AAO grant to support epidemiological study by Carolina Adams, MD
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has awarded a 2024 Research to Prevent Blindness grant to Emory Department of Ophthalmology faculty Carolina Adams, MD.
Adams, a pediatric ophthalmologist who specializes in pediatric cataracts and glaucoma, is one of just four clinicians to receive the AAO funding, which is intended to help recipients pursue promising scientific leads using the Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry.
Adams will use the $10,000 grant to conduct an epidemiological study that focuses on the efficacy of immunosuppressive therapy in the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated cataracts.
The IRIS Registry is the nation's first comprehensive eye disease clinical registry, a vital resource for researchers like Adams whose work requires big data to establish reliable outcomes. Adams is currently pursuing a master’s degree in applied epidemiology from the Rollins School of Public Health.
“Our primary objective in this study is to investigate whether the administration of systemic immunosuppressive therapy prior to cataract surgery results in superior outcomes compared to patients who did not receive immunosuppression," she said.
"Our focus is on patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, as it represents one of the most prevalent rheumatological diseases leading to childhood uveitis in North America."
Among children diagnosed with JIA, Adams pointed out that there is a 20 percent probability of developing uveitis. And 20 to 60 percent of children with JIA-associated uveitis develop other vision-threatening complications, including cataracts, glaucoma, band keratopathy, and hypotony. “Cataracts are the most frequent complication,” she added. Completion of this epidemiological study will satisfy more than the requisite research for her master’s degree; it will put Adams in the position to ask – and answer –questions that are more meaningful to her as a clinician.
"My initial goal was to study public health policy; however, I transitioned to statistical analysis. This shift enables me to design and conduct my own research studies, concentrating on aspects that could influence public health both locally and globally", she said.
In addition to her graduate studies and her full-time duties as a pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. Adams, the mother of an 18-month-old, is training for the 2024 New York City Marathon. Proving once again: if you want to get something done right, find a busy person to do it.
-- Kathleen E. Moore