Research in the Department of Ophthalmology contributes to a greater understanding of the visual process and the causes of vision loss. Investigations are laboratory- and patient-based, ranging from studies of optic nerve regeneration in glaucoma to ocular drug delivery methods.
The basic sciences represented in the Department include cell and molecular biology, chemistry and biochemistry, electrophysiology, physics, physiology and psychophysics. Vision research is supported by research grants from governmental agencies as well as national and local not-for-profit organizations. Some of the more notable funding sources that the Department is or has benefitted from recently include: National Eye Institute; the National Institute of Health; the National Science Foundation; the Department of Defense; the Department of Veteran Affairs; OneSight Foundation; and the San Antonio Area Foundation. Some of our faculty also participate in clinical trials and have conducted studies for different pharmaceutical companies including Alcon, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Genentech.