Lighthouse Guild, the leading not-for profit vision and healthcare organization, honored two scientists for their significant achievements in vision research at the 2017 Alfred W. Bressler Vision Science Symposium and Award Luncheon

and the Pisart Award Lecture. The symposium,

awards ceremony and lecture was held at The

University Club of New York on October 20 and 21.  
Dr. Russell N. Van Gelder, was presented with the

2017 Bressler Prize, and Dr. Yoshikazu Imanishi

received the 2017 Pisart Award.  

Dr. Van Gelder is the Boyd K. Bucey Memorial

Chair, Professor and Department Chair, Department

of Ophthalmology, at the University of Washington

School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. His

research on non-visual photoreception, an

unconventional kind of light-sensitivity sometimes

described as “sensing light without sight” has been widely heralded and published. 


Dr. Imanishi is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He has solved several critical questions regarding the mechanisms and processes of photoreceptor development and maintenance, elevating the understanding, treatment and diagnosis of eye disorders. He and his laboratory team developed the photo-conversion technique that enables fluorescent labeling of newly synthesized proteins. 

About Lighthouse Guild
Lighthouse Guild, based in New York, is the leading not-for-profit healthcare organization dedicated to addressing and preventing vision loss through coordinated vision and health services. With Lighthouse Guild, people who are at risk for, or affected by, vision loss have access to all the resources necessary to lead full, independent and productive lives. For more information, visit  http://www.LighthouseGuild.org

Lighthouse Guild Honors Scientists at Bressler Vision Science Symposium and Pisart Award Lecture

Pisart Award recipient Dr. Yoshikazu Imanishi, Lighthouse Guild President & CEO Dr. Alan R. Morse and Bressler Prize recipient Dr. Russell N. Van Gelder. Photo by: Charles Manley