Staff:  

Michele Iester, Full Professor
    
Massimo Nicolò, Associate Professor
Aldo Vagge, Associate Professor    

Carlo Alberto Cutolo, Fixed-term Researcher   
Chiara Del Noce, Fixed-term Researcher     
       

Research activities mainly concern the following areas: 

Among the many scientific and educational activities that the ophthalmology clinic is coordinating there is the formulation of the European Glaucome Society guidelines, which have been disseminated and used nationally and internationally, the new edition of which will go to press at the end of April 2025. New therapeutic methods have been developed and published for retinal vascular diseases, lamellar endothelial corneal transplantation, prevention of amblyopia, and innovative laser treatment for glaucoma. Several phase II, III and IV clinical trials are also underway. The Eye Clinic is home to both the Graduate Course in Orthoptics and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and the Graduate School of Ophthalmology. 

Research activities mainly concern the following areas: 

- Glaucoma: studies aimed at the early diagnosis of glaucomatous optic neuropathy and conducting clinical trials and observational studies on innovative pharmacological, laser and surgical treatments.

- Retina: research related to the introduction of innovative and effective drugs for the treatment of major retinal degenerative and vascular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal venous thrombosis. Design and implementation of diabetic retinopathy tele-screening programs also adiuvred by the use of artificial intelligence. Implementation of innovative imaging techniques of uveitis and retinal dystrophies. 

- Cornea and ocular surface: study of innovative cross-linking techniques for the treatment of keratoconus and infectious keratitis. Study and implementation of advanced diagnostic techniques such as confocal microscopy. Implementation of innovative techniques for corneal transplantation. 

- Amblyopia and strabismus: Conducting clinical studies on the diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of amblyopia and ocular motility alterations in pediatric and adult subjects. National and international collaborations for research in rare ocular diseases.

- Ophthalmoplasty: observational studies on pharmacological and surgical treatments of numerous diseases of the orbit and ocular adnexa including thyroid ophthalmopathy.

The Eye Clinic is recognized by the Liguria Region for: 

- rare diseases and related diagnosis and Clinical management, as well as recognizing patients with these diseases with the necessary health tools to access examinations and treatment within the National Health System; 

- corneal harvesting and transplantation, in affiliation with the Melvin Jones Lions Eye Bank Foundation, the first Lions eye bank in Europe and the only Lions eye bank in Italy. 

Since 2022, it has been affiliated with the European Rare Disease network for Ophthalmology (ERN EYE). The Eye Clinic is among the very few Italian centers that has demonstrated the expertise and capacity to actively participate in that network. 🔗 View official ERN-EYE listing

In addition, there is an active collaboration with the pediatric ophthalmology, strabology, and ocular genetics service directed by Prof Alex Levin, University of Rochester, NY, USA.