Saving Sight: One Child at a Time

Led by Dr. Eileen Birch, the pediatric lab at the Retina Foundation specializes in research on technological innovations to improve early detection and treatment of pediatric eye conditions. Currently, the Pediatric Vision Laboratory is conducting three clinical trials of novel amblyopia treatments that utilize digital therapeutics. Uniquely, these clinical trials determine how eye conditions affect the whole child, not only vision but also their developing eye-hand coordination, self-perception, and quality of life. Our goal is to prevent lifelong visual impairment due to amblyopia that is only treatable during childhood.

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at no cost to their families!

Our Team: 

• Eileen Birch, PhD -Director
• Reed Jost, MS - Research Associate
• Christina Patel, CCRP, CCRC - Certified Clinical Research Coordinator
• Maria Yadarola, MD - Clinical Research Fellow

Advancements:

After the Retina Foundation discovered that DHA in mother’s milk is necessary for infant eye and brain development, two patents were established for DHA-enhanced infant formula to enhance eye and brain development. Now, enhanced formula containing DHA is sold worldwide.

The Retina Foundation’s discovery that congenital cataracts must be removed during the first weeks of life to enable normal vision and brain development transformed surgical practice on infants with cataracts.

Among the many diagnostic advancements made in pediatrics by the Retina Foundation, The ATS-HOTV and E-ETDRS visual acuity tests, the Randot Preschool Stereoacuity Test , and the Worth 4-Shape Fusion test are all now used widely in pediatric clinics and clinical trials.

The Retina Foundation determined that amblyopia (lazy eye) can be effectively treated with digital therapeutics, including dichoptic games and videos, rather than the standard treatment of patching the fellow eye.