After serving as President of That Man May See for the past 16 years, Kathleen Rydar is retiring, effective April 30, and passing the torch on to Deborah Chesky. Kathleen’s passion and from-the-heart altruism has been felt throughout the Bay Area and beyond. In 2005, she was presented with the Hank Rosso Outstanding Fundraising Professional […]
BrightFocus Awards Drive Research

Awards from the BrightFocus Foundation are fueling vision research by UCSF glaucoma specialist Yvonne Ou, MD, and geneticist Douglas Gould, PhD. Competing with vision scientists from across the nation, the two won two-year, $150,000 awards to advance their sight-saving work. Stopping Glaucoma Dr. Ou explores the steps between optic nerve cell injury, loss of nerve cell connections, […]
Dr. Damato & “Phantom Eye Syndrome”

Bertil Damato, MD, PhD, director of Ocular Oncology at the UCSF Department of Ophthalmology, has co-published a study on “phantom eye syndrome” in patients who have lost an eye to ocular cancer (Ophthalmology journal). The phenomenon is similar to phantom limb pain, but some people continue to have visual experiences. Read about this fascinating study […]
Dr. Emmett Cunningham Jr. – Infectious and Inflammatory Eye Disease Specialist

Emmett Cunningham Jr., MD, PhD, MPH, an internationally recognized authority on infectious and inflammatory eye disease, trained at UCSF in the mid-1990s as an ophthalmology resident and as a fellow in cornea, external disease, and uveitis at the Proctor Foundation. “ Resident and fellow education is one of my lifelong passions.” – Dr. Emmett Cunningham Jr. […]
Infectious & Inflammatory Eye Diseases, UveitisDr. John Gonzales – Uveitis Specialist

The curiosity of John Gonzales, MD, shows how imagination, properly stoked, can ignite a career. After a childhood illness required blood tests, young John received a slide of his own blood from an enthusiastic medical technician. His parents then gave him a cheap microscope. “ If we can develop genetic profiles to pinpoint more diseases earlier, it likely will […]
UveitisDr. Saidas Nair, Basic Scientist – Glaucoma

Vision scientist Saidas Nair, PhD, took a circuitous route from his home state of Kerala, India, to UCSF. After earning his doctorate in Mumbai, he investigated signaling mechanisms in visual photoreceptors at the University of Miami. He then advanced his training at the Jackson Laboratory, a world-renowned genetics research institute in Maine, where he pursued his interest […]
GlaucomaDr. Saras Ramanathan – Cataract Specialist

Cataract specialist Saras Ramanathan, MD, has a passion for teaching complex cataract surgery and for mentoring young ophthalmologists in training. Her focus and commitment to both endeavors have brought her recognition for outstanding teaching at the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University’s Wilmer Eye Institute, California Pacific Medical Center, and now at UCSF. “I define my success in […]
Cataracts