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Future Vision Foundation honors extraordinary medical innovators making breakthroughs in vision research to restore vision or prevent vision loss.

PORTLAND, ORE. – February, 1, 2022 – Mark Terry, M.D., of Legacy Devers Eye Institute in Portland, Ore., was one of three researchers presented with a Future Vision Foundation award as a laureate representing groundbreaking accomplishments. Future Vision showcases the work of extraordinary medical innovators making breakthroughs in vision research to restore vision or prevent vision loss. Dr. Terry, a worldwide lecturer and researcher, was recognized for his innovative treatment of eye disease and his critical discoveries in eye care. His research has centered around corneal transplantation, corneal physiology, refractive surgery, dry eye, and endophthalmitis (a bacterial or fungal infection that affects tissues inside the eyes).

Future Vision Foundation funded a documentary-type film to illustrate the nature of each honoree's research. Dr. Terry's video included a successful corneal transplant called endothelial keratoplasty (EK) developed at Devers. He performed this surgery and restored full vision to his youngest patient, a two-year-old boy.

"The young patient had corneas so swollen and blistering that he'd never seen his mother's face clearly," says Dr. Terry. The EK surgery was a paradigm shift from traditional corneal surgery, which created full-thickness incisions in the clear cornea that weren't stable, and it took years for a patient's vision to truly stabilize. Endothelial keratoplasty involves tunneling to the diseased layer of the cornea, replacing just that layer, and leaving healthy areas intact. The traditional full-thickness corneal surgery takes a year or two before the vision is final, while EK allows excellent vision in two weeks.

"This was the first time I performed EK for someone in this age group, and we were successful," says Dr. Terry. "We removed the eye shield within a few days, and he looked at his mother, and he started smiling."

Dr. Terry has been doing corneal research for over 40 years. He has served as the director of Corneal Services at the Devers Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon, since 1990. As a pioneer in his field, Dr. Terry has lectured extensively internationally* and widely published his research in the areas of corneal transplantation, corneal physiology, refractive surgery, dry eye, and endophthalmitis. In 2000, after a year of laboratory development, he began the first U.S. clinical series he named DLEK, starting a new era of modern corneal transplantation. Dr. Terry continues to pioneer development in this field and has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) the Paton Award from the Eye Bank Association of America. He has been a member with thesis of the prestigious and exclusive American Ophthalmological Society since 2007 and is a professor of clinical ophthalmology at Oregon Health Sciences University.

About Future Vision Foundation
Future Vision Foundation is a 501(c)3 with a mission is to inspire innovative vision research and celebrate breakthrough vision advances through powerful documentaries of discovery, impact, and hope. Visit www.futurevisionfound.org