Author: Thomas W. Gardner

Robert D Stratton, MD is the Founder of Erie Retinal Surgery from 1984 to 2008 and past Head of the Division of Retinal Surgery, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida School of Medicine from 1980 to 1984 . He is a fellow of the American Board of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American College of Surgeons.  Dr. Stratton”s interests include vitreous and retinal diseases and surgery, and has 30 years experience in clinical practice. He is currently Courtesy Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Division of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida. William W Hauswirth , Ph D, is the Rybaczki-Bullard Professor of Ophthalmology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Hauswirth is, in part, responsible for determining the mechanism of replication of adeno-associated virus (AAV) DNA and the discovery of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy in mammals, the basis of mitochondrial disease. He collaborated on the first successful rescue of a dominant genetic disease in animals and the first restoration of vision for a recessive retinal disease.  He also demonstrated that AAV mediated gene therapy could cure red-green color blindness in monkeys. Dr Hauswirth’s current interests involve the delivery and testing of potentially therapeutic genes for many eye diseases in natural and transgenic animal models of human disease. Thomas W. Gardner is Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was previously the Jack and Nancy Turner Professor of Ophthalmology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Gardner’s interests include vitreoretinal diseases and surgery, and clinical andexperimental diabetic retinopathy.  He currently serves as Associate Editor of Diabetes and Acta Ophthalmologica and on the editorial board of the Journal of Ocular Biology, Diseases and Informatics. He served previously on the editorial board of Diabetes, and is the former Editor-in-Chief of Current Eye Research.