The Professorship for Pathophysiology of Vision is focussed on retinal degeneration research.

Its main goal is the translation of knowhow and results between basic and patient oriented research, thereby linking the various groups of the institute in translational research. An important part is the further development of Clinical Function Testing in order to access the function of the various parts of the ascending and descending visual pathway by refined methods of psychophysics, electrophysiology and imaging. This helps to differentiate the various forms of retinal diseases and to understand the disease mechanisms. Methods include Autofluorescence, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Electroretinography, Rod-ERG, Cone-ERG, ON-OFF ERG, Multifocal Electroretinography ON-OFF Multifocal ERG, Electrooculography, refined Static and Kinetic Perimetry, Visual Evoked Cortical Potentials, and Pupillography.

We perform studies in patients with diseases of the retina and optic nerve, monitoring disease progress as well as effectiveness of therapies by such sensitive methods. Several experimental treatments are investigated in Clinical Studies; growth factors, electrostimulation and prosthetic chip technology for blind patients.

• RI: Retina Implant clinical trial: restitution of visual function for the blind
• TREATRUSH: part of EU study designed for patients suffering from Usher syndrome
• BRIMONIDINE study
• QLT study – in cooperation with STZ eyetrial
• HOPE: clinical study designed for patients suffering from cone and cone-rod dystrophies
• KFG: clinical trial designed for patients suffering from cone-rod dystrophies
• OMD: clinical study designed for patients suffering from occult macula dystrophy
• RHORCOD: part of EU study designed for patients suffering from autosomal dominant pattern rod–cone dystrophy under confirmed Rhodopsin mutation
• PICC: Perceptual inference in colour constancy – sensory and cognitive mechanisms of colour coding (Bernstein Centre for Computational Neurosciences)
• DiGMA: clinical study designed for patients suffering from open angle glaucoma
• KCNV2-Retinopathy
• ADCR: Autosomal dominant Cone- (rod-) dystrophies due to GUCA1A or GUCY2D mutations
• EST II (Okuvision GmbH,), MD7110852 (GSK)
• NAION (Pfizer), Humira (Abbott)
• MOTION (MerckSerono), SETTLE (MerckSerono)
• Jalili Syndrome due to CNNM4 Mutations
• Retinitis pigmentosa due to PDE6A and PDE6B mutations
• Leber congenital Amaurosis due to RD3 mutations
• Bietti cristalline Fundusdystrophy

• Safinamide in rats and humans
• PANOPTES
• RDCVF,Charakterisierung P23H und SS334 ter Ratten im ERG, ERG Protokollerstellung

• Developmentof the Marble Electrodes (patent granted)
• Development of the ERG explorers, A software for post-processing, analysing, and reporting of electrophysiological data
• Development of dark-adaptation testing device for children
• Visual Acuity At different levels of Contrast and Ambient Luminance (VA-CAL)