Research Projects
Resident: Dr. Tony Chae
In the literature, the incidence of exposure keratopathy (EK) in ICU patients has been documented up to 60% with several risk factors specific to the ICU setting that contribute to its development. Given the potential severity of complications associated with EK, a standardised approach to eye care to prevent EK is vital when caring for ICU patients. Various protocols outlining ophthalmic assessment and methods of ocular protection have been studied, which have shown effectiveness in preventing EK when developed and implemented in a multidisciplinary approach. Based on the literature and lessons learned from previous quality improvement projects, we propose a standardised eye care protocol tailored to the RAH ICU that can be incorporated into the existing care delivery models to ultimately help reduce the incidence of EK in the ICU patient care populations.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
PI: Dr. Imran Jivraj
Resident: Dr. Tony Chae
Patients diagnosed with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) can present with various ophthalmic manifestations including vision loss, diplopia, dyschromatopsia, and papilledema, which can have both acute and long-term visual implications. The diagnosis and management of CVT can be shared among multiple disciplines including neurology and ophthalmology as patients with CVT can present with neurological manifestations in the absence of the ophthalmic manifestations. Therefore, we hope to conduct a retrospective chart review of electronic medical charts of patients diagnosed with CVT to identify how many patients have had ophthalmic examinations, identify if there are certain risk factors that predispose patients with CVST to develop ophthalmic complications, and describe the optimal treatment options for patients with papilledema in the setting of CVT.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
PI: Dr. Imran Jivraj and Dr. Matthew Benson
Resident: Dr. Gurkaran Sarohia
Objective: To assess the management patterns for CRAO across Canada and to improve care for CRAO management in Northern Alberta.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Resident: Dr. Gurkaran Sarohia
Objective: To investigate and assess the intraoperative predictors for successful outcomes of iStent Inject for patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG).
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
PI: Dr. Parampal (Paul) Grewal
Resident: Dr. Rahul Moorjani
Objective: To quantify the environmental impact of each procedure as measured in CO2 eq. using a life cycle assessment analysis.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Resident: Dr. Rahul Moorjani
Objective: To pilot the first eye drop bottle recycling initiative in an outpatient clinic in Canada and discuss implementation pitfalls and pearls.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
PI: Dr. Mark E. Seamone, MSc MD FRCSC
Primary research interests include clinical research pertaining to the management of medical and surgical diseases of the retina and vitreous. Additional research interests include retinal imaging, as well as ocular immunology and its applications to retinal disease.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
PI: Dr. Ian M MacDonald
I am an Emeritus Professor with research interests in ocular genetics, gene therapy and visual electrophysiology. My research on the genetics of choroideremia, an X-linked retinal degeneration, spans 4 decades. At present, I have two major projects related to atypical genetic variants in choroideremia. We are investigating how these may be treated by natural compounds, drugs and antisense oligonucleotides.
As part of translational research and clinical trials, we participate in a Foundation Fighting Blindness Consortium that recruits patients with heritable eye disease to natural history studies (Uni-Rare). These studies include phenotyping as a prelude to clinical trials. With grant funding from Fighting Blindness Canada, we also enroll patients in a Registry for future clinical trials. In our translational research space, we assess patients who are part of industry-sponsored trials.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
PI: Dr. Ezekiel Weis
Dr. Weis’s primary research focuses are on the field of ocular oncology with specific interest on uveal melanoma. His research encompasses the spectrum of causes, early diagnosis, advances in therapeutics, patient reported outcomes, artificial intelligence, and outcomes. Projects include population based studies on the environmental factors that are associated with uveal melanoma. Early detection and treatment of uveal melanoma using novel molecular testing of tumors. Diagnostic imaging of intra-ocular tumors, including machine learning algorithms to detect tumors. And outcomes of eye preserving therapies.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Peroxisomes are ubiquitous subcellular organelles with important roles in lipid metabolism and cellular detoxification. Impaired peroxisome assembly and/or function leads to a spectrum of diseases in humans called peroxisomal biogenesis disorders (PBDs). Despite retinal degeneration and vision loss occurring frequently in patients with PBDs, precisely how peroxisome defects cause abnormal retinal function is largely unknown.
Our research group generates a type of retinal cell called retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to model and study disease mechanisms at the cellular level. Current projects include 1) analyzing the structural and/or functional integrity of mitochondria in peroxisome-deficient iPSC-RPE, and 2) studying peroxisome-deficient iPSC-RPE morphology and viability under various exogenous stressors.
CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a group of degenerative disorders that affect the structure and/or function of the outer retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Together, IRDs affect approximately 1 in 4000 patients worldwide. These diseases frequently cause progressive vision loss and therapeutic options are lacking in the majority of cases.
There are several IRDs that are frequently associated with extreme near-sightedness or high myopia. This clinical finding can help focus the differential diagnosis for a patient suspected of having an IRD and may help direct molecular diagnostic testing. In addition, exploring correlations between high myopia and specific monogenic diseases may potentially reveal shared molecular or cellular mechanisms. This project will involve conducting a literature review and preparing a manuscript highlighting the group of IRDs associated with high myopia.