Inspire ME
Join us for a special guest speaker!
Is there a better way to treat glaucoma?
October 25, 2021 – 10:00 – 11:00 in MEC 106
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, with c. 3 million patients in the USA and a total of c. 76 million worldwide. Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy, and it is often closely associated with elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP).
The current gold standard for glaucoma treatment is to lower IOP; however, despite a wide range of IOP-lowering treatments, glaucoma continues to progress in almost one-third of patients, which presents as pathological remodeling of the optic nerve head and progressive loss of vision. In addition, in some common variants of glaucoma, the sudden elevation of IOP due to deformations of the iris causes significant morbidity and is often a medical emergency.
Therefore, there is a pressing need for a better understanding of glaucoma pathophysiology and more effective methods for better treatment and prognosis of this blinding disease. Numerous studies have demonstrated the central role of soft tissue biomechanics of the optic nerve head and iris in glaucoma. However, there are many unknowns, such as the mechanisms of pathological remodeling of optic nerve head extracellular matrix, and the role of passive and active iridal deformations in glaucoma.
This seminar will focus on using structurally-inspired soft tissue biomechanics modeling, micromechanical testing, and in vivo imaging to assess the optic nerve head and iris’s mechanical properties and discuss the future applications of soft tissue biomechanics for understanding and treatment of glaucoma.
About the presenter
Babak Safa is a BrightFocus postdoctoral fellow in glaucoma research in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech/Emory (2020-present). His research focuses on ocular biomechanics and mechanobiology in glaucoma.
Before his postdoctoral appointment, he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware (2014-2019), where he studied tendon damage biomechanics with a focus on tendinopathy. He also received a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology, the top engineering school in Iran.
As a native of Tabriz, Iran, he enjoys performing live music with Qopuz, an Iranian musical instrument, and has had multiple concerts in Tabriz, Tehran, and New York City.