The Division of Eye and vision which is located at St. Erik Eye Hospital, conducts education at the undergraduate, advanced and postgraduate levels, as well as research with the aim of developing the eye care of the future.
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About Division of Eye and Vision
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The eye clinic at the Optometry program
Seminars
November 12 - Pete Williams research group
December 17 - Rune Brautasets research group
Ganglion Cell Complex Thickness and Visual Function in Chronic Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the thickness of the macular ganglion cell complex using semi-automated segmentation and explored its correlation with visual function in individuals with chronic Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), recruited from the Swedish LHON registry. Our goal was to better understand the relationship between structural and functional aspects of the visual system in this clinical population.
Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm for Differentiation of Choroidal Nevi from Small Melanoma in Fundus Photographs
This study develops and validates a deep learning algorithm for differentiating small choroidal melanomas from nevi, matching or surpassing the discriminatory performance of experienced human ophthalmologists. Further research will aim to validate its utility in clinical settings.
Glaucoma
Oral nicotinamide provides robust, dose-dependent structural and metabolic neuroprotection of retinal ganglion cells in experimental glaucoma
Ganglion Cell Complex Thickness and Visual Function in Chronic Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the thickness of the macular ganglion cell complex using semi-automated segmentation and explored its correlation with visual function in individuals with chronic Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), recruited from the Swedish LHON registry. Our goal was to better understand the relationship between structural and functional aspects of the visual system in this clinical population.
Photo: Ulf Sirborn
Visual Science
Generous donation to eye research at KI
The Ulla and Ingemar Dahlberg Foundation has decided to donate SEK 50 million to Karolinska Institutet. The grant will be used for a new professorship in vision science with a focus on ocular neurobiology and have the full name "Ulla och Ingemar Dahlbergs professur i synvetenskap med inriktning mot okulär neurobiologi" (Ulla and Ingemar Dahlberg's Professorship in Visual Science with specialization in Ocular Neurobiology).
"It's an incredibly important and welcome donation. KI generally has a relatively small number of professors in ophthalmology, so this addition will make a big difference to eye research in Sweden," says Rune Brautaset, professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and head of the Division of Eye and Vision.
Photo: Johanna Hanno
He looks at brain disorders through the retina
With the help of OCT analysis, there is a simple and inexpensive way of examining the eyes in order to monitor the progression of disease and effect of treatment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
We can do this since loss of nervous tissue in the brain is reflected in the retina,says Optometrist and researcher Rune Brautaset who uses OCT for his research.
Physiological optics
More publications
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Repeatability of a fully automated swept-source optical coherence tomography biometer and agreement with a low coherence reflectometry biometer The integrity of psychophysical visual function in non-immunocompromised PLHIV (NIPLHIV) without retinitis on antiretroviral therapy (ART) The Integrity of Retinal Morphology in Non-immunocompromised People Living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy Optical Coherence Tomography Can Predict Visual Acuity in Children with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia Optical Coherence Tomography Identifies Visual Pathway Involvement Earlier than Visual Function Tests in Children with MRI-Verified Optic Pathway Gliomas Agreement of different OCT scan directions for individual retinal-layer thickness measurements in multiple sclerosis subjects with prior unilateral optic neuritis The relationship between retinal structure and visual function in non-immuno-compromised people living with HIV without retinitis on antiretroviral therapy Structural impact of arrested foveal development in children born extremely preterm without ROP at 6.5 years of age
Photo: Getty Images,Getty Images/iStockphoto
Gene therapy effective in hereditary blindness
Bothnia dystrophy is a form of hereditary blindness, prevalent in the region Västerbotten in Sweden. A new study at Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Communications shows that gene therapy can improve vision in patients with the disease.
Photo: Stefan Zimermann och Ulf Sirborn
KI researchers Anders Kvanta and Fredrik Lanner awarded a SEK 10 million grant
The Erling-Persson Foundation has awarded Anders Kvanta, professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and Fredrik Lanner, senior researcher at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, a research grant of SEK 10 million extending over three years.
Photo: Jens Sølvberg
Doctoral funding from KI strengthens research on lack of oxygen in the eye tissue
Research group leader Helder André at St. Erik Eye Hospital and Karolinska Institutet has been awarded funds from KI's special grant for training a doctoral candidate. The funding enables the employment of a doctoral student for the project The translational role of hypoxia in blinding neovascular diseases for four years.
Photo: Jens Sølbverg
Transplantation of vision cells made from embryonic stem cells can restore lost vision
A new study published in the scientific journal Molecular Therapy, shows that transplanted vision cells made from embryonic stem cells can restore vision.
Photo: Jens Sølvberg
Gustav Stålhammar, nominated as one of the emerging and promising young researchers from the Nordic countries.
Acta Board have been nominated Gustav Stålhammar as one of the emerging and promising young researchers from the Nordic countries.
followed by a session with four young speakers from the Scandinavian countries, each of whom will talk about their own research. We invite you to be one of these speakers.
On the occasion of the 100th of Acta anniversary in Maastricht in June, Gustav is invited together with Joni Turunen, Finland och Cecilie Bredrup, Norway to speak about their own research.
Title of Gustavs lecture is: ”Uveal melanoma past, present, and future -Towards adjuvant treatment”
Photo: Karin Lundin
Overrepresentation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive- and Luminal B breast cancer metastases in the eyes and orbit
Vi visar att 4 av 5 bröstcancermetastaser i ögonen och orbita är av typen Luminal B, och att fler än hälften är positiva för HER2.
Vidare ser vi även att subtypen av bröstcancer ofta ändras mellan primärtumören i bröstet och metastasen i ögat.
Photo: Johan Gunse,Stefan Zimmermann,Jens Sølvberg
Study confirms inflammation of the eye with glaucoma
A study at St Erik Eye Hospital and Karolinska Institutet is now able to confirm that inflammation of the retina and optic nerve occurs in patients with glaucoma. The results are published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications.
Ocular Oncology and Pathology
Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm for Differentiation of Choroidal Nevi from Small Melanoma in Fundus Photographs
This study develops and validates a deep learning algorithm for differentiating small choroidal melanomas from nevi, matching or surpassing the discriminatory performance of experienced human ophthalmologists. Further research will aim to validate its utility in clinical settings.
Ocular Oncology and Pathology
Tailoring surveillance imaging in uveal melanoma based on individual metastatic risk
Customizing uveal melanoma surveillance to match metastatic risks could transform current practices, ensuring more precise protocols, reducing unnecessary examinations, and directing health care resources to those in greatest need.
Ocular Oncology and Pathology
Melatonin Receptor Expression in Primary Uveal Melanoma
In conclusion, our findings confirm the presence of melatonin receptor expression in uveal melanoma tumors. Future studies should confirm the protein expression of these receptors, which may provide sites for melatonin’s binding or indirect impact.
Ocular Oncology and Pathology
Prognostic implications of tenascin C in peripheral blood and primary tumours at the time of uveal melanoma diagnosis
To examine the prognostic implication of tenascin C (TNC) in posterior uveal melanoma (UM).
Conclusions: TNC is a prognostic biomarker in UM. At the time of primary tumour diagnosis, it is measured in higher levels in both peripheral blood and tumour tissue from patients who will eventually suffer from metastatic death.
Ocular Oncology and Pathology
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The prognostic implication of visual acuity at the time of uveal melanoma diagnosis Delays between Uveal Melanoma Diagnosis and Treatment Increase the Risk of Metastatic Death Digital morphometry and cluster analysis identifies four types of melanocyte during uveal melanoma progression Digital morphometry and cluster analysis identifies four types of melanocyte during uveal melanoma progression Overrepresentation of human epidermal growth factor receptor2 positive- and Luminal B breast cancer metastases in the eyesand orbit Improved Staging of Ciliary Body and Choroidal Melanomas Based on Estimation of Tumor Volume and Competing Risk Analyses Sex-based differences in early and late uveal melanoma-related mortality No differences in the long-term prognosis of iris and choroidal melanomas when adjusting for tumor thickness and diameter No differences in the long-term prognosis of iris and choroidal melanomas when adjusting for tumor thickness and diameter Gain of Chromosome 6p Correlates with Severe Anaplasia, Cellular Hyperchromasia, and Extraocular Spread of Retinoblastoma Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction After Ophthalmologic Procedures The long-term prognosis of patients with untreated primary uveal melanoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis Brachytherapy With 15- Versus 20-mm Ruthenium 106 Plaques Without Verification of Plaque Position Is Associated With Local Tumor Recurrence and Death in Posterior Uveal Melanoma Obesity paradox in uveal melanoma: high body mass index is associated with low metastatic risk Multiorgan Involvement of Dormant Uveal Melanoma Micrometastases in Postmortem Tissue From Patients Without Coexisting Macrometastases A serum protein signature at the time of Uveal Melanoma diagnosis predicts long-term patient survival Adjuvant melatonin for uveal melanoma (AMUM): protocol for a randomized open-label phase III study
Photo: Johanna Hanno
A novel view on the role of vision in brain injury
Each year tens of thousands of Swedes suffer from concussion. Some of them experience persistent difficulties, such as brain fatigue, sensitivity to light, headache and problems focusing. Optometrist and Research Group Leader Tony Pansell researches the benefits of spectacle treatment and vision therapy in this context.
Photo: Privat
Eye movement research
Research grant for a doctoral position from Promobilia
Yiting Wang has been awarded a research grant for a doctoral position by the Promobilia Foundation (Doctoral Fellowship) amounting to 1450 000 SEK. The grant covers a period of two years with the possibility of extension for an additional two years with the same amount.
Yiting Wang is an engineer in electrical and computer engineering, specializing in machine learning and AI. In this project, we will explore the possibility that so-called fixational eye movements and microsaccades – a type of very small, rapid, and involuntary eye movements that are relatively unexplored in clinical contexts – may carry information about brain health that can help us detect symptoms of early-stage Parkinson's disease.
Vision impairment is common in non-hospitalised patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome
Vision-related symptoms and impairments were prevalent in the study group. The Developmental Eye Movement Test and the Visual Motion Sensitivity Clinical Test Protocol showed promise for clinical assessment of saccadic performance and sensitivity to movement in the environment. Further study will be required to explore the utility of these tools.
Eye movements and vision
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Translation and validation of a Swedish version of the Visual Vertigo Analogue Scale Concussed patients with visually induced dizziness exhibit increased ocular torsion and vertical vergence during optokinetic gaze-stabilization The prognostic implication of visual acuity at the time of uveal melanoma diagnosis Visual outcome, ocular findings, and visual quality of life in patients with Fabry disease Optical Coherence Tomography Identifies Visual Pathway Involvement Earlier than Visual Function Tests in Children with MRI-Verified Optic Pathway Gliomas Conserved subcortical processing in visuo-vestibular gaze control Neurodevelopmental disorders and somatic diagnoses in a national cohort of children born before 24 weeks of gestation
Photo: Stefan Zimmerman
Glaucoma
The search for an effective treatment for glaucoma
Pete Williams is one of few researchers in Sweden concentrating on glaukoma. The goal is an effective treatment, something that stops the degenerative process in the nerve cells of the eye.
Photo: Johan Gunseus
Glaucoma
Project grantfrom the Promobila Foundation
Pete Williams has been granted a project grantfrom the Promobila Foundation of SEK 600,000 with the title "Dual focus of neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in the optic nerve"
The project duration is 2 years.
Photo: Pete Williams
Broad overview published on strategies to protect neurons in glaucoma
James Tribble, Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet and St. Erik Eye Hospital, has written an overview article with colleagues in Australia and Canada on how research into new glaucoma treatments is progressing.
Photo: Maria Persson
KI Innovations brings in 6 new companies into the incubator - strengthening in Medtech and drug development
KI Innovation's Deeptech incubator DRIVE expands its portfolio by bringing in six new companies with a focus on the development of pharmaceuticals, cell therapies, diagnostics and Medtech products.With the right support, the accepted companies all have great potential to contribute to the benefit of society. Pete Williams and Melissa Jöe from Pete Williams' research group with Mim Neuroscience are one of the selected companies.
Glaucoma
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Large clinical study on promising potential glaucoma treatment to begin this spring Glaucoma research receives 4,8 MSEK grant from the Swedish Research Council Researchers propose a new way to discover new glaucoma treatments Retinal ganglion cell repopulation for vision restoration in optic neuropathy: a roadmap from the RReSTORe Consortium Valproic Acid Reduces Neuroinflammation to Provide Retinal Ganglion Cell Neuroprotection in the Retina Axotomy Model Alcon USD 75,000 grant awarded to glaucoma researcher Pete Williams Shorter path to new treatments target for St. Erik Eye Hospital’s new research environment Nicotinamide and Pyruvate for Neuroenhancement in Open-Angle Glaucoma Glaucoma affects millions of people. Could a readily available vitamin supplement help? Glaucoma researcher Pete Williams is awarded the 2023 Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award Glaucoma researcher Pete Williams is awarded the 2023 Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award Broad overview published on strategies to protect neurons in glaucoma New knowledge about hyaluronic acid may help patients with severe dry eye disease New study on vitamin B₃ as a possible treatment for glaucoma Pete Williams is awarded 3MSEK from StratNeuro Study confirms inflammation of the eye with glaucoma
Glaucoma
NMNAT2 is a druggable target to drive neuronal NAD production
The research team of Pete Williams have developed new compounds targeting NMNAT2 that drive high levels of neuronal NAD and provide neuroprotection in retinal ganglion cell injury models.
Glaucoma
Oral nicotinamide provides robust, dose-dependent structural and metabolic neuroprotection of retinal ganglion cells in experimental glaucoma
Glaucoma
Intravitreal MPTP drives retinal ganglion cell loss with oral nicotinamide treatment providing robust neuroprotection
We have developed a model characterized by the specific loss of retinal ganglion cells with relevance to optic neuropathies and Parkinson’s disease. Importantly, NAM is neuroprotective in this model, supporting its use as a model for studying neuroprotection and the potential for NAM to be of use to a broad array of metabolic and neurodegenerative insults in the eye.
Glaucoma
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Peripheral blood mononuclear cell respiratory function is associated with progressive glaucomatous vision loss Prophylactic nicotinamide treatment protects from rotenone-induced neurodegeneration by increasing mitochondrial content and volume Umeå i topp i VR-medel till klinisk behandlingsforskning Nicotinamide and Pyruvate for Neuroenhancement in Open-Angle Glaucoma Valproic Acid Reduces Neuroinflammation to Provide Retinal Ganglion Cell Neuroprotection in the Retina Axotomy Model Diploma for best essay has been awarded to: Albin Camitz and supervisor James Tribble Neuroprotection in glaucoma: Mechanisms beyond intraocular pressure lowering Nicotinamide Prevents Retinal Vascular Dropout in a Rat Model of Ocular Hypertension and Supports Ocular Blood Supply in Glaucoma Patients NAD salvage pathway machinery expression in normal and glaucomatous retina and optic nerve Retinal ganglion cell repopulation for vision restoration in optic neuropathy: a roadmap from the RReSTORe Consortium