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Current research programmes include:

• Uveitis (Prof. John V. Forrester, Dr. Janet Liversidge, Dr. Isabel Crane)
• Diabetic Retinopathy (Prof. John V Forrester)
• Corneal Wound Healing and Ophthalmic Imaging (Prof. John V Forrester, Dr. Min Zhao)
• Corneal Transplantation (Prof. John V. Forrester, Dr. Lucia Kuffova)

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What is Uveitis?

Inflammation of the eye is very common and is especially dangerous when it affects the retina. The retina (the layer lining the inside of the eye) is the means of receiving the sight "messages" and transmitting them to the brain. It contains antigens (proteins) which can appear as "foreign" to the body's general immune system. The immune system then reacts by mounting an attack on these foreign proteins, which results in tissue damage -uveitis, leading to blindness. There are an estimated 10,000 cases of uveitis a year, of which one-third may lead to blindness.

	Retinal haemorrhages & exudates in patient with retinal vasculitis Click on the image for a larger view
	Retinal cross section showing granuloma in a case of Sarcoidosis Click on the image for a larger view
	Iris synechiae (adhesions to lens)

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What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness in the working population of the Western world. The characteristics of the disease include haemorrhage, microaneurysms, leaky vessels and ischaemia. Some degree of retinopathy ocurs in the majority of diabetic patients.
Approximately 60% of diabetic patients then go on to develop proliferative diabetic retinopathy. At this stage of the disease new vessels grow in the retina either at the optic disc or elsewhere in the retinal vasculature. This may be associated with retinal detachment and recurrent haemorrhages leading to visual loss.

The incidence and the severity of diabetic retinopathy can be significantly reduced if glucose control is improved. Thus, we are investigating the effect that glucose has on retinal endothelial cells as these are the cells that line the blood vessels of the retina. We are also examining the factors that may be responsible for the growth of endothelial cells in the proliferative stage of disease. A more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of the disease process will facilitate the development of intervention strategies to try and to combat the effects of this debilitating disease.

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Saving Sight in Grampian

Saving Sight in Grampian is a charitable campaign run by volunteers to help raise funds for the development of research facilities in the Department of Ophthalmology. Its success is a tribute to the campaign chairman Dr Iain Fraser who has himself undergone treatment at the Ophthalmology Clinic at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The campaign has greatly extended the research space available in the new Institute of Medical Sciences and continues to support the development of research in the Department. If you are interested in helping this vitally important campaign by fund-raising, contribution or in any other way, please contact Dr Iain Fraser via the Department of Ophthalmology. Further information on the Saving Sight in Grampian campaign can be found here.