Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Stone has extensive experience in basic and translational ophthalmology research. His laboratory applies pharmacologic, histologic and molecular biology techniques to the eye, addressing problems in ocular physiology and eye development. His research provided many of the initial descriptions of neuropeptides in the eye and in associated cranial ganglia; and with collaborators, he has contributed to the understanding of mechanisms controlling intraocular pressure. His laboratory provided the initial descriptions of the subtypes of retinal neurons involved in regulating post-natal eye growth and their potential roles in emmetropization and in the pathogenesis of myopia (i.e., nearsightedness); and he has undertaken many pharmacologic initiatives designed to understand and/or correct experimental refractive errors. Most recently, his work has implicated the endogenous retinal clock and circadian mechanisms in the control of eye growth and in the etiology of refractive errors.

Dr. Stone’s translational research previously involved glaucoma. Most recently, he has stimulated many initiatives to move laboratory research in refractive development to the clinic. This research has included analyses of novel risk factors and the initial demonstrations of diurnal oscillations of the dimensions of the human eye. In addition, he has interfaced with computer vision engineers to advance clinical ophthalmic diagnosis, principally in glaucoma, and more recently in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) colleagues. Many of Dr. Stone’s findings have led to industry initiatives for clinical development.

Key Words

Ocular development, refractive errors, glaucoma, ocular pharmacology, molecular biology, histology, ocular imaging.

Description of Clinical Expertise

Dr. Stone cared for patients with glaucoma and related eye diseases for many years at the Scheie Eye Institute. Recently, he stopped providing direct clinical care.