About Us » FFB Funded Researchers
Robert J. Brockhurst, M.D.
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Robert J. Brockhurst, M.D. is Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School whose professional activities have included clinical, teaching and research work. Clinical activities primarily involved the surgical care of patients with macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, ocular trauma, retinal detachment and other vitreo-retinal disorders. His research interests have included uveal effusion (secondary retinal detachment) in which he described a new association with nonopthalmos. He later initiated a study of the ultrastructural changes in nanopthalmic sclera which helped in the understanding of the pathogenesis of this disorder and introduced a new surgical procedure to correct the uveal effusion with restoration of vision. Another area of interest was the development of neoangionesis in diverse disorders such as sickle cell disease, uveitis, choridal osteoma, optic nerve pits, long standing retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa and previous successful retinal detachment surgery. Since 1996, he has served as a co-Investigator in two randomized, clinical trials for retinitis pigmentosa in the Berman-Gund Laboratory for Retinal Degenerations. In addition to his clinical research responsibilities, he serves as an attending staff ophthalmologist in the Electroretinography (ERG) Service at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Patients come to the ERG Service for diagnosis and prognosis and, in the case of retinitis pigmentosa, treatment with vitamin A. He also sees patients with visual loss of unexplained cause. Evaluations include extensive visual function testing and more recently optical coherence tomography assessments. He recently reported the clinical findings in patients with occult macular dystrophy where patients have reduced acuity and no visible fundus findings but show abnormalities in their focal electroretinograms and/or their macular thickness as defined by optical coherence tomography (Amer J Ophthalmol 143:516-518, 2007). He continues clinical research on retinal degenerations. |
