Winter Events

Dr. Cockerham is currently involved in the following research studies:

1. Neuro-ophthalmology Research and Development Consortium (NORDIC) Thyroid eye disease studies (TED) - Dr. Cockerham is the principal investigator in prospective studies to design clinical activity scores, quality-of-life measures and other tools to better evaluate treatment effectiveness in patients with TED. We are currently enrolling patients for this study. Eligibility criteria: anyone with an existing diagnosis of active or chronic TED.

2. Pfizer Non-Arteritic Ischemic Anterior Optic Neuropathy study (NAION) - Dr. Cockerham is a principal investigator in the NAION study. We are currently accepting patients for this study. Eligibility criteria: males over the age of 40 with sudden vision loss in one eye.

3. Department of Defense (DOD) nanotechology project - Dr. Cockerham's DOD grant is providing ongoing funding for her Reanimation project administered through PAIRE at the Palo Alto VA, "Our research team includes Stanford, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz engineers, and was provided with generous funding to develop nano-technology implants that will advance current medical and surgical therapies in both of my subspecialty areas. Eligibility criteria: anyone with an existing diagnosis of a facial palsy.

4. Dr. Kimberly Cockerham works with her husband Glenn, Greg Goodrich and a team of clinicians to study the effects of blast injury on vision and brain function.

NOTE: If you are interested in more information about any of these studies, please contact Dr. Cockerham at (650) 559-9150.

Fellow VA Vision Team Members, attached is a link to a recent interview at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Annual Meeting on the topic of occult ocular injuries after combat blast. The interview helps to increase public awareness of eye injury in this population, as well as TBI and PTSD. View the interview at:

• Ophthalmologyweb.cnpg.com

VA Honors Eye Researchers with Olin Teague Award

Director Lisa Freeman and Drs. Cockerham and Goodrich receive the Olin Teague Award from VA Chief of Staff John Gingrich, at left, and Olin Teague's daughter Ms. Jill Cochran at the Cannon House Office Building.

WASHINGTON – Two researchers for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Palo Alto, Calif., were recognized with the Olin Teague Award for their research in vision issues that led to improved eye and vision injury examination techniques for Veterans.

"VA has identified these techniques as 'best practices' and now requires eye exams for all patients with traumatic brain injury at VA polytrauma centers," said VA Chief of Staff John Gingrich at the awards ceremony on Capitol Hill.

Gingrich presented Dr. Gregory Goodrich, research psychologist, and Dr. Glenn Cockerham, chief of ophthalmology, with the 2009 Olin Teague Award, a national award that recognizes contributions in an area critical to the rehabilitation and improvement in the quality of life of war-injured Veterans.

The doctors’ research began in 2004 when they noticed that soldiers and Marines who were exposed to combat blasts and who sustained traumatic brain injury often had visual disorders and eye injuries that sometimes went undiagnosed. Modern body armor offers improved protection against blasts, but the face remains relatively exposed.

Their research has wider implications for Americans who experience a traumatic brain injury each year whether from stroke, motor vehicle accidents, falls, assaults, or other causes.

"The impact of their research has extended well beyond the VA family to clinicians throughout the country," Gingrich said at the awards ceremony. "The result is that Veterans and non-Veterans alike whose injuries would have gone unnoticed and untreated just a few years ago can now receive the care they need to keep their sight."

The award is named in honor of the late Olin E. Teague, an Army war hero and Texas congressman of 32 years, who spent 18 years chairing the House Veterans Affairs Committee.