David Ramirez, MD, an attending physician of ophthalmology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, received a $90,000 grant from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., for his research on the socioeconomic impact on treatment of anisometropic, refractive amblyopia.  

Amblyopia is a condition where visual development during infancy and childhood is interrupted such that without intervention it can lead to permanent vision loss. This condition affects 2–4 percent of children. Recent studies have found that race, insurance type, and economic background are associated with worse outcomes even with standard treatments. Dr. Ramirez’s project aims to investigate the socioeconomic factors that put children at risk for worse outcomes by expanding the understanding of the whole patient. The study will evaluate how a patient’s home residence and community impact visual outcomes. Through this work, a risk calculator will be developed to identify which children and communities are most at risk for vision loss from amblyopia. Ultimately, Dr. Ramirez aims to deploy new interventions and strategies to improve outcomes of amblyopia in high-risk patients. 

Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.