Research Topics
Species | Laura BalcerSummaryAffiliation: University of Pennsylvania Country: USA Publications
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Publications
Clinical practice. Optic neuritisLaura J Balcer
Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
N Engl J Med 354:1273-80. 2006
Evaluating loss of visual function in multiple sclerosis as measured by low-contrast letter acuityLaura J Balcer
Department of Neurology, 3 East Gates Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Neurology 74:S16-23. 2010..The availability and wider use of low-contrast letter acuity tests, in combination with ocular imaging techniques, may improve assessment of treatment efficacy in patients with MS...- Low-contrast acuity measures visual improvement in phase 3 trial of natalizumab in relapsing MSLaura J Balcer
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
J Neurol Sci 318:119-24. 2012..We determined the effects of natalizumab on the frequency and cumulative probability of visual improvement using low-contrast letter acuity a prespecified tertiary outcome measure in AFFIRM... 
Residency training: the King-Devick test and sleep deprivation: study in pre- and post-call neurology residentsEmma C Davies
Departments of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
Neurology 78:e103-6. 2012..The current study investigates the effect of sleep deprivation on the speed and accuracy of eye movements as measured by the King-Devick (K-D) test, a <1-minute test that involves rapid number naming...- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension: relation of age and obesity in childrenL J Balcer
Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
Neurology 52:870-2. 1999..01). Younger children with idiopathic intracranial hypertension are less likely to be obese than are older children or adults... - Contrast letter acuity as a visual component for the Multiple Sclerosis Functional CompositeL J Balcer
Division of Neuro ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA
Neurology 61:1367-73. 2003..Visual dysfunction is one of the most common causes of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), a new clinical trial outcome measure, does not currently include a test of visual function... - Natalizumab reduces visual loss in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosisL J Balcer
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Neurology 68:1299-304. 2007.... - Clinical outcome measures for research in multiple sclerosisL J Balcer
Division of Neuro ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
J Neuroophthalmol 21:296-301. 2001..Measures of visual function and HRQOL should also be incorporated to capture the broad scope of neurologic impairment and disability in MS populations... - Evidence-based neuro-ophthalmology: advances in treatmentL J Balcer
Division of Neuro ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Curr Opin Ophthalmol 12:387-92. 2001.... - Visual loss in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 and optic pathway gliomas: relation to tumor location by magnetic resonance imagingL J Balcer
Division of Neuro ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Am J Ophthalmol 131:442-5. 2001..To examine the potential for visual acuity loss, and its relation to extent and location of optic pathway gliomas in a cohort of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 studied with magnetic resonance imaging... - Damage to the optic radiation in multiple sclerosis is associated with retinal injury and visual disabilityDaniel S Reich
Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Phipps Bldg, Room B 112, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Arch Neurol 66:998-1006. 2009..To determine whether damage to the optic radiation (OR) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with optic nerve injury and visual dysfunction... - Longitudinal study of vision and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in multiple sclerosisLauren S Talman
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Ann Neurol 67:749-60. 2010..We determined how longitudinal changes in RNFL thickness relate to visual loss. We also examined patterns of RNFL thinning over time in MS eyes with and without a prior history of acute optic neuritis (ON)... - Relation of visual function to retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in multiple sclerosisJennifer B Fisher
Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, Departments of Neurology, Ophthalmology, and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Scheie Eye Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Ophthalmology 113:324-32. 2006.... - Self-reported visual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis: new data from the VFQ-25 and development of an MS-specific vision questionnaireSiu-Ling Ma
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Am J Ophthalmol 133:686-92. 2002..A brief MS-specific vision questionnaire may provide additional useful information when administered concurrently with the VFQ-25 in future investigations of MS and other neuroophthalmologic disorders... - Retinal imaging by laser polarimetry and optical coherence tomography evidence of axonal degeneration in multiple sclerosisMaulik S Zaveri
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Arch Neurol 65:924-8. 2008.... - Multiple sclerosis and the ophthalmologistEllen M Mowry
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Compr Ophthalmol Update 8:39-49. 2007..A summary presents the appropriate evaluation and management of patients with optic neuritis and other first demyelinating events (also referred to as clinically isolated syndromes)... - Relationship of optic nerve and brain conventional and non-conventional MRI measures and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, as assessed by OCT and GDx: a pilot studyElliot M Frohman
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
J Neurol Sci 282:96-105. 2009..Measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in multiple sclerosis (MS) is gaining increasing attention... - Contrast letter acuity as a measure of visual dysfunction in patients with Friedreich ataxiaDavid R Lynch
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania and The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia, 19104, USA
J Neuroophthalmol 22:270-4. 2002..We sought to identify a simple, reliable method for assessing clinical and subclinical visual dysfunction in patients with Friedreich ataxia... - Measuring the rate of progression in Friedreich ataxia: