience with gene editing procedures and the implications of CRISPR beyond ophthalmology.

As part of the BRILLIANCE clinical trial, the first-ever CRISPR gene editing in vivo was performed in early 2020 to repair genes causing Leber congenital amaurosis type 10. Learn more.

The OHSU Casey Eye Institute has used a stem cell therapy in the retina for the first time as part of a Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of an experimental treatment for an inherited blindness-causing disorder.

The study is exploring the use of human retinal progenitor cells, which are early descendants of stem cells that can differentiate into retinal cells, but can’t divide or reproduce indefinitely. The study sponsor, ReNeuron, is exploring these cells as a potential way to treat retinitis pigmentosa, or RP. Read the full story on OHSU Research News.

The 2020 Impact Report for the Casey Community Outreach Program is now available. Entirely donor funded and volunteer driven, the Casey Community Outreach Program has traveled over 35,000 miles to bring much needed vision services to our most vulnerable communities. We were grateful to get back on the road for the second half of 2020 to continue our mission to end preventable blindness in Oregon. View program highlights and celebrate the impact of the Casey Community Outreach Program in 2020 and over the last decade in this Annual Impact Report.

We are proud to announce that the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic building opens it's doors Dec. 8, 2020. The 60,000 square-foot facility sits adjacent to the current Casey Eye Institute, and provides space to advance work in macular degeneration research and patient care, gene therapy, children’s eye care, community outreach and more. It is the first free-standing eye institute for pediatric patients in the nation.

Learn more about this "site for sight."

Casey faculty member David Huang, M.D., Ph.D., receives Visionary Award from The Sanford and Susan Greenberg Prize to End Blindness.

Dr. Huang is being recognized for co-inventing optical coherence tomography (OCT), an eye imaging technology now widely used to diagnose and guide treatments for many eye diseases. Dr. Huang, who is Casey Eye Institute’s Associate Director and Director of Research, is one of only 13 scientists chosen for this prize based on his scientific and medical contributions to ending blindness. Read the OHSU News story.

Maria Leonar Garcia Pio, 55, had learned to live with blurred vision because she couldn’t afford to see an eye doctor. She became the 10,000th participant screened by the program and was referred to an eye doctor to address her cataracts, a condition that can lead to blindness if left untreated. Read more about her story.

More than 10,000 people like Garcia Pio have received a free eye exam from an ophthalmologist through the OHSU Casey Community Outreach Program, which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year.

We are thrilled to share that Casey’s Dr. Michael Chiang has been named the new director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and is a strong attestation of Mike's superb qualities and skill as a physician, ophthalmologist, researcher, educator and leader. The timing is also an immense opportunity for Mike to apply his expertise in informatics and big data to the benefit of vision science and patient care nationwide. 

Although we are saddened by his departure, we wish him the best in his new role! Read the full article.

Physicians at OHSU Casey Eye Institute performed the first ever gene editing procedure inside the human body on a patient with a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa. Read the article.

This marks a major advance for all of medicine as we enter an era of repairing inherited genetic diseases. The research is being led by Mark Pennesi, M.D., Ph.D., who leads the Paul H. Casey Genetics Division, and the surgery was performed by Andreas Lauer, M.D., chair of the Casey Eye Institute.

Caption: Mark Pennesi, M.D., Ph.D., who leads OHSU's involvement in the trial, center right, looks on as staff at Oregon Health & Science University's Casey Eye Institute perform the first-ever in vivo CRISPR gene edit procedure for the BRILLIANCE clinical trial. The study uses the gene-editing technology CRISPR to repair mutations in the CEP290 gene that cause a rare form of inherited blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis type 10. The trial is sponsored by Allergan plc. and Editas Medicine. (OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

Vision frames our experiences with the world, but we don’t always take a moment to appreciate everything our eyes do for us. This is that moment.

Powered by Casey, The Eye Love Project is a giant, eye shaped exhibit where people can take a moment to appreciate their vision and share personal stories about how we see the world, together.

Read the full article.

Can artificial intelligence detect eye disease? An artificial intelligence algorithm developed by Casey researchers received breakthrough device status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This technology can detect a potentially blinding eye disease in preemie babies better than most experts. Read the full article. 

The FDA recommended approval of a new thyroid eye disease drug tested at Casey after Dr. Roger Dailey and his patient, Judy Bachman, went to D.C. to testify in support of the drug.

