Research Roundup
All biomedical research is an expensive endeavor, which can drive funders like the National Institutes of Health to prefer “safe” research projects with abundant preliminary data. “Safe” research, however, does not tend to advance the state of knowledge quickly. Funding agencies and The Ohio State University itself are increasingly providing pilot awards for small-scale, proof-of-concept projects that generate preliminary data that can form the backbone for proposals for larger projects, like multi-center clinical trials. This issue of BuckEYE magazine is an illustration of the variety of pilot projects under way in the College of Optometry. Look for the larger awards resulting from these pilot projects in future years!
Marjean Kulp (OD’91, MS’93) was awarded a $503,656 National Eye Institute clinical trial planning grant entitled Identification or School-Age Eye Conditions Evaluation. Vision screening, a key public health tool to identify children at risk for vision problems (significant uncorrected refractive error, amblyopia, and strabismus) is currently mandated in 41 states; however, it is not known which currently used screening test(s) effectively identify at-risk school-age children in need of further eye care. Development of evidence-based school-age vision screening guidelines and policies requires much stronger data on the effectiveness of screening tests than are currently available. This planning grant helps lay the foundation for a future multi-center clinical trial to determine the best screening test(s) for identification of school-age children at risk for significant vision problems that are common in school-age children and may impede learning.
Marjean Kulp (OD’91, MS’93) was selected to receive a President’s Research Excellence (PRE) Accelerator award ($32,864) for the multi-center study, Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Quality-Of-Life (QoL) of Children with Concussion- and Non-Concussion-Related Binocular Vision, Accommodative, and Tracking (BVAT) Disorders and Development of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) using Qualitative Inquiry. This program, funded by The Ohio State University, provides funding for interdisciplinary, early-stage research with the potential to garner external funding. The goal of this research is to develop a validated, comprehensive, technologically advanced patient-report outcome measure to evaluate the impact of BVAT disorders in children with and without a concussion.
Bradley Dougherty (OD/MS’07, PhD’13) was awarded a $50,000 Pilot Grant under the Center for Clinical and Translational Science Pilot Program for his study, Using Simulator-based Approaches to Train Bioptic Drivers: A Pilot Study. Only a small minority of people with moderate vision loss who would likely qualify to obtain a bioptic driver’s license are currently licensed bioptic drivers, despite the potential significant impact on independence. Lack of access to the labor-intensive training is a barrier. Dr. Dougherty and his collaborators will assess the feasibility of translating evidence-based simulator driver training to bioptic drivers.
VSP Innovations in Research Grants
Congratulations to the 2024 recipients of the VSP Innovations in Research Grants, Heather Chandler, PhD, and Teng Leng Ooi, PhD! Each has been awarded $20,000.
Dr. Chandler’s award will support her continued work on corneas. Corneal transplantation remains the standard surgical technique for treating corneal opacities and this treatment relies on the availability of donor corneas. Although several attempts have been made to replace donor corneas with synthetic materials, to date, none of have been successful in generating an artificial corneal replacement. The chief objective of this study is to determine the utility of our novel bioprinted corneal scaffolds to improve corneal transplant outcomes. This innovative work will utilize a new tissue bioprinting approach to ensure biocompatibility and tissue transparency to support future integration of the scaffolds into the cornea.
The award will fund Dr. Ooi’s efforts to evaluate treatment using virtual reality environments. Convergence Insufficiency (CI) is a common eye disorder that leads to eyestrain when performing near point activities like reading or sewing. Research has shown that traditional office-based vision therapy is effective in treating CI. Yet, patients’ access to vision therapy is often limited by cost and proximity to the eye doctors’ offices. Our research attempts to make vision therapy more accessible by exploring whether implementing the vision training in a virtual reality (VR) environment, a technology that is becoming more common in the household, can be effective in treating CI.
Student Research
Matthew Andrew (’26), an OD/MS student in the Class of 2026, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Barr-Stiegemeier Award. This award will provide him with funds to pursue research to identify at-risk patients for sight-threatening adverse events related to soft contact lens wear. Matt will conduct his research under the mentorship of Dr. Melissa Bailey. The Barr-Stiegemeier Award was established by Drs. Joseph T. Barr and Mary Jo Stiegemeier to support the research of graduate students who have specific interest in cornea and contact lens education and knowledge.
Lauren Schneider (OD/MS’22), a PhD student in the vision science graduate program, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Arene T. Wray Fellowship. The Arene T. Wray Fellowship was created to promote optometric research and is specifically designated for graduate students who “can do the best work in optometry.” Dr. Schneider is pursuing her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Heather Anderson and is investigating sources of reduced visual acuity in individuals with Down syndrome. Through her research, she hopes to “improve optometric practices for individuals with disabilities and make the eye care experience more accessible for all patients.”
