2015 Emory Eye Magazine | Page 19

News An Emory Eye doctor near you In 2015, many patients of the Emory Eye Center will be able to see an Emory ophthalmologist closer to their homes. Spaces in Emory Clinic B on Clifton Road have been renovated and streamlined, and the center has branched out more fully into the metro communities, providing a significant reach into the northern suburban areas. At present, the center offers the following locations in addition to the main campus: JOHNS CREEK Comprehensive eye care, evaluation of patients for surgery, and high-level diagnostics connect this location with the northern sector and Emory campus locations where patients may go for further treatment or surgery. n n EMORY AESTHETICS CENTER AT PACES Oculoplastic surgery and cosmetic treatments including Botox, facial fillers and peels, laser treatments, and Latisse are available in a Buckhead location, off Northside Drive. EMORY AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTER AT DUNWOODY Easy-in, easy-out ambulatory surgery n center on N. Shallowford Road in Dunwoody provides cataract surgery and Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) for cornea patients. EMORY CLINIC PERIMETER MOVES TO THE EMORY SAINT JOSEPH’S AREA Perimeter Clinic ophthalmology n has relocated to the Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital campus, providing retina, cornea, comprehensive, and refractive surgery. EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MIDTOWN MEDICAL OFFICE TOWER Beautifully remodeled location on the n 18th floor, providing comprehensive, glaucoma, oculoplastics, pediatric, and neuro-ophthalmology services. n AND, IN OTHER AREAS Emory retina specialists also see patients in offices in Athens, Gainesville, Griffin, LaGrange, and Lawrenceville. Please visit the Emory Eye Center website for the latest information: eyecenter.emory.edu/locations.html | Research Keep your eye on dopamine: Parkinson’s drugs could provide new avenue to treat diabetesrelated vision problems D iabetic retinopathy affects more than a quarter of adults with diabetes and threatens the vision of more than 600,000 people in the United States. Doctors previously thought most of the impairment of vision in diabetic retinopathy came from damage to the blood vessels induced by high blood sugar, but also knew that dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter in the brain, was important in the retina. “There was some evidence already that dopamine levels were reduced in diabetic retinopathy, but what’s new is that we can restore dopamine levels and improve visual function in an animal model of diabetes,” says ophthalmology researcher Machelle Pardue. Vision was assessed by putting mice on a platform and measuring whether they moved their heads in response to a rotating pattern of vertical lines projected on a cylinder around the mouse. The width and contrast of the lines can be modulated to test the mouse’s vision. “This is important because it shows that treatments targeting dopamine could be beneficial to patients with established diabetes,” says fellow ophthalmology researcher Michael Iuvone. 2 0 1 5 | E m o r y E y e 17