Thyroid eye disease can lead to blindness if untreated. Also known as Graves’ eye disease, the autoimmune condition is often associated with thyroid disorders and is believed to affect up to 75,000 Americans. Until now, there’s been no cure for this disease.

“I stopped reading because I couldn’t track the words. Sewing was torture, and I couldn’t go bicycling. But I don’t have those troubles now,” said Bachman, who testified before the FDA committee about her experience with the drug through the trial. Read the article.

“If Dr. Wilson and the Casey Eye Institute were to completely up and move across the country, I would still fly Aliyah to see them. There is absolutely no one else I would entrust completely to handle her care.”

3 year-old Aliyah was at home when she sustained an eye injury, and when her parents rushed her to their optometrist they were sent immediately to OHSU - three and a half hours away. After two years and over 2,000 hours of using an eye patch, Aliyah wanted to commemorate her last day using the patch by wearing a Wonder Woman costume. Read the full story.

Paul Casey cares deeply about the OHSU Casey Eye Institute. Not a surprise: His family name is on the building. But you can’t fully understand the “why” of Paul’s generosity toward the institute without learning where he comes from. It’s a story of loss and luck. Inventiveness and determination. Grit and gratitude. Read the full article.

Note: The profile above appeared in the November 2019 issue of Onward Magazine, just prior to Mr. Casey's passing. We are grateful for his generous and steadfast support of the Casey Eye Institute. 

A genetic mutation that leads to a rare, but devastating blindness-causing syndrome has been discovered in monkeys for the first time. The finding offers a promising way to develop gene and cell therapies that could treat the condition in people...Read the full article.

“You have that choice to either give up and assume everything is hopeless or choose to take action and not only help yourself but others around you as well.”

Brendan Creemer, a student from Lewis & Clark College, spent much of the summer in the laboratory of Oregon Health and Science University in the lab of neuroscientists Martha Neuringer, Ph.D., and Trevor McGill, Ph.D., working on a method to improve the ability to use stem cells as a possible treatment for Usher syndrome. Creemer has Usher syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes progressive vision loss and deafness.

Read the full article to find out more about Creemer's story and what the personal connection means to OHSU scientists.

Kathryn Marxen-Simonson, 30, of Portland, Oregon, has had limited vision since she was 3 ½ months old, when she developed retinopathy of prematurity as a baby born prematurely at 25 weeks gestation...Read the article.

Local TV station KATU News aired a story featuring the Low Vision Rehabilitation Center's occupational therapist, Kathryn Marxen-Simonson, and one of her cliets, View the video.

Marilyn Hart likes to joke that her longtime doctor, Casey Eye Institute Director David Wilson, MD, the Paul H. Casey chair in ocular oncology, once told her she could be a “poster child” for successful eye surgeries. Read the full article.

David Wilson, M.D., professor of ophthalmology, OHSU School of Medicine, and director, Casey Eye Institute, was appointed the inaugural recipient of the Paul H. Casey Chair in Ocular Oncology....Read more.

Doing work you love is a key ingredient in a long, satisfying career. No one knows this better than Robert Watzke, a professor in the OHSU Casey Eye Institute. Dr. Watzke joined OHSU as a full professor in 1984 after a 30-year career in Iowa. He recently retired but is still involved in teaching residents. Listen to the OHSU Now interview. 

A crowd cheered as it watched the final beam being hoisted onto the highest level of the five-story, 60,000-square-foot building, which will be completed in 2020. Before the beam was erected, they had lined up to make their mark on the new project by signing the 1,437-pound piece...Read the full article.

Throughout his first four years, young Caspian Soto has navigated life differently than most.

He wears a headlamp to brighten the world before him and uses a cane to feel the ground’s surface – and sometimes, for fun, also rides it like a witch on a broom. Without these items, he used to become frustrated as he routinely bumped into objects that were in clear view for others, but hidden to him...Read the full article.

Thanks to a $20 million pledge from the Elks, OHSU is able to break ground June 2 on a $50 million, 60,000 square-foot building that will be named the Oregon Elks Children’s Eye Clinic...Read the full article.

Accurately detecting a rare but devastating cause of blindness in premature babies can be done as effectively with telemedicine as with traditional, in-person eye exams, a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests. This is believed to be the first study to directly compare the two approaches.

The finding could enable more blindness-preventing treatment for infants born in rural and other areas where there are few ophthalmologists trained to detect the condition, called retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP. Musician Stevie Wonder went blind due to this condition...Read the full article.