SUNY Annual Report 2019

SUNY Optometry Researchers Find that Bright Lights Outdoors May Help Treat ‘Lazy-Eye’ in Children

While past research indicated that amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, equally affects the brain pathways signaling bright and dark features in an image, Ms. Pons Torres found that amblyopia affects the perception of bright features more than dark features. Her research also shows that, as amblyopia becomes more severe and the images projected in the eye lose detail, bright targets become increasingly difficult to discern. This recent work opens the possibility to treat amblyopia by strengthening weakened brain pathways that signal bright stimuli.

Amblyopia is a loss of vision that affects 2-5% of children across the world and originates from a deficit in visual cortical circuitry. The maturation of visual acuity in both amblyopia and myopia may be closely associated with the development of pathways signaling bright features in the brain, according to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience by SUNY College of Optometry doctoral candidate Carmen

Pons Torres and colleagues in the laboratory of distinguished professor Dr. Jose-Manuel Alonso.

Alumni Pass On Knowledge and Importance of Research to Future Optometrists

This year, Ali’s daughter, Ashley, graduated from SUNY College of Optometry. His wife, Lori, who also works for the practice is an alumna of the College as well. “As I did my residency at SUNY and went on to teach at the College, I feel I have a good comfort level and respect for the optometric education that students receive there. Also, I know many of the faculty and can easily ask for evaluations to understand who would make a good fit for my practice. There’s a certain chemistry that we look for in an optometrist and it works well to get a better understanding of the ODs this way,” says Steven, who recruits nationwide, but believes these reasons are why so many of his hires are from the College.

Arkady Selenow, O.D, FAAO ’81 is co-owner of two New York City-based optometry practices who knows just where to look to hire someone new: his alma mater. It is a habit that gives him the assurance that his practice is staffed by the brightest and best in the industry—and it also means he is always surrounded by those with the knowledge that is taught at the College. Selenow and fellow SUNY Optometry alumnus, Steven Ali, OD, merged their private practices 35 years ago [Manhattan Vision Associates and Queens Eye Associates]. They also founded the Institute for Vision Research in 1990. It develops diagnostic equipment for contact lens fittings, spearheads lens research and development and conducts clinical trials of new designs and materials for contact lenses and eyeglasses. “We are very proud of our Institute for Vision Research,” Selenow says. “I oversee all our studies and am the principle investigator on most of them. We specialize in corporate research, which means that many of our studies are time sensitive and the data is used very quickly. Because of this, we get to see the practical applications of our outcomes.”

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