Research
As the Director of the Warfighter Refractive Surgery Research Center, my research interests are primarily focused on advancing technologies in laser vision correction and enhancing military readiness. I also have an interest in clinical applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Here you will find selections of my work over the years.
Impact 0f Refractive Correction on the Quality of Life in Military Cadets Pursuing Refractive Surgery
Purpose: To assess the impact of refractive error correction on the quality of life of US Military Academy Cadets seeking refractive surgery. Quality of life was measured using the Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC) questionnaire, a 20 question, self-administered survey for pre-presbyopic individuals requiring refractive correction.
Methods: The QIRC survey was self-administered and completed by 40 cadets seeking refractive surgery. Inclusion criteria were age 21 to 39 years, and the use of spectacles or contact lenses seeking refractive surgery correction. Exclusion criteria were previous ocular surgery (including refractive), ocular disease, and systemic disease. Using a psychometric Rasch scale, QIRC responses were converted into scaled values of 0 to 100 as determined in the QIRC development study. The values were averaged to determine an overall score. The means were compared with those of the QIRC contact lens data using unpaired, two sample t tests. Results were considered statistically significant at P<.05.
Results: Overall, the total cadet QIRC mean (42.08 +/- 5.5) was significantly lower than the QIRC normative mean (46.7 +/- 5.5, P<.001). Among individual survey questions, cadets scored significantly lower on nine items. Questions pertaining to physical activity and the ability to perform desired activities scored the lowest. There were significant differences in demographic characteristics for age and gender. The average age was 21.7 +/-1.1 years (P<.001) and 8 participants were female (chi-squared P<.001). All were predominantly contact lens wearers with an average spherical equivalent of -3.27 +/- 1.9 diopters.
Conclusion: US military academy cadets report significantly low quality of life scores. This is likely due to the physical demand that athletics and military training place on the surveyed population. Contact lens wear is also prohibited for military personnel in the field and glasses may have a detrimental impact on perceived quality of life in this setting.
Presented at the ASCRS 2022 Conference in Washington, DC
Ocular surface disease in thyroid eye disease: a narrative review
Harkaran S. Rana, Sruti S. Akella, Carson E. Clabeaux, Zachary P. Skurski, Vinay K. Aakalu,
Ocular surface disease in thyroid eye disease: A narrative review, The Ocular Surface,Volume 24, 2022, Pages 67-73, ISSN 1542-0124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2022.02.001
Abstract: Ocular surface disease (OSD) in the setting of thyroid eye disease (TED) is traditionally thought of as a natural consequence of anatomical changes such as proptosis and corneal exposure. However, a growing body of research suggests that ocular surface inflammation and multi-factorial changes to the homeostasis of the ocular surface contribute substantially to the OSD seen in TED patients. In this paper we review the existing literature which highlights the work and existing theories underlying this new paradigm shift.
Keywords: Dry eye; Ocular surface disease; Thyroid eye disease; Exposure keratopathy