Dr. Eileen Hwang from Moran Eye Center awarded $69,961 Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant for Stickler Syndrome Research

Dr. Eileen Hwang from the John A. Moran Eye Center, Salt Lake City, Utah was awarded a $69,961 grant for her research entitled: A study on quantitative measures of vitreous microstructure and mechanical function to gain insight into Stickler syndrome

Stickler syndrome is passed down through families and causes children to go blind even when they receive the most advanced care. These children develop retinal detachment, which is when the retina, the light-sensitive lining of the eye, peels away from the wall of the eye.

The purpose of our research is to learn more about what causes retinal detachment in Stickler syndrome. In Stickler syndrome, the vitreous gel that fills the back of the eye is abnormal, and in healthy adults, the vitreous gel causes retinal detachment by pulling on the retina. Because the vitreous gel in children with Stickler syndrome looks somewhat similar to vitreous gel from elderly people without Stickler syndrome, Dr. Hwang is researching the connection of premature aging of the vitreous gel in Stickler syndrome during childhood might cause retinal detachment. Because testing cannot be done on the vitreous gel in detail in live humans, we will use mice with Stickler syndrome to measure aspects of the vitreous gel that are likely to affect the retina. Testing will also be done to determine whether mice are similar to humans in the way their vitreous gel changes between childhood and adulthood. Dr. Hwang hopes that our research will lead to new ways to prevent childhood blindness in Stickler syndrome.