Division Spotlight
The Retina Division in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology is active in striving to reach the clinical, education, and research goals of the department. Clinically, the division treats retinal disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and age-related macular degeneration as well as provides renowned ocular trauma care. The division’s clinicians have earned a strong reputation as leaders in the treatment of complex retinal disorders. The division routinely receives referrals for complicated cases due to a demonstrated ability to provide the best care in even the most complex cases. C. Douglas Witherspoon, M.D., also specializes in cases that are a result of complications from previous procedures. The close relationship between the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital provides clinicians with outstanding access to resources including equipment, operating rooms, and operating and paramedical personnel. Read more about this relationship and the Level One Ocular Trauma Center on page 18. The division is also committed to the educational mission of the university and features a first-class clinical fellowship focused on the retina subspecialty. In this two-year
The UAB Retina Division has earned a strong reputation a leader in the treatment of complex retinal disorders.
program fellows receive intense clinical training and are also encouraged to pursue research interests. Retinal disorders are also a research focus for the department. Age-related macular degeneration is a common retinal disorder for which there is no cure. Read more about the department’s multidisciplinary research efforts aimed at age-related macular degeneration on page 10. In addition to basic research, the department is also involved in clinical research efforts focusing on agerelated macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other disorders of the retina. In line with goals to enhance primary eye care and increase accessibility to care, the department is engaged in the Innovative Network for Sight Research (INSIGHT) program, a CDC-funded collaborative vision research network of investigators at the Johns Hopkins University, University of Miami, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Wills Eye Institute. INSIGHT’s focus is to assess and evaluate system-level and individual-level factors that influence access to eye care, and the quality of eye care received. Participating centers engage in network-wide projects as well as site-specific studies. One of UAB’s INSIGHT studies are focused on a highrisk yet underserved adult population, namely African Americans residing in Jefferson County, Alabama. Rates of vision impairment and eye disease among African Americans are two times higher than those of whites, especially glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The public health challenge is that if these conditions are detected early, much of this disease and vision impairment is reversible and preventable with currently avail-
Retinal photograph showing an occlusion of a large retinal artery due to an intravascular embolus (arrow).
able ophthalmic treatments. We have a unique resource to address this issue, through a partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Cooper Green Hospital/Jefferson Health System (CGH/JHS). CGH/ JHS serves residents of Jefferson County regardless of their ability to pay. Over 60 percent of adults seen at the CHS/JHS clinics have diagnoses of glaucoma and/or diabetes. Using the CGH/JHS administrative database and studies involving individual patients in the clinics, our research center will provide system- and individual-level information on how to improve access to and quality of eye care for this underserved population. Studies will focus on diabetic retinopathy and other eye disorders. The strong combination of clinical care, research and education in the Retina Division provides patients with access to comprehensive, cutting-edge care for all types of retinal disorders. 29