For immediate release- 03/20/02

Emory and NIH Reinvent the Wheel---Again

Atlanta-Emory University has announced its participation in a study for amblyopia, a/k/a, ‘lazy eye’. Historically, treatment has been to patch the unaffected eye to help the amblyopic eye become stronger. Emory has announced atropine drops appear to work as well as patching and children prefer this treatment to wearing a patch.

Atropine treatment is NOT ‘’news’’ as Emory and the NIH would have the public believe. Claude Worth (1869-1936) recommended atropine 100 years ago for the treatment of amblyopia  .

Emory’s Ronald Boothe at Yerkes Primate Center has received federal grants from the NIH to perform useless and painful amblyopia experiments on monkeys since June 1, 1976 (see NIH chart below).

Boothe has written articles about amblyopia and the use of atropine for the Journal of Neuroscience as early as 1987 and Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science in 1982  Despite these articles, Boothe has produced nothing to help sick children.   Direct harm has been done to children by diverting valuable resources away from research modalities with proven track records.

NIH award data reflects 7 of Boothe’s 19 grants have cost the American taxpayer $1,845,293 since 1976 . To date, Emory and Boothe have not helped any human children with visual disorders in these studies.   To date, Emory and Boothe have not provided any new information in these studies.  

The failure of the NIH to require more rigorous scientific standards may answer the question why amblyopia continues to be a widespread problem in the US.

Non-human amblyopia models have proven Emory and the NIH experiments have been a waste of time, tax money and inflicted enormous animal suffering while diverting important resources from methodologies with proven track records. 

Read more about Emory's failed amblyopia experiments.

Please note, the NIH is so sloppy they don't require an abstract to be included with many of the experiments listed below.

1 58 2R01EY005975-09 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA/AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
2 58 5R01EY005975-11 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA/AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
3 58 5R01EY005975-12 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA/AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
4 58 5R01EY005975-13 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA/AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
5 35 2R01EY005975-04 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA-AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
6 35 5R01EY005975-05 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA-AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
7 35 5R01EY005975-06 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA-AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
8 35 5R01EY005975-07 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA-AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
9 35 5R01EY005975-08 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA-AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
10 23 5P51RR000165-390066 BOOTHE, RONALD TREATMENTS FOR APHAKIC AMBLYOPIA
11 23 5R01EY005975-02 BOOTHE, RONALD MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA-AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT
12 23 7R01EY006436-01 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODELS OF STRABLISMUS
13 23 5R01EY006436-02 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODELS OF STRABLISMUS
14 23 3R01EY006436-02S1 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODELS OF STRABLISMUS
15 12 5P51RR000165-370072 BOOTHE, RONALD TREATMENTS FOR APHAKIC AMBLYOPIA
16 12 5P51RR000165-380054 BOOTHE, RONALD TREATMENTS FOR APHAKIC AMBLYOPIA
17 12 5P51RR000165-400088 BOOTHE, RONALD TREATMENTS FOR APHAKIC AMBLYOPIA
18 12 2P51RR000165-410066 BOOTHE, RONALD TREATMENTS FOR APHAKIC AMBLYOPIA
19 12 5R01EY005975-10 BOOTHE, RONALD MONKEY MODEL FOR INFANTILE APHAKIA/AMBLYOPIA TREATMENT

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