Managing & Medical Director

Karl Csaky, M.D., Ph.D.

T. Boone Pickens Senior Scientist
Director, Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory
Director, Clinical Center of Innovation for Macular Degeneration

M.D., University of Louisville, 1983
Ph.D., University of Louisville, 1987

Research:  

Macular Degeneration

Representative Publications:

Csaky, K.G.  Anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: promises and possible pitfalls.  Ophthalmol 110:879-81 (2003).

Cousins, S., Espinosa-Heidmann, D. and Csaky, K.G.  Monocyte activation in patients with AMD:  a biomarker of risk for choroidal neovascularization?  Arch Ophthalmol 122:1013-18 (2004).

Kim, H., Robinson, M.R., Lizak, M.J., Tansey, G., Lutz, R.J., Yuan, P., Wang, N.M., Csaky, K.G.  Controlled drug release from an ocular implant:  an evaluation using dynamic 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging.  Invest Ophthal Vis Sci: 45: 2722-31 (2004).

Strunnikova, N., Hilmer. S., Flippin, J., Robinson, M.R., Hoffman, E., Csaky, K.G. Differences In gene expression profiles in dermal fibroblasts from control and patients with age related macular degeneration elicited by oxidative injury.  Free Radic Biol Med 39: 781-96 (2005).

Robinson, M.R., Lee, S.S., Kim, H., Kim, S., Lutz, R.J., Galban, C., Bungay, P.M., Yuan, P., Wang, N.S., Kim, J., Csaky, K.G.  A rabbit model for assessing the ocular barriers to the transscleral delivery of triamcinolone acetonide.  Exp Eye Res. 82:479-87(2006)

Gilger, B.C., Salmon, J.H., Wilkie, D.A., Cruysburg, L, Kim, Y., Hayat, M., Kim, H., Kim, S., Yuan, P, Lee, S.S., Harrington, S., Murray, P., Edelhauser, H.F., Csaky, K.G., Robinson, M.R., A Novel bioerodible suprachoroidal cyclosporine implant for uveitis.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 47:2596-605 (2006).

Csaky, K.G., Richman, E.A., Ferris, F.L 3rd.  Report from the NEI/FDA Ophthalmic Clinical Trial Design and Endpoints Symposium.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 49:479-89 (2008).

Thill, M., Strunnikova, N.V., Berna, M.J., Gordiyenko, N., Schmid, K., Cousins, S.W., Thompson, D.J., Csaky, K.G.  Late outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells in patients with age-related macular degeneration.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 492696-708 (2008).

Csaky, K.G.  Comparison of age-related macular degeneration treatment trials: what did we learn?  Retina. 32:413-6  (2012).

Csaky, K.G., Dugel, P.U., Pierce A.J., Fries, M.A., Kelly, D.S., Danis, R.P., Wurzelmann, J.I., Xu, C.-F., Hossain, M., Trivedi, T.  Clinical Evaluation of Pazopanib Eye Drops versus Ranibizumab Intravitreal Injections in Subjects with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.  Ophthalmology. 122:579-88. (2015).

Csaky, K.G., Schachat, A.P.,  Kaiser, P.K., Small, K.W., Heier, J.S.  The Use of Genetic Testing in the Management of Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration:  American Society of Retina Specialists Genetics Task Force Special Report.   J VitreoRet Dis  1: 75 (2017).

Csaky, K., Ferris, F. 3rd, Chew, E.Y., Nair, P., Cheetham, J.K., Duncan, J.L.  Report From the NEI/FDA Endpoints Workshop on Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Inherited Retinal Diseases.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 58:3456-3463  (2017).

Csaky K.G., Patel, P.J., Sepah, Y.J., Birch, D.G., Do, D.V., Ip, M.S., Guymer, R.H., Luu, C.D., Gune, S., Lin, H., Ferrara, D.  Microperimetry for Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration.  Surv Ophthalmol. 2019 Jan 28.

Mailing Address:

Dr. Karl Csaky
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231
USA

Scientific Director

David Birch, Ph.D.

Director, Rose-Silverthorne Retinal Degenerations Laboratory

Ph. D., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1978

Research: 

Genetic eye diseases, Macular degeneration, Electrophysiology, Visual function testing

Representative Publications:

Birch DG and Anderson JL. Standardized full-field ERGs: normal values and their variation with age. Arch Ophthal, 1992;110:1571-1576.

Birch DG, Hood DC, Nusinowitz S, and Pepperberg DR. Abnormal activation and inactivation of rod transduction in patients with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and the pro-23-his mutation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 1995; 36:1603-1614.

Birch DG, Anderson JL, and Fish GE. Yearly rates of rod and cone functional loss in retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod degeneration. Ophthalmol, 1999; 106:258-268.

Birch DG. Surrogate electroretinographic markers for assessing therapeutic efficacy in the retina. Exp Rev Mol Diag. 2004; 4: 693-703. PMID: 15347262.

Birch DG, Liang FQ. Age-related macular degeneration: A target for nano-technology derived medicines. International J. Nanomedicine. 2007; 2:1-13. PMID: 17722514.

Hood DC, Lazow MA, Locke KG, Greenstein VC, Birch DG. The transition zone between healthy and diseased retina in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Invest. Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2011; 52: 101-108. Aug 20 (Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20720228.

Birch DG, Wen Y, Locke KI, Hood DC. Rod sensitivity, cone sensitivity and photoreceptor layer thickness in retinal degenerative diseases. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2011; 52(10): 7141-7. Sept 9, 2011 [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 21810977.

Wen YE, Klein M, Hood DC, Birch DG. Relationships among multifocal electroretinogram amplitude, visual field sensitivity, and SD-OCT receptor layer thickness in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci; Jan 12, 2012 [Epub ahead of print].

Mailing Address:

Dr. David Birch
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231
USA

Director

Eileen Birch, Ph.D.

Director, Crystal Charity Ball Pediatric Vision Laboratory

Ph.D., University of California, 1979
Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1980-1982

Research: 

Esotropia, Amblyopia, Hyperopia, Pediatric Cataracts, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Vision Screening, Infant Nutrition

Representative Publications:

Birch EE, Stager DR. Long-term motor and sensory outcomes following early surgery for infantile esotropia. JAAPOS, 2006, 10: 409-413.

Birch EE, Holmes JM. The clinical profile of amblyopia in children younger than 3 years of age. J AAPOS, 2010, 14: 494-7.

Birch EE, Stager Sr DR, Wang J, O’Connor AR. Longitudinal changes in refractive error of children with infantile esotropia,Eye, 2010, 24: 1814-21.

Birch E, Carlson S, Hoffman D, Fitzgerald-Gustafson K, Fu V, Drover J, Castañeda Y, Minns L, Wheaton D, Mundy D, Marunycz J, Diersen-Schade D. The DIAMOND study: A double masked, randomized controlled clinical trial of the maturation of infant visual acuity as a function of the dietary level of docosahexaenoic acid. Am J Clin Nutr, 2010, 91: 848-59.

Wang J, Spencer R, Leffler J, Birch E. Critical period for foveal fine structure in children with regressed retinopathy of prematurity. Retina, 2012, 32:330-9.

Birch E, Cheng C, Stager Jr D, Weakley D, Stager Sr D. The critical period for surgical treatment of dense congenital bilateral cataracts. J AAPOS, 2009, 13: 67-71. 

Mailing Address:

Eileen E. Birch, PhD
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231
USA

Director

Yi-Zhong Wang, Ph.D.

Director, Macular Function Laboratory

Ph.D., Indiana University, 1996

Research: 

Shape Perception, Perceptual Organization, Aging, Amblyopia and Macular Degeneration

Representative Publications:

Wang, Y.Z., Morale, S. E., Cousins, R., and Birch, E. E. (2009) “Course of development of global hyperacuity over lifespan”, Optom & Vis Sci, Vol. 86 (6), 695-700.

Wang, Y. Z. and Hess, R. F. (2005) “Contributions of local orientation and position features to shape integration”. Vision Research. Vol. 45, 1375-83.

Wang, Y. Z., Wilson, C. E., Locke, K. G. and Edwards, A. O. (2002) “Shape discrimination in age-related macular degeneration”. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Vol. 43(6), pp.2055-2062.

Wang, Y. Z. (2001) “Effects of aging on shape discrimination”. Optometry and Vision Science, Vol.78 (6), pp.447-454

Wang, Y.Z., Thibos, L.N., and Bradley, A. (1997). “Effects of spherical defocus on detection, resolution, and letter discrimination in the periphery”. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 38, 2134-2143

Mailing Address:

Dr. Yi-Zhong Wang
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231
USA

Finance Director

Natalie Gilbert, CPA

Mailing Address:

Mrs. Natalie Gilbert
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231
USA

Executive Director

Jean Buys

Jean Buys, Executive Director, has more than 29 years of non-profit experience with an emphasis on fundraising and major gift solicitation. Since joining the Retina Foundation in 2005, Jean has elevated the annual fundraising efforts from $600,000 per year to more than $3 million per year with all donations supporting research and free vision assessments. Jean is responsible for the completion of the Retina Foundation’s $3.7 million capital campaign. Under Jean’s leadership, the volunteer auxiliary, quarterly lecture series, planned giving program, and Partners in Research were established to increase community support for the Retina Foundation.

Mailing Address:

Mrs. Natalie Gilbert
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231
USA