Background

The mission of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Cullen Eye Institute is to be a preeminent department in the country in education, research, clinical care, and public service. To achieve this mission, the Department provides educational programs for ophthalmology residents and fellows, medical and graduate students, research scientists, and practicing ophthalmologists; supports research in the structure, function, and diseases of the eye and the visual system; provides the highest quality eye care available; and sponsors public programs for prevention of eye disease and injury.

The Department of Ophthalmology comprises 33 full-time clinical and research faculty and 33 voluntary clinical faculty members. 23 full time faculty serve as Baylor Eye Physicians & Surgeons and participate in patient care and teaching in comprehensive and subspecialty ophthalmology in the Texas Medical Center at the Alkek Eye Center in the Smith Tower, the Scurlock Tower, the Texas Children's Hospital Clinical Care Center, the Neurosensory Center of Houston, The Methodist Hospital, and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. Subspecialty patient care includes orbital disease, ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery, corneal disease and surgery, contact lens care, refractive surgery including LASIK, glaucoma, cataract, vitreoretinal diseases and surgery, strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology, and low vision care. In addition, faculty provide teaching and assist in patient care at Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and community health centers of the Harris County Hospital District.

The Department supports multiple programs in vision research, including the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of ocular infectious and inflammatory diseases; molecular virology; refractive surgery; cataract; glaucoma; structure, function, and diseases of the retina; ophthalmic genetics; and visual dysfunction in strabismus and amblyopia. The principal areas of clinical research are herpes simplex keratitis, bacterial and fungal keratitis, refractive surgery, glaucoma, cataract, inherited eye disease, age-related macular degeneration, retinal degeneration, infectious retinitis, retinopathy of prematurity, amblyopia, optic neuritis, ocular trauma, and dry eye disease. These research programs are supported by grants from the National Eye Institute, Research to Prevent Blindness, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Retina Research Foundation, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, and private and corporate donations.

Members of the Department hold joint appointments in the Departments of Cell Biology, Medicine, Molecular and Human Genetics, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Pathology, and Pediatrics; the Divisions of Molecular Virology and Neuroscience of Baylor College of Medicine. The Department is a recipient of a Vision Research Center Grant from the National Eye Institute. Postdoctoral trainees are supported by a National Eye Institute Research Training in Visual Sciences Grant. The Department currently holds eight endowed chairs and professorships.