Topic Overview:

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and is an irreversible disease of the visual system. Although elevated eye pressure is a major risk factor, recent evidence suggests the involvement of the brain’s visual system, apart from the eye, in the early degenerative mechanisms of the disease. However, the pathogenesis of glaucoma in the visual system remain largely undetermined.

Chan’s goal is to develop novel structural and physiological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for whole-brain, non-invasive, and longitudinal measurements of damage and disease progression along the visual pathway in glaucoma patients. Chan’s recent research has demonstrated structural, metabolic, and functional relationships between the eye and the brain in patients with early and advanced stage disease when brain MRI findings were compared with clinical ophthalmic imaging assessments. The development of novel methods for characterizing and monitoring chronic glaucoma in the visual system can potentially lead to more timely intervention and more targeted treatments to reduce the prevalence of this irreversible but preventable disease.