Prof. José Cunha-Vaz is Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology of the University of Coimbra, Portugal and President of the Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image.
Short CV
| Born November 5, 1938, Coimbra, Portugal Married. Three children. | |
1962 | M.D., University of Coimbra, Portugal | |
1965 | Ph.D., University of London, United Kingdom | |
1967 | Doctor, Medical Science, University of Coimbra, Portugal. | |
| Certified of American and Portuguese Boards of Ophthalmology (1969) F.A.A.O. - Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (1981) F.C. Ophth. - Fellow of the College of Ophthalmologists - U.K. | |
present | - President of the Board of Administration of AIBILI (Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image)
- Coordinator, Diabetic Retinopathy and Retinal Vascular Diseases Section, EVICR.net
- Editor-in-Chief of Ophthalmologica
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Scientifc Interest
Main areas of interest: Retina; Diabetic Retinopathy; Blood-Retinal Barrier; Phenotyping retinal degenerations
- José Cunha-Vaz identified the Blood-Retinal Barrier (BRB), their tight interendothelial junctions, measured its permeability and demonstrated the presence of active transport systems. These findings are fundamental for understanding retinal disease.
- José Cunha-Vaz developed vitreous fluorometry and the retinal leakage analyzer, for clinical evaluation of the BRB. With these methods he delineated the importance of BRB in retinal disease.
- Recently, José Cunha-Vaz introduced multimodal macula mapping leading to the identification of different phenotypes of diabetic retinopathy.
Memberships
- Academia Ophthalmologica Internationallis
- European Academy of Ophthalmology
- European Society of Retinal Specialists (Euretina)
- Jules Gonin Club
Dr. José Cunha-Vaz |
Key Publications
- Cunha-Vaz, J.G., Shakib, M., Ashton, N.:
Studies on the permeability of the blood-ocular barrier. I. On the existence, development and site of a blood-retinal barrier.
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 1966, 50:411-453. - Shakib, M., Cunha-Vaz, J.G.:
Studies on the permeability of the blood-retinal barrier. IV. Junctional complexes of the retinal vessels and their role on their permeability.
Exp. Eye Res. 1966, 5:229-234. - Cunha-Vaz, J.G., Maurice, D.M.:
The active transport of fluorescein by retinal vessels and the retina.
J. Physiol. 1967, 191:467-486. - Cunha-Vaz, J.G., Faria de Abreu, J.R., Campos, A.J., Figo, G.:
Early breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier in diabetes.
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 1975, 59:649-656. - Cunha-Vaz, J.G.:
Vitreous fluorophotometry.
Prog. Retinal Res. 1984, 89-114. - Lobo, C.L. Bernardes, R.C., Figueira, J.P., Faria de Abreu, J.R., Cunha-Vaz, J.G.:
Three-year follow-up of blood retinal barrier and retinal thickness alterations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and mild nonproliferative retinopathy.
Arch. Ophthalmol. 2004, 122: 211-217. - Cunha-Vaz J.G., Bernardes, R.:
Nonproliferative retinopathy in diabetes type 2. Initial stages and characterization of phenotypes.
Progr. Retinal Eye Res. 2005, 24:355-377.
Research Groups
People