Pediatric Ophthalmology
The Division of Ophthalmology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine offers comprehensive pediatric ophthalmology patient care, treating the most critically ill children while providing the best training possible. The faculty include seven board-certified academic pediatric ophthalmologists and a pediatric retina specialist. Experienced cornea and oculoplastic specialists staff specialty clinics at Lurie Children’s. Pediatric and adult strabismus patients are treated by faculty pediatric ophthalmologists. Adult strabismus and adjustable suture patients are treated by neuro-ophthalmologists. A pediatric optometrist provides low vision and specialty contact lens services. In addition, we have a certified orthoptic training program. Lurie Children's is located in a state-of-the-art, 23-story facility on Northwestern’s downtown Chicago campus, which allows for convenient collaboration with our other ophthalmology colleagues.
Education
Two pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus fellowship positions are available annually in this highly respected, AUPO-accredited program at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. This fellowship has a long tradition of continuously training fellows every year since it was initiated in 1988. Residents have six-week rotations in each year of residency. Teaching includes interactions with medical students, pediatric residents and orthoptic students. Trainees receive broad and diverse clinical and surgical experience in all areas of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. This includes pediatric and adult strabismus, amblyopia, pediatric cataracts, glaucoma, cornea, plastics and lacrimal surgery, pediatric ocular tumors, retinopathy of prematurity, neurofibromatosis and exposure to ophthalmic genetics and electrophysiologic testing. Trainees participate in all aspects of the ophthalmologic examination, evaluation and treatment of patients. Comprehensive surgical training exposure includes strabismus surgery in pediatric and adult patients, pediatric cataract extraction with or without primary or secondary intraocular lens implantation, pediatric oculoplastic eyelid and orbital procedures, pediatric nasolacrimal duct procedures (including probing, balloon dacryoplasty, silicone intubation and dacryo- cystorhinostomy), pediatric glaucoma procedures, pediatric cornea and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity. We are an active retinoblastoma center, including treatment with focal laser, cryotherapy, intra-arterial and/or systemic chemotherapy, intravitreal chemotherapy and enucleation.
Research
Pediatric ophthalmology faculty members participate in a comprehensive range of research projects with opportunities for medical students, residents and fellows to participate. A highlight of the research program includes a clinical research coordinator who is an experienced PhD to coordinate and assist in the many levels and certifications for research studies. Current and past research includes investigation of strabismus, congenital cataracts, genetics, ROP, Marfan Syndrome, Hutterite population, visual neuro-rehabilitation, optic pathway glioma and neurofibromatosis, retinoblastoma, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, growth and development of the eye, pupillometry, ophthalmology education and examination techniques and pediatric oculoplastics. Faculty collaborate with many other pediatric specialties at Lurie Children’s for integrative research projects. Faculty participate in and Lurie Children's is a certified site for numerous multicenter trials. Examples include multiple studies with Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), Neurofibromatosis multicenter group investigating Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Associated Optic Pathway Glioma and Children’s Oncology Group (COG) studies regarding retinoblastoma.