Ophthalmology Residents Honored with 2025 Friend of the ED Award

Ophthalmology Residents Honored with 2025 Friend of the ED Award

We are excited to share some fantastic news: the Department of Ophthalmology residents have been named the 2025 recipients of the Friend of the ED Award! Each year, Emergency Medicine (EM) residents vote on the specialty that has gone above and beyond in supporting their training. This award recognizes excellence in collaboration, education, and clinical […]

Residents and Fellows Spotlight: Aaditya Shah, MD

Residents and Fellows Spotlight: Aaditya Shah, MD

This spotlight series highlights the individuals behind the white coats, their journeys, passions, and the impact they’re making in the field of medicine. Today, we highlight Aaditya Shah, MD. Graduating Fellow: Aaditya Shah, MD What are your future plans? Starting private practice in the Chicagoland area, specifically the Northwest Indiana suburbs. Why did you choose […]

Understanding the Impact of Glaucoma Diagnosis on Mental Health

Understanding the Impact of Glaucoma Diagnosis on Mental Health

St. Louis, MO – June 18, 2025 – A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology sheds light on the correlation between the diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and the mental health decline in patients who were previously diagnosed with ocular hypertension. Conducted as part of the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, this research underscores the imperative […]

Residents and Fellows Spotlight: Matthew Elitt, MD, PhD

Residents and Fellows Spotlight: Matthew Elitt, MD, PhD

This spotlight series highlights the individuals behind the white coats, their journeys, passions, and the impact they’re making in the field of medicine. Today, we highlight Matthew Elitt, MD, PhD. Graduating Chief of Ophthalmic Trauma: Matthew Elitt, MD, PhD What are your future plans? Vitreo-retinal surgical fellowship at the University of Michigan Why did you […]

Fireworks Safety for Summer

Fireworks Safety for Summer

Summer brings a high risk of fireworks injuries. Most high-risk injuries occur between mid-June and mid-July. This year, stay safe by leaving fireworks to the professionals. If you’re near fireworks, make sure everyone — users and bystanders — wears eye protection that meets ANSI safety standards. Most fireworks-related deaths are caused by unsafe handling, but […]

June is Cataract Awareness Month

June is Cataract Awareness Month

Cataracts are one of the most common causes of vision impairment, especially among older adults, affecting millions worldwide. By learning about what cataracts are, how they develop, and the warning signs to look out for, you can take important steps to protect your sight. What are Cataracts Cataracts occur when the natural lens of your […]

WashU Medicine Ophthalmology Faculty Named Castle Connolly Top Doctors for 2025

WashU Medicine Ophthalmology Faculty Named Castle Connolly Top Doctors for 2025

ST. LOUIS, MO — June 9, 2025 —  We are proud to announce that 21 physicians from the John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at WashU Medicine have been recognized as 2025 Castle Connolly Top Doctors! This prestigious distinction is awarded to physicians who are nominated by their peers and rigorously vetted […]

Apte honored for contributions to vision science (Links to an external site)

Apte honored for contributions to vision science

Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor and vice chair of innovation and translation in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2025 Retina Research Foundation’s Gertrude D. Pyron Award. The honor recognizes a vision scientist whose work […]

WashU Medicine Celebrates the Winners of the 2025 Winston Fellow Competition

WashU Medicine Celebrates the Winners of the 2025 Winston Fellow Competition

St. Louis, MO — May 30, 2025 — The John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at WashU Medicine proudly announces the winners of the 2025 Winston Fellow Competition. This annual event showcases outstanding research contributions from postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the award recipients. Winners […]

2025 Faculty vs. Residents Kickball Showdown

2025 Faculty vs. Residents Kickball Showdown

On Saturday morning, our faculty and residents traded scrubs for sneakers and gathered at Tower Grove Park for the 2025 Faculty vs Residents Kickball Showdown! The annual game brought out the competitive spirit in the best way, as colleagues turned teammates battled it out for bragging rights and the championship title. Faculty & Fellows Line-Up […]

Andrew Lee, MD, graduates from WashU Medicine’s Pivotal Leaders Program

Andrew Lee, MD, graduates from WashU Medicine's Pivotal Leaders Program

St. Louis, MO — May 23, 2025—WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences is proud to announce that Andrew Lee, MD, Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Director of Medical Student Education for Ophthalmology, graduated from the first cohort of WashU Medicine’s Pivotal Leaders Program for Division Chiefs and Section Heads. This […]

FAER Awards Research Fellowship Grant to Dr. Mitsukuni Yoshida

FAER Awards Research Fellowship Grant to Dr. Mitsukuni Yoshida

ST. LOUIS, MO — May 23, 2025 — The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) has awarded a prestigious Research Fellowship Grant to Mitsukuni Yoshida, MD, PhD, a research fellow in the Apte Lab and a physician-scientist in the Academic Scholar Advancement Program (ASAP) in the Department of Anesthesiology. The funded project, titled “The […]

An Evolutionarily Conserved Pathway to Support Night Vision

An Evolutionarily Conserved Pathway to Support Night Vision

This Research Insight covers a collaborative study pioneered by the Yoshimatsu Lab, which elucidates a rod photoreceptor-driven pathway in the zebrafish retina that supports dim-light vision and is shared across species. Whereas the rod pathway has been speculated to be unique to the mammalian retina, this study presents the first converging evidence that a homologous […]

May is Healthy Vision Month

May is Healthy Vision Month

Every May, Healthy Vision Month serves as a national reminder of how essential it is to care for our eyes — not just when problems arise, but every single day. In 2025, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends everyone take simple, proactive steps to safeguard their vision and reduce their risk of eye disease. […]

WashU Medical Students Honored with Awards for Vision Research

WashU Medical Students Honored with Awards for Vision Research

The John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences (DOVS) at WashU Medicine is proud to announce that two medical students from the Apte Lab have received prestigious awards recognizing their outstanding research in vision science. Wilson Wang, a talented medical student researcher, has been awarded the Max & Evelyn Grand and Robert Carter […]

WashU Medicine at ARVO 2025

From May 4–8, 2025, Salt Lake City, Utah, hosted the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting, the premier international forum for the exchange of cutting-edge research and ideas in the field of eye and vision science. This year’s theme, “i3: Imagining Innovation and Intelligence in Vision Science,” emphasized the transformative impact […]

Evolutionarily Conserved Pupil Response Sharpens Image Quality to Improve Visual Acuity 

Evolutionarily Conserved Pupil Response Sharpens Image Quality to Improve Visual Acuity 

This Research Insight covers a publication from the Kerschensteiner Lab. Here, we highlight how Michael Fitzpatrick, PhD and colleagues uncovered a new pupil response in the mouse, disentangled the neural pathway in the retina that drives it, and discovered that it is also present in humans. These findings shed new light on strategies the visual […]

Highlights from the 36th Annual Ophthalmology Spring Update

WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences hosted the 36th Annual Ophthalmology Spring Update on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Connor Auditorium in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center on the Medical School Campus. This year’s event brought together distinguished leaders in ophthalmology […]

Dr. Todd Margolis Shares Expertise on Ocular Diseases

Dr. Todd Margolis Shares Expertise on Ocular Diseases

In April 2025, Todd P. Margolis, MD, PhD, Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor and Chairman, delivered lectures at two academic medical institutions, sharing his clinical and research insights on ocular diseases, such as, ocular surface disease, viral uveitis, and herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology – April […]