Graduate Faculty
Get to Know Optometry's Graduate Faculty
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Dr. Heather Anderson’s research interests include pediatrics, binocular vision, and objective measurement of accommodation. In addition, Dr. Anderson conducts research with individuals who have Down syndrome with the goal of optimizing visual performance for this population. Her work with Down syndrome includes evaluation of objective spectacle prescribing strategies for refractive error, assessment of accommodation, and measurement of corneal anomalies and optical aberrations.
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Dr. Melissa Bailey’s laboratory, Lab4Eyes (u.osu.edu/bailey.352), is devoted to helping children and adults see better and read better. Dr. Bailey is a professor, a serial inventor with 30+ U.S. and international patents, and the 2022 Innovator of the Year. Two OSU startup companies have been created from her inventions. Additionally, she has general research interests in the areas of contact lens performance and design development, imaging the eye’s anterior segment with optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the role of the ciliary muscle in accommodation and myopia development.
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Dr. Angela Brown studies the development of sensitivity to colors and visual patterns, and has designed clinical tests of newborn and children’s vision. Collaborating with Dr. Delwin Lindsey, Dr. Brown uses behavioral and computational methods to study how people around the world identify, name, and communicate about the colors and other material properties of visible objects. Drs. Lindsey and Brown also study the neurophysiology of color vision using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the human brain.
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Dr. Michelle Buckland’s research interest are in the areas of binocular vision, sports vision and pediatric vision disorders. She has been involved in many large scale, multisite clinical trials studying myopia management, amblyopia, intermittent exotropia, and convergence insufficiency.
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Dr. Colleen Cebulla is a vitreoretinal specialist and ocular oncologist specializing primarily in adult patients with intraocular tumors and retinal disease.
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The research in Dr. Heather Chandler’s laboratory focuses on evaluating would healing in the cornea and lens, with an emphasis on mitigating fibrosis. She has developed multiple cell and tissue culture models and routinely uses molecular biology techniques to evaluate conditions such as limbal stem cell deficiency and posterior capsule opacification. While Dr. Chandler’s research is laboratory-based, the goal of her lab is to take basic science research findings and clinically apply them to the bedside.
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Dr. Stacey Choi’s research interest is the application of adaptive optics (AO) retinal imaging systems to enhance understanding of disease mechanisms of retinal and optic nerve diseases. The AO technology allows us to visualize cellular structures in the retina and optic nerve head in living eyes. We are particularly interested in identifying early biomarkers of these diseases from our in-vivo images and functional tests for earlier diagnosis, hence leading to better prognosis for the patients.
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Dr. Zachary Coates’ research interest lie predominantly within clinical research on age-related eye diseases like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. He also has an interest in vision-related social determinants of health and their impacts on both community and public health.
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Dr. Rebecca Deffler’s research activities focus on individuals with eye disease and vision impairment. She is interested in the delivery of low vision care, including the study of telehealth for low vision rehabilitation. Additional research goals include better understanding of interactions between vision and driving, and she is pursuing projects on the habits and performance of drivers with age-related eye disease.
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Dr. Nathan Doble’s research interest is the design, construction and use of high resolution retinal imaging systems to study the structure and function of the human eye. This is achieved through the use of adaptive optics to overcome the ocular aberration allowing for the ability to observe single cells in-vivo. The overall aim is to use cell based measurements of retinal health to predict disease at a much earlier stage than is currently possible clinically.
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Dr. Bradley Dougherty conducts research to better our understanding of the impact of vision impairment and to evaluate rehabilitation approaches for patients with low vision. He has conducted a number of studies investigating the visual factors associated with driving outcomes, including motor vehicle collisions. Other areas of interest include assessment of quality of life with vision impairment and the road safety of drivers with low vision who use bioptic telescopic spectacles.
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Dr. Michael Earley’s clinical research interests has included many multi-centered research projects including Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT), Amblyopia Treatment Study (ATS), and Vision in Preschooler (VIP) with other research projects involved in understanding the role of visual deficits in children with reading disability.
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In general terms, Dr. Andy Fischer’s lab studies neural development, regeneration and survival. In particular, the lab focuses on the development, regeneration and survival of cells in the neurosensory tissue of the eye, the retina. The lab studies retinal regeneration from neural stem cells derived by reprogramming of the support cells of the retina, the Müller glia.
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Dr. Roanne Flom’s interests are in the areas of collaborative research on the visual performance and life experiences of persons with impaired vision.
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Dr. Jennifer Fogt’s interests include anterior segment, tear lipid layer research, contact lens and solution design, myopia, and visual aspects of human performance. Dr. Fogt conducts research though the OSU Human Performance Consortium, the Scleral Lenses in Current Ophthalmic Practice Evaluation (SCOPE) Group and the Innovation in Vision and Eye care Research Group (iVERG). Her work with iVERG includes self-designed studies, working with industry to design clinical studies, and implementing multi-center clinical trials at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.
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In Dr. Nick Fogt’s laboratory, eye movements and head movements are monitored with a variety of devices. The eye movement studies are focused in two main areas. The first area of study involves eye and head coordination in sports. The second area of study looks at the neural pathways involved in coordination of the two eyes. Problems with eye movement coordination between the two eyes are common clinically.
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Signals travel from the eye to the brain via retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), and the anatomy and physiology of these neurons are the focus of Dr. Andy Hartwick’s research investigations. He is particularly interested in studying the function of a subset of RGCs that capture light and directly convert it into an electrical signal. In addition, he directs clinical studies that examine the effect of conditions such as traumatic brain injury on RGC photoreception.
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Dr. Lisa Jones-Jordan is the Director of the Data Coordination and Analysis Center (DCAC). The DCAC provides full-scale study support for research projects within Optometry, as well as outside of vision research. She is the principal investigator for the data coordinating center for the Bifocal Lenses in Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) Study, and the co-principal investigator on the Eye Problems in Concussed Children Study investigating vision issues in children following concussion.
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Dr. Marjean Kulp’s research interests include clinical research in pediatrics, binocular vision, vision screening, refractive error, and patient reported outcomes. Her research experience includes serving as The Ohio State University College of Optometry principal investigator for the Vision in Preschoolers-Hyperopia in Preschoolers Study, Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trials, Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group Studies (e.g., Amblyopia Treatment Studies, Hyperopia Treatment Study, Correction Of Myopia Evaluation Trial-2, Intermittent Exotropia Treatment studies 2, 5, 6), Luminopia, and Pirenzepine trials.
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Dr. Nicky Lai’s interests are in the area of advanced contact lens management of corneal disease and refractive conditions.
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The focus of Dr. Delwin Lindsey’s research is color cognition: how humans perceive, understand, and communicate about color. His research is often cross-cultural and exploits a variety of research modalities including behavioral and computational techniques. In collaboration with Dr. Angela Brown, his current projects examine the human neurophysiology of color appearance and the naming and classification of material properties other than color.
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Dr. Jun Liu’s research interest is in tissue biomechanics and ultrasound imaging. Her laboratory has developed high-performance ultrasound elastography and imaging methods to characterize complex 3D biomechanical responses of ocular tissue aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases such as keratoconus and glaucoma. Dr. Liu has been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator for NIH-funded projects to develop innovative methods for characterizing ocular biomechanics in vivo and investigating their roles in ocular pathophysiology.
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Ms. Lynn Mitchell has a varied research profile. She works with researchers in the areas of binocular vision (convergence and accommodation) and refractive error. Ms. Mitchell works with Dr. Heather Anderson to optimize visual performance in individuals with Down syndrome. Additionally, she currently leads a multi-center trial to develop normative data for kinetic field size measurements. She collaborates with researchers within the college and University community, and outside the University.
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Dr. Ann Morrison’s research interests include pediatrics, binocular vision, and refractive error development. Her primary research focus is studying highly farsighted infants, who often do not undergo emmetropization (a normal developmental process), leaving them at risk for things like amblyopia and strabismus. Her work is looking to see if early intervention can enhance emmetropization and reduce the risk of developing vision problems. Dr. Morrison also enjoys research related to intermittent exotropia, myopia control, and amblyopia.
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As an ophthalmologist, Dr. Sayoko Moroi specializes in the medical care and surgical management of glaucoma as well as treating patients with complex cataracts, unusually small eyes, “complex eyes” as part of a genetic condition, and complications after surgery.
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The focus of Dr. Don Mutti’s research is to understand the optical and structural development of the eye in order to learn the causes of refractive errors like myopia and hyperopia. The aims of current projects are to explore the basis of the beneficial effects of time outdoors on myopia, understand risk factors for myopia progression, evaluate the effectiveness of treatments to slow myopia progression, and how best to address hyperopia in infants and children.
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Dr. Matthew Ohr’s areas of specialization include vitreoretinal and corneal diseases. He is especially interested in advanced imaging technologies, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). This uses light waves to obtain detailed cross-sectional images of the eye. These images help us to clearly detect and treat problems.
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Dr. Teng Leng Ooi’s laboratory (u.osu.edu/ooi.22) performs research in binocular vision and visual space perception. She investigates how sensory visual information, cognitive factors, and motor signals are integrated for visually-guided actions in the 3D environment. Human subjects with and without clinically normal vision (strabismus, amblyopia and low vision) are tested using contemporary instruments in the real, virtual and augmented reality environments. The goal is to translate discoveries made into clinical utility to improve sensorimotor visual functions.
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Dr. Mawada Osman’s research interests are in community health and ocular disease, particularly investigating prevalence, risk factors and management strategies for ocular diseases within specific demographic groups and exploring the efficacy of community-based interventions.
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A major goal of Dr. Timothy (TJ) Plageman’s research is to elucidate how embryonic eye tissues shape themselves during development at a cellular and molecular level and how disruptions in these mechanisms lead to ocular malformations. To accomplish this goal, embryonic development of the eye is studied in both the mouse and chicken model systems and a variety of techniques are utilized that include live fluorescence microscopy, histology, and molecular biology.
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Dr. Cynthia Roberts’ expertise is in the clinical assessment of ocular biomechanics and clinical ocular diagnostic imaging technologies, including corneal topography/tomography and ocular coherence tomography of the anterior segment and retina. In ocular biomechanics, she is known for interpreting the complexity of biomechanical contribution to the development and progression of diseases, including cornea, as well as scleral contribution to response under air-puff loading of the cornea which is used clinically to assess biomechanical response.
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Dr. Andy Toole’s research interests mainly are in the area of pediatric and binocular vision disorders. He has been a part of many large scale, multisite clinical trials and observational studies evaluating convergence insufficiency, amblyopia, intermittent exotropia, hyperopia, and vision of preschoolers.
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Dr. Dean VanNasdale’s research focuses on advanced retinal imaging and visual function, with an emphasis on normal aging changes and pathological changes associated ocular and systemic diseases. The goal of this work is to identify biomarkers indicative of early pathological changes. Dr. VanNasdale has a separate research focus on population health data analysis. Using multiple, complementary datasets, Dr. VanNasdale studies associations between health determinants and vision impairment on a local, county, state, and national scale.
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The research conducted in Dr. Jeffrey Walline’s laboratory examines the use of current treatments for alternative purposes, such as prescribing orthokeratology or soft multifocal contact lenses for myopia control. He also verifies the use of new treatments, such as low concentration atropine, to delay the onset of myopia. His overarching goal is to ask important clinical questions and provide answers that can be performed on patients the day after reading the results in a scientific journal.
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Dr. Doug Widmer’s research interests are in the areas of pediatrics and binocular vision disorders.
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Dr. Walter Wu’s research explores the impact of vision impairment on everyday tasks, including understanding challenges faced by those with vision loss by linking vision test outcomes to daily experiences; assessing how vision loss affects reading and navigation; enhancing independence with assistive technologies that optimize residual vision; and addressing the challenges faced by visually impaired individuals in higher education and healthcare, focusing on improving accessibility and increasing awareness of ableism.
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Dr. Deyue (Dion) Yu’s research focuses on visual perception, perceptual learning, and their neural basis in normal and low vision. Research goals include investigating essential causes of the limitations faced by visually-impaired people, understanding the mechanisms underlying the behavioral and neural changes resulting from learning and visual impairment, developing efficient methods to obtain comprehensive assessment of functional vision, and establishing a general framework to guide the development of visual diagnostics and rehabilitation programs for visual disorders.
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Dr. Phillip Yuhas’s research activities center on ocular biomechanics and on the detection of neurodegenerative diseases in the eye. He is interested in how the eye responses to external forces in diseases like glaucoma and keratoconus and in how the structure and function of the retina change after traumatic brain injury. The goal of both of these areas of research is to develop clinical tests to facilitate the early detection and management of ocular and neurological disease.
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Dr. Aaron Zimmerman’s research interests involve sports vision and adverse events with contact lens wear. The majority of the sports vision research has been conducted using eye and head movement recording devices and assessing how those coordinate with each other while trying to intercept a baseball. At Ohio State we have an excellent patient population for studying adverse events related to contact lens wear. We are continuing to perform studies evaluating corneal conditions.
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Dr. Karla Zadnik was the Study Chairman for the NEI-funded Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study and chaired the first-ever NEI-funded multicenter study based in optometry, the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study. She was also the PI for the Childhood Atropine for Myopia Progression (CHAMP) Study. In addition, she has chaired the Biomedical Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB) for more than 15 years.
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Dr. Hua Zhu’s laboratory works on cellular and molecular pathways that are associated with corneal wound healing and regeneration. Using alkali burn or vesicant induced murine corneal injury model, we study injury induced crosstalk among different cell types, including corneal epithelial cells, stromal cells, endothelial cells, limbal stem cells, and immune cells. We hope to learn from these dynamic interactions associated with corneal injury and develop potential treatments to improve corneal healing and regeneration.