nerve damage. “The eye isn’t protected properly. The patient
Finding Answers and Hope at the Multidisciplinary
may experience dryness or irritation, or even develop corneal
Facial Nerve Clinic
abrasions, scarring or ulceration — all of which can lead to vision impairment and possibly loss of vision,” states Dr.
Latisa Robinson was diagnosed with Bell’s
Shannon Joseph.
palsy as a child. Bell’s palsy is a condition that causes weakness or paralysis of the fa-
In the MFC, comprehensive eye care providers perform baseline ophthalmic evaluation and offer patients non-surgical
cial muscles. It wasn’t until Ms. Robinson
management, including ocular surface lubrication and protective
came to the Michigan Medicine Multidisci-
contact lenses for those with incomplete eyelid closure. “Some
plinary Facial Nerve Clinic (MFC) in
patients respond very well to scleral contact lenses which help
October that she discovered her facial nerve had never healed correctly. As a
preserve their corneal health,” says Colleen Podd, O.D., one of the contact lens specialists. The specific needs of each patient
result, she continued to experience complications of facial
determine if additional specialists, such as neurophthalmologist
paralysis that included issues with her left eye not fully closing.
Lindsey De Lott, M.D., M.S., are needed. “For complex patients
“No one really knew how to treat my condition until I
with underlying neurological diseases, the MFC ensures that
came here,” she says, noting the convenience of the MFC,
they receive an integrated treatment plan,” says Dr. De Lott.
which allowed her to have all appointments on the same day
“Our mission at the Multidisciplinary Facial Nerve Clinic is to offer comprehensive and integrated patient-centered care
at the same location (the Kellogg Eye Center). “Everything was set up for me. It was very thorough.” Robinson says treatment at the clinic has improved her
in one place.” says Dr. Joseph. “Our team is committed to providing patients with the best experience possible.” For more information visit our website at: https://www.uofmhealth.org/ conditions-treatments/facial-nerve
condition and she looks forward to even greater improvement over time. The Detroit resident says she’s happy to make the drive to Michigan Medicine. “The Facial Nerve Clinic was a lifesaver for me,” she says. “I would do it in a heartbeat.”
NIH R01 GRANTS
Molecular Regulation of Photoreceptor Cell Death
leading to their death. Immune cells in the retina, called microglia, respond to detachment by moving toward the stressed photoreceptors and accumulating in the subretinal space between the photoreceptors and the back of the eye.
David Zacks, M.D., Ph.D., and Steven Abcouwer, Ph.D.,
have received an R01 grant to explore how both photoreceptors and microglia respond to retinal detachment, asking fundamental questions such as: What determines the life and death of the stressed photoreceptors? What triggers the movement of microglia to the subretinal space? And, once they arrive there, are microglia protective or destructive? David Zacks, M.D., Ph.D.
The two predict the answers
to these questions will reveal ways Death of the photoreceptors, the retinal cells that detect light, is
by which photoreceptor survival
the root cause of vision loss in many forms of retinal degenera-
can be promoted and vision can
tive diseases. Retinal detachment occurs when the neural retina
be preserved following retinal
is physically separated from the back of the eye, causing the
detachment and other retinal
photoreceptors to be starved of oxygen and nutrients, eventually
degenerative diseases. Steven Abcouwer, Ph.D.
3
