Haiyan Gong

Professor of Ophthalmology and Anatomy & Neurobiology

  • Title Professor of Ophthalmology and Anatomy & Neurobiology
  • Office L-9 Dept. of Opthalmology
  • Phone 617-638-4434

Dr. Gong’s research centers on glaucoma, which is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. A primary risk factor for the development and progression of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), which results from increased resistance to aqueous outflow. However, the cause of this resistance remains unknown. The research in Dr. Gong’s laboratory is focused on developing new therapeutic strategies to lower IOP in glaucoma. This is done through understanding the mechanisms that regulate aqueous outflow resistance in normal eyes and how this resistance is increased in POAG. Dr. Gong’s laboratory has developed a novel fluorophore-guided method of studying the structure and function of the aqueous outflow system. This unique method uses the effective filtration area as a new parameter in examining the structural changes responsible for the reduced outflow in glaucomatous eyes. They are currently using this new method to investigate both the mechanisms of potential drugs, as well as novel micro-invasive surgical devices in the treatment of glaucoma.

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