Dr. Wendy Harrison completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the University of Notre Dame and went on to be the first student to complete a joint OD and MS in Vision Science at Indiana University in four years. Following a residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses, also at Indiana, she completed PhD in Vision Science at the University of California Berkeley. Her research focuses on diabetic eye diseases. She is a member of ARVO, and a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry. Within the academy she is involved in the leadership of the Fellows Doing Research Special Interest Group and the American Academy of Optometry Foundation.
The goal of our research lab is to better understand what happens in the eye in patients with diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable vision loss in working aged Americans. It affects both blood vessels and nerves in the retina as well as the front of the eye. We evaluate retinal nerve function with a multifocal electroretinogram and nerve and vascular structural changes with an OCT and retinal photographs. We hope to understand the timeline of changes to structure and function as the disease progresses. We also hope to learn how gender, diet, and health differences play into vision loss in these patients.
