NEWS RELEASE, 5/2/96 UCSF and UC Berkeley to collaborate on eye care services, education and research

by Patricia McBroom

Berkeley -- The UCSF Department of Ophthalmology and the UC Berkeley School of Optometry are joining forces, forging a partnership in patient care, education and research in vision correction technology. Thousands of Bay area residents could be affected by the collaboration, which brings together the research, medical and surgical expertise of UCSF ophthalmologists and the research and vision care expertise of optometrists at UC Berkeley. The partnership will combine leading surgical correction techniques at UCSF with pre- and post-operative patient care at UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley's School of Optometry has the largest study of the development of nearsightedness, or myopia, in the country and is a leader in basic research on vision. Myopia is the most common eye condition requiring correction, affecting up to 50 million people in the United States. The UCSF Department of Ophthalmology offers the latest technology in refractive surgery, including a newly approved excimer laser and a second-generation excimer laser for clinical research, to correct myopia and other eye disorders, and is a leading center for diagnosis, treatment and research in all areas of eye care. Through the collaboration, the two campuses plan to develop a model for cooperation between ophthalmology and optometry practitioners in the field of refractive error correction. "We believe it is time for goodwill and professional excellence to facilitate collaboration between the two vision care professions," said Steven G. Kramer, MD, PhD, chair of the UCSF Department of Ophthalmology, and Anthony J. Adams, OD, PhD, dean of the UCB School of Optometry, in a joint announcement released to community practitioners last week. "We are committed to providing leading-edge vision correction care by combining the talents and experience of faculty on both campuses and emphasizing the highest standards of professional integrity, quality of care and clinical excellence." In addition to cooperating in clinical care, areas of the collaboration include practitioner education, graduate and resident education, and basic and clinical research. ### For further information, Anthony Adams can be reached at (510) 642-3414; Steven Kramer can be reached at (415) 476-1921.