Science in Focus: Art Beyond the Microscope

Science in Focus: Art Beyond the Microscope

Science in Focus: Art Beyond the Microscope, a science as art competition! We invite all vision science researchers to participate in this unique competition, where science and art intersect to reveal the beauty within scientific research. Purpose and Goals Our goal is to celebrate the beauty of science and engage the community in its impact. […]

Understanding Uveitis: Causes, Treatments & Hope for the Future

Understanding Uveitis: Causes, Treatments & Hope for the Future

Uveitis might sound like a rare eye condition, but it affects thousands of people each year—causing discomfort, vision problems, and concern for long-term eye health. If you’ve recently been diagnosed or are supporting a loved one with uveitis, here’s what you need to know about the condition, its causes, treatment options, and why there’s real […]

First-of-Its-Kind Apte Lab Study Links Retinal Microglia to Circadian Rhythms

First-of-Its-Kind Apte Lab Study Links Retinal Microglia to Circadian Rhythms

A Novel Insight Into Eye Immunity and Circadian Biology Charles Pfeifer, PhD, a former graduate student and postdoctoral researcher, Andrea Santeford, MS, supervisor in the Apte Lab at WashU Medicine, and Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, have published a landmark study in the journal Glia. The paper, […]

Yoshida Named 2025 NIH Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience

Yoshida Named 2025 NIH Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience

JULY 3, 2025 — ST. LOUIS, MO — WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences congratulates Mitsukuni Yoshida, MD, PhD, on being selected as a 2025 recipient of the NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP). I am very humbled and honored to receive this recognition. As a physician-scientist, […]

Groundbreaking Advances in Imaging Technologies and Machine Learning Revolutionize the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS)

Groundbreaking Advances in Imaging Technologies and Machine Learning Revolutionize the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS)

Groundbreaking Advances in Imaging Technologies and Machine Learning to Reanalyze OHTS Data | Leveraging Modern Techniques to Enhance Glaucoma Risk Assessment July 2, 2025 – St. Louis, MO: A new publication in JAMA Ophthalmology led by James C. Liu, MD, glaucoma specialist at WashU Medicine, highlights the transformative potential of deep learning and artificial intelligence […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

ARVO 2025 WashU Medicine Presenters

ARVO 2025 WashU Medicine Presenters

The 2025 ARVO Annual Meeting is the premier international forum for the exchange of cutting-edge research and ideas in the field of eye and vision science. Each year, thousands of scientists, clinicians, trainees, and professionals from affiliated disciplines convene to share their latest findings, foster collaborations, and shape the future of vision research. In 2025, […]

A Putative Role of SDPR in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma 

A Putative Role of SDPR in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma 

This Research Insight covers a recent publication from the Siegfried Lab. Here, we highlight how Ying-Bo Shui, MD, PhD and colleagues identified a gene that might exacerbate the worse primary open-angle glaucoma presentation experienced by Black individuals.  In their recent paper published in Scientific Reports, scientists in the lab of Carla Siegfried, MD, professor of […]

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD receives Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD receives Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award

St. Louis, MO — April 21, 2025 — Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, was honored with the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award during a special ceremony recognizing exemplary contributions to the academic community. The 26th annual Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award Ceremony took place on Monday, April 21, at 5:00 p.m. in Steinberg Auditorium on the […]

A Causal Link Between Cholesterol Accumulation and Retinal Degeneration 

A Causal Link Between Cholesterol Accumulation and Retinal Degeneration

This Research Insight covers a recent publication from the Apte Lab. Here, we highlight how Ryo Terao, MD, PhD, Mitsukuni Yoshida, MD, PhD, and colleagues explore how excessive cholesterol accumulation in the retina contributes to the degeneration of light-sensing photoreceptors, leading to vision loss. The evidence presented in this study suggests that targeting a process […]

WashU Medicine Study Highlights Most Effective Treatments for Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

Treatments for Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

St. Louis, MO — April 1, 2025 —Researchers from WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences have identified the most effective treatments for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), a condition that can cause blurry vision and vision loss. The study, led by Henok Getahun and Dr. Rajendra Apte, reviewed the […]

The Role of Direction-Selective Signaling in Predation

This Research Insight covers a recent publication from the Kerschensteiner Lab. Here, we highlight how Jenna Krizan, PhD and colleagues added clarity to an ongoing debate about the origin of direction-selective signaling in the brain and explored its role in the predatory behaviors of the mouse. In their recent paper published in PNAS, scientists in […]

Deep Learning for Assessing Electron Micrograph Image Quality 

Deep Learning for Assessing Electron Micrograph Image Quality

This Research Insight covers a recent publication from the Morgan Lab. Here, we highlight the stand-out performance of a modified deep learning-based tool to assess the quality of electron micrographs in real-time.  In their recent paper published in Microscopy and Microanalysis, scientists in the lab of Joshua Morgan, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at WashU […]

New Comprehensive Review on Neovascular Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy by Joseph Lin

New Comprehensive Review on Neovascular Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy by Joseph Lin Published

ST. LOUIS, MO – January 23, 2025 —WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences  is pleased to announce the publication of a new comprehensive review titled “The Landscape of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibition in Retinal Diseases” by Joseph Lin, a dedicated medical student in the Apte Laboratory. The review, published […]

Dr. Carla Siegfried to Speak at Bascom Palmer’s “Next Reality Glaucoma 2025” Symposium

Dr. Carla Siegfried to Speak at Bascom Palmer's “Next Reality Glaucoma 2025” Symposium

ST. LOUIS, MO – January 23, 2025 — WashU Medicine was proud to announce that Carla Siegfried, MD, the Jacquelyn E. and Allan E. Kolker, MD, Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was a key speaker and moderator at the prestigious “Next Reality Glaucoma 2025” Symposium. Hosted by the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, […]