University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

09/04/2026

Dr. Shahid earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health and completed residency training in both low vision and optometry in New York. Her background brings a broader health perspective to caring for patients and their vision.

09/03/2026

Dr. Shriver's commitment to advancing women in ophthalmology has included years of leadership with Women in Ophthalmology, including serving as the organization's President in 2020. In 2025, WIO recognized her with the Bernice Z. Brown Memorial Lecture Award, honoring her contributions to ophthalmology and the advancement of women in the profession. As Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs at Iowa, she continues that commitment by supporting the professional development and success of faculty across our department.

09/03/2026

From a UI laboratory to potential new treatments for patients.

University of Iowa researchers have launched S5G Therapeutics, a startup working to translate years of research on the antioxidant ubiquinol into therapies that could help protect vulnerable cells in the eye.

Now, a new NIH Small Business Innovation Research award is helping move that work forward—supporting the next steps in developing the technology for conditions including Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy.

The company brings together expertise from across the University of Iowa and demonstrates how academic research, entrepreneurship, and public-private partnerships can help promising discoveries make the journey from the lab to patients.

Read more about S5G Therapeutics and the Iowa research behind it:

A team of University of Iowa researchers has formed S5G Therapeutics Inc., a startup company designed to move years of research on the antioxidant ubiquinol beyond the laboratory and toward patients. The company, which recently received a Small Business Innovation Research award from the National...

09/02/2026

Dr. Sindt spent years developing an approach that uses detailed imaging and impressions of the eye to create lenses customized to an individual patient's unique ocular surface. Her innovation has helped restore functional vision for patients whose complex conditions can make conventional contact lenses unsuccessful.

09/01/2026

Through diagnostic expertise, education, and fellowship training, Dr. Syed helps uncover the pathology behind complex ocular disease while educating trainees in Ophthalmic Pathology. She leads one of the few highly specialized eye pathology laboratories in the country.

08/31/2026

We’re excited to welcome Brittni Scruggs, MD, PhD, back to Iowa as a visiting presenter for the W.E. Scott Lecture Series this week!

Dr. Scruggs, an alumna of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, will spend two days sharing her expertise with our residents, faculty, and staff.

On Thursday, she will present “The Academic Ophthalmologist’s Toolkit: Clinical, Surgical, and Research Pearls” to our ophthalmology residents.

On Friday, Dr. Scruggs will present “Pediatric Retina in Practice: Cases, Controversies, and What’s Coming Next” during morning rounds, followed by two interactive sessions discussing pediatric retina cases with our faculty and staff.

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Scruggs back to Iowa and look forward to two days of learning, discussion, and collaboration!

08/28/2026

Congratulations to three of our outstanding faculty members on their recent academic promotions!

Alina V. Dumitrescu, MD, FACS — Professor
Ian C. Han, MD — Professor
Pavlina S. Kemp, MD — Clinical Professor

These promotions recognize their dedication and contributions to patient care, education, research, and the field of ophthalmology. We’re proud to celebrate this well-deserved achievement!

08/25/2026

IOWA AAO RECEPTION!
Join UI Department of Ophthalmology alumni, faculty, trainees and friends for a reception at the annual AAO meeting in New Orleans.
Date and Time: Saturday, October 10, 2026 6 - 9 pm
Location: Bourbon Vieux at 501 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130
RSVP for the event at:
https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82F4Er3hHZLhjhA

08/11/2026

A promising step forward for patients with rare inherited blindness. 👁️🧬

University of Iowa Health Care researchers helped lay the foundation for the first-in-human gene therapy study for BBS10-associated retinal disease—a rare inherited condition that causes severe vision loss in early childhood. The investigational therapy was recently administered to three pediatric patients in the United Kingdom, marking an important milestone in translating decades of laboratory research into potential treatments. The University of Iowa's preclinical research provided the scientific rationale for advancing this therapy to human studies.

Read more:

Research conducted at the University of Iowa helped lay the scientific foundation for a first-in-human gene therapy study that recently treated its first three patients in the United Kingdom.The investigational therapy targets retinal degeneration caused by mutations in the BBS10 gene, one of the...

08/05/2026

We are thrilled to share that Eli Monshon, BS, a third-year medical student at the Carver College of Medicine received the 2026 Best Paper of Session Award from the Eye Bank Association of America for "Mitochondrial Responses to Hyperglycemia and Insulin Rescue in Human Corneal Endothelium." The paper was presented during the EBAA's annual meeting last week in Indianapolis.

Monshon conducts his research in the laboratory of our medical director, Dr. Mark Greiner of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Congratulations Eli!