Nutritional Therapies for Age-related Eye Diseases

Dr. Emily Y. Chew is the deputy director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the National Eye Institute. She earned her medical degree from University of Toronto. Following her residency in ophthalmology, also at the U. of Toronto, she completed fellowship training in medical retina at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She was an assistant professor at the University of Toronto for three years prior t o joining the National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health in 1987.

Dr. Chew is an active member of the Clinical Trials Branch of the division. The ocular diseases evaluated with numerous clinical trials are diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, two of the leading causes of blindness in America.

The trials in diabetic retinopathy have resulted in highly effective strategies which may reduce the rates of severe vision loss by as much as 95 percent. Treatment with antioxidants and minerals has also lead to a reduction in vision loss in patients with age-related macular degeneration. This is the first trial to show such an improvement in this ocular condition.

Dr. Chew chairs committees associated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology regarding educational materials for residents and practicing ophthalmologists, worldwide.

She is on the editorial boards of medical journals in the fields of ophthalmology and diabetes.

The coauthor of more than 100 publications and book chapters, Dr. Chew has been a featured lecturer at numerous national and international professional symposia. She continues her research focus on improving the treatment of patients with diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. .

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