Research

Our research is focused on studying the structure and function of the normal and diseased retina at the level of single cells in the living human eye. We use advanced optical imaging techniques with adaptive optics to study the cellular mosaics of the retina, from the retinal pigmented epithelial cells that line the back of the eye, to the photoreceptors that absorb light and initiate the first step of seeing, to the retinal ganglion cells whose parallel neural circuits process visual information and send it along to the rest of the brain. Visual function can be impaired when any of the different classes of cells in the retina are damaged or lost from causes such as genetic abnormalities, disease or trauma. Some specific diseases of focus for us include age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and inherited retinal degenerations ...

Current Projects

  • Imaging Retinal Ganglion Cells in Glaucoma
  • AMD
  • Concussion
  • Collaborators

  • UPMC Vision Institute
  • PARIS Eye Imaging
  • UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program
  • Digital Holography
  • ONERA
  • C. Light Technologies
  • Institut de la Vision
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)
  • Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
  • Publications

    Recent publications

  • Albrecht T, Mehmel B, Rossi EA, Trbovich A, Eagle S, Kontos AP. Temporal changes in fixational eye movements (FEMs) following concussion in adolescents and adults: Preliminary findings. J Neurotrauma. 2023 Aug 11. DOI: 10.1089/neu.2023.0080. PMID: 37565280.
  • Suthaharan S, Lee DMW, Zhang M & Rossi EA.Microsaccade segmentation using directional variance analysis and artificial neural networks. IEEE Computer Society 2023; 1-6. DOI: 10.1109/IRI58017.2023.00008.
  • Amarasekera S, Williams AM, Freund KB, Rossi EA, & Dansingani, KK. Multimodal imaging of multifocal choroiditis with adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy. Retinal Cases & Brief Reports. 2022; 16(6):747-753. DOI: 10.1097/ICB.0000000000001134. PMID: 36288621.
  • Vienola KV, Lejoyeux R, Gofas-Salas E, Snyder VC, Zhang M, Dansingani KK, Sahel J-A., Chhablani J, Rossi EA, Autofluorescent hyperreflective foci on infrared autofluorescence adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy in central serous chorioretinopathy. American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports 28, 101741 (2022). doi:10.1016/j.ajoc.2022.101741.

  • NEWS

    Recent News

    Rossi Lab finds new home

    May, 2023

    We are excited to announce the move of our lab into the new UPMC Mercy Pavilion in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood.
    This 10-story building is now the home of the UPMC Vision Institute and the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute. It is a first-of-its-kind facility in the United States, combining expert clinical care and groundbreaking research in vision medicine and rehabilitation medicine. With more than 100,000 square feet of research space, the building focuses on translational science – taking what is learned in the lab and applying it directly to clinical care.
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    Vision Walk

    Vision Walk : Pittsburgh Chapter

    October 29th, 2022

    Dr Rossi along with Dr Ian Conner were the medical co-chairs for this year's 15th annual Vision Walk. A yearly event sponsored by the Foundation Fighting Blindness Pittsburgh chapter, held at the Great Lawn in Pittsburgh's North Side. The Foundation’s goal is to drive the research that will lead to preventions, treatments, and vision restoration for the spectrum of degenerative retinal diseases, specifically macular degeneration – including age related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome, Stargardt disease and Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Together these conditions affect more than 10 million Americans and millions more throughout the world. During its now 50-year history, the Foundation has raised over $856 million in support of its effort to reverse blindness and restore vision. To learn more about the foundation please visit :https://www.fightingblindness.org

    Recent News

    NVIDIA Hardware Grant Received Spring 2022

    Rossi Lab staff members Min Zhang and Daniel Lee recently demonstrated a clear understanding of how to use NVIDIA technology (RTX A5000 GPU) to accelerate the labs research and significantly impact the success of many AI, data science, and imaging registration projects on the horizon.

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    SUPPORT

    Pitt

    University of Pittsburgh

    Address/ Location:

    UPMC Vision Institute
    1622 Locust St
    Pittsburgh. PA 15219
    General Vision Institute Information : 412-864-3283
    Rossi Lab : 412-647-3745