Martin Steinbach
Profile: Senior Scientist, University Health Network
Department: Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of Toronto
Research Interests:
People with eyes that do not align, a condition called strabismus, will frequently have surgical or pharmacological treatment of their eye muscles. By studying the adaptations made after these treatments, we gain insight as to the kinds of information the brain uses to stay informed about the positions and movements of the eyes. I also study children who grow up with only one normal eye, either because the other eye has been removed in early childhood because of retinoblastoma, or because of an early onset strabismus. The changes in various visual functions (depth perception, acuity, eye movements, etc) gives us insights about the plasticity of the developing visual system as well as suggestions as to the timing of intervention. We also study patients with macular degeneration, retraining their eye movements so that they learn to see with parts of their retina that still function.