Neuro-Ophthalmology and Neurovestibular Disease | From Bench to Bedside in Neuro-ophthalmology and Neurovestibular Disease*
Date: October 20, 2026
Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Room: Coral 4
Track: Traditional Special Interest Group (SIG)
Session Description
Neuro-ophthalmologists and neuro-otologists diagnose and manage complex disorders of the visual and vestibular systems. Advancing care requires translating laboratory discoveries into clinically meaningful tools, therapies, and patient-centered outcomes.
In this Special Interest Group session, From Bench to Bedside in Neuro-ophthalmology and Neuro-vestibular Disease, experts will present three complementary perspectives: technology-enabled, real-world measures of vestibular function; translational advances in optic nerve regeneration; and the integration of patient lived experience into the development of outcome measures for visual dysfunction. Together, these talks highlight emerging approaches to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and patient-centered care.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe the development and clinical applications of technology-enabled, real-world measures of vestibular function.
- Summarize key translational advances in optic nerve regeneration, including current challenges and opportunities.
- Explain how patient lived experience informs the design and validation of patient-reported outcomes in inherited optic neuropathies.
Speakers
- (Chair) Lindsey B. De Lott, MD, MS
- (Co-Chair) Leanne Stunkel, MD, FANA
- (Speaker) Kimberly Gokoffski, MD, PhD
- (Speaker) Benson Chen, MBChB, PhD, FRACP
- (Speaker) Kristen K. Steenerson, MD
- (Speaker) Coulson Rich, BA (2026 SIG Oral Presenter)
Optic Nerve Regeneration: Bench to Bedside
Description
Injury and degeneration of the optic nerve are major causes of irreversible vision loss, and effective strategies to restore vision remain a significant unmet clinical need. Recent advances in regenerative neuroscience have accelerated the development of therapies aimed at promoting optic nerve repair, bringing promising laboratory discoveries closer to clinical application.
This presentation will provide an update on current approaches to directing optic nerve regeneration and their potential to restore vision. Participants will review emerging strategies from basic and translational research, including molecular, cellular, and regenerative therapies designed to stimulate axonal regeneration and functional recovery. Topics will also include the challenges of translating preclinical discoveries into clinical therapies and the progress being made toward bringing optic nerve regeneration from the bench to the bedside.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the current state of optic nerve regeneration research and practical insights into the therapeutic approaches that may shape the future treatment of vision loss resulting from optic nerve injury and disease.
Lived Experience and Development of Self-reported Measures of Visual Dysfunction in Inherited Optic Neuropathies
Description
Inherited optic neuropathies can profoundly affect vision, daily functioning, and quality of life. As new therapies emerge, there is an increasing need for patient-centered outcome measures that accurately capture the lived experience of visual dysfunction and provide meaningful assessments of treatment benefit in both clinical practice and research.
This presentation will explore the development of a novel patient-reported measure designed to assess vision-related quality of life in individuals with inherited optic neuropathies. Participants will examine how patient perspectives informed the creation of this instrument, review the process of developing and validating self-reported measures of visual dysfunction, and discuss the importance of incorporating patient-centered outcomes into clinical trials and routine care. Topics will also include the role of these measures in evaluating disease burden, monitoring treatment response, and advancing therapeutic development.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the value of patient-reported outcome measures in inherited optic neuropathies and practical insights into how these tools can improve the assessment of visual function, quality of life, and treatment effectiveness.
Development of a Wearable ENG for Community-Based Nystagmus Detection
Description
Diagnosing episodic vestibular disorders is often challenging because symptoms are transient and nystagmus is rarely observed during a clinic visit. Advances in wearable technologies offer the potential to capture eye movement abnormalities in real-world settings, enabling more timely diagnosis and improved management of patients with intermittent dizziness and balance disorders.
This presentation will examine the development and validation of a wearable electronystagmography (ENG) device designed for continuous, community-based detection of nystagmus. Participants will review the rationale for ambulatory, event-based eye movement monitoring as an analog to cardiac event monitoring and explore the technical design of wearable ENG systems for recording eye movements outside the clinical environment. Topics will include recent feasibility studies demonstrating successful capture of spontaneous dizzy episodes and concordance with established clinical diagnoses, as well as the opportunities and challenges of integrating wearable vestibular monitoring into routine care. Future directions for device validation and applications in neurotology and vestibular neurology will also be explored.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the potential role of wearable ENG technology in the diagnosis of episodic vestibular disorders and practical insights into how ambulatory eye movement monitoring may complement existing diagnostic approaches and improve patient care.
Interocular Microvascular Asymmetry Selectively Associates with Verbal Memory Performance
Description
The retinal microvasculature serves as a non-invasive window into cerebrovascular health and has emerged as a promising correlate of cognitive performance. While prior studies have examined single-eye retinal microvascular measures, the potential of interocular asymmetry—differences between the two eyes—as a domain-specific cognitive biomarker remains largely unexplored. Advancing this approach may open new avenues for early, accessible screening of cognitive decline.
This presentation will describe findings from a study of cognitively intact individuals in which bilateral macula-centered fundus photographs were analyzed using automated microvascular quantification. Participants will learn how several retinal microvascular features were assessed across single-eye and interocular asymmetry measures and correlated with performance across multiple cognitive domains, including memory and executive function. The presentation will highlight how interocular asymmetry in a specific microvascular metric was associated with verbal memory performance, outperforming single-eye measurements and remaining independent of cardiovascular risk factors.
Attendees will leave with an understanding of interocular retinal microvascular asymmetry as a novel, domain-specific biomarker of verbal memory and practical insights into how non-invasive retinal imaging may be leveraged for early cognitive screening and longitudinal monitoring in neuro-ophthalmology and neurodegeneration research.
