AREAS OF INTEREST
- Age Macular Degeneration (AMD)
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Retinal Detachment
- Retinal and Vitreous Diseases
- Laser Treatments for Retinal Diseases
- Intraocular Injection, Cataract Surgery
- Prof. Itay Chowers is an Associate Professor in ophthalmology and a faculty member at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Hadassah – Hebrew University Medical Center.
- Prof. Chowers earned his MD at the Hebrew University School of Medicine in 1994. He subsequently did his ophthalmology residency at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center. Prof. Chowers then performed a three-year clinical and research retina fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.
- Prof. Chowers treats patients with retinal diseases, among them age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinal blood vessel occlusions, retinal degenerations, retinal holes and detachments, and other vitreoretinal diseases. Treatment modalities employed by Prof. Chowers include intraocular injections of medications (Avastin, Lucentis, Eylea, Ozurdex, etc.), retinal photocoagulation (“hot laser”), photodynamic therapy (“cold laser”), vitreoretinal surgery, and cataract surgery. All treatments are preformed in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Hadassah – Hebrew University Medical Center. This state-of-the-art facility has at its dispense all advanced instrumentation and imaging techniques required for the care of patients with retinal diseases.
- Prof. Chowers is also heading the molecular ophthalmology laboratory where research is conducted in an attempt to obtain insight into the pathogenesis of age related macular degeneration (AMD) and other retinal diseases.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
- 1990: BA Medical Science, Hebrew University – Hadassah School of Medicine
- 1994 MD, Hebrew University – Hadassah School of Medicine
- 1994-1995: Internship, Hadassah – Hebrew University Medical Center
- 1995-2000: Residency in Ophthalmology, Hadassah – Hebrew University Medical Center
- 2000-2002: Research fellowship, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- 2002-2003: Clinical vitreoretinal fellowship, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
CURRENT APPOINTMENTS
- Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Hebrew University – Hadassah School of Medicine
- Faculty member, Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah – Hebrew University Medical Center
- Head, Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory, Hadassah – Hebrew University Medical Center
- Chairman of the Israeli retina Association 2012-2013
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
- Molecular ophthalmology laboratory- The lab focuses on research of the molecular mechanisms that underlie age related macular degeneration (AMD). The goal of the research is to identify genes involved in the pathogenesis of the disease followed by design and development of novel therapies.
- Clinical research- variety of clinical research projects and clinical trials focused on age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy are performed in Prof. Chowers’s clinic. The goal of the research is to gain better understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders, and to develop novel tools for early diagnosis of AMD as well as for treatment of these pathologies.