贝瑞家族糖尿病视网膜病变项目在哥伦比亚大学启动

纽约，纽约- 2001年5月- Russ Berrie和公司的创始人、董事长兼首席执行官Russ Berrie向哥伦比亚大学捐赠了750万美元，帮助启动了Berrie家族糖尿病视网膜病变项目，对糖尿病常见的破坏性并发症-视力丧失进行全面的合作攻击。据估计，美国有超过1600万人患有糖尿病。视网膜病变，即流向视网膜的血液受到限制，威胁着许多糖尿病患者的视力。由于通常在视力丧失明显之前不会出现症状，而且严格控制血糖的好处最近才得到证实，糖尿病视网膜病变是20-74岁成年人失明的主要原因。据估计，在全国范围内，糖尿病视网膜病变每年导致1.2万至2.4万例新失明病例。哥伦比亚大学眼科爱德华·s·哈克尼斯教授、眼科系主任、医学博士斯坦利·张(Stanley Chang)说:“由于眼病在日益老龄化的人口中日益流行，因此需要开发新的策略来挽救视力变得更加关键。”近年来，一些新的非侵入性视网膜病变治疗方法的研究成果，包括维生素E、抗组胺药、生长因子和高血压药物的使用。需要进行临床试验来测试其中一些方法单独或联合使用的效果，以及其他可能的新疗法。”贝里的捐赠将被用于为糖尿病患者开发一个模型眼部护理项目，招募一名基础科学家，并建设拉斯和安吉莉卡贝里糖尿病视网膜病变研究实验室。此外，Russell Berrie糖尿病视网膜病变研究单位将作为哥伦比亚大学眼科Louis V. Gerstner Jr.视觉临床研究中心的一个组成部分，用于临床研究。 Employing the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center’s comprehensive and supportive approach to patient care with the Department of Ophthalmology’s expertise in the research and care of retinal disease, the Berrie Family Diabetic Retinopathy Program will apply the most advanced patient care techniques to the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and macular edema, will test the newest approaches to its treatment using a large and diverse patient base, and will study its basic mechanisms and causes with the hopes of developing improved interventions to slow its progression. “Until 10 years ago, physicians did not have the tools to treat and prevent the visual loss that so often occurs in patients with diabetes,” says Robin Goland, M.D., Irving Associate Professor of Medicine and co-director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University. “Although it is well known that visual loss often results from diabetes, it is not widely recognized that early detection and new treatments can halt or delay its development and progression.” As part of the model eye care program, the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and the Department of Ophthalmology plan to launch a Berrie Screening and Outreach Program to bring advanced eye examination technology for more effective screening to the many diabetic patients who do not seek annual eye examinations. The program will provide new, state-of-the-art digital photographic systems at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and at specific primary care affiliates located in Washington Heights. With Columbia’s advanced telemedicine capability, primary care physicians will be able to consult with the diabetes team at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center as well as with experts at the Eye Institute regarding next steps in treatment. The program will also provide mobile photographic systems on a rotating basis for other community sites as well as NewYork-Presbyterian affiliated hospitals. The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center (www.nbdiabetes.org)以贝里的母亲命名，她和儿子一样患有糖尿病。它成立于1997年7月，将前所未有的以家庭为中心的患者护理和教育与世界一流的糖尿病研究项目结合起来。该中心位于哥伦比亚长老会医学中心，拥有一个著名的成人和儿童糖尿病专家团队，包括内分泌学家、教育家、家庭顾问、营养学家、足科医生和眼科医生。哥伦比亚大学眼科通过科学发现促进了眼科保健，在世界范围内得到了认可。作为第一个在医学上使用激光的哥伦比亚眼科专家，哥伦比亚眼科专家还帮助开发了更精确诊断视力障碍的关键仪器，包括镜面显微镜和超声，并且是第一个使用准分子激光纠正近视和散光的人。哥伦比亚眼科医生开发并率先使用全氟碳化合物液体来纠正复杂的视网膜脱离，这种物质在世界范围内被用于手术中保护眼睛的脆弱组织，以及拉坦前列素，这是治疗青光眼最广泛使用的药物之一。

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