Leading the Way in Pediatric Eye Disease Research
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s experts are at the forefront of pediatric ophthalmology research. Under the leadership of Faruk H. Örge MD, FAAO, FAAP, basic, translational, and clinical ophthalmology research at UH Rainbow is fueled by a steadfast commitment to patient-centered care and finding new, more effective ways to treat conditions that limit normal eyesight development in children, including amblyopia, childhood glaucoma, myopia, pediatric cataracts, and retinopathy of prematurity.
The Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology offers multicenter clinical trials that give our patients access to novel drugs, devices, and therapies where most of them are not available at other regional facilities. Our research and clinical trials have been funded by a variety of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute, UH Technology Validation and Start-up Fund (TVSF), Case TVSF, Case Coulter, Ohio Third Federal, the Cleveland Foundation, UH Rainbow research awards and pharmaceutical companies (Regeneron, Alcon, Bausch and Lomb, Novartis, OPHTHEC, and ORA Clinical).
Team-led research has involved collaborations with NASA, Case Western Reserve University Department of Engineering, the University of Akron, Purdue University, and three outside engineering consulting companies. Collectively, the division-initiated patents for a novel glaucoma device, 3-D ultrasound biomicroscopy and 3-D ultrasonography, and filed several patents on drug delivery, eye imaging, wound healing, examination tools and other therapeutic technology. The team continues to conduct research incorporating bench studies on healing optimization, new ocular devices utilized in surgeries, surgical and clinical databases, artificial intelligence, and novel patient tracking/communication platforms regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Scientific Collaborations and Knowledge Sharing Benefit Ophthalmology Patients Globally
What we do extends well beyond UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s. Our highly skilled eye specialists and scientists collaborate internationally to advance research, surgical training, and standard patient care. Hi-tech webinars and simulation technology developed nationally under the leadership of our experts at UH Rainbow, including the strabismus and retinoscopy simulators, ensure most advanced teaching tools in clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatments benefit patients and clinicians across the globe.
Center for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus
The Center for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus combines the specialized care of University Hospitals Eye Institute with the world-renowned physicians of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s. Our research and innovation efforts reflect the importance of addressing child-centered clinical needs for delivery of care and specialization of services. To this end, innovations, big and small, help us provide the most advanced patient-focused care possible.
Fellowship Research
UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Division of Ophthalmology also provides a remarkable training experience for medical students, residents and fellows who wants to specialize in pediatric ophthalmology and enhance their experience in related research. We are only one of three places in the country that not only has a one year AUPO and AAPOS approved clinical fellowship program but also a 2 year combined clinical and research fellowship program.
Premier Hub Advances Ophthalmology Practices
Dr. Örge is also the inaugural and current Editor-in-Chief for the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Knights Templar Eye Foundation Pediatric Ophthalmology Virtual Education Center, a worldwide education center that went live in 2015, designed to advance ophthalmology practices and enhance pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus education at a fellowship level and higher, with participation from more than 215 countries. This premier hub for education includes a variety of simulators, which we helped build to simulate patient conditions, diagnostic tools, and treatment procedures. Due to a recent donation, the educational platform will be made virtual for more physicians and trainees to use, magnifying the global reach of state-of-the-art ophthalmology knowledge, technology, and treatment, to enhance patient care in particularly the most vulnerable population, the premature babies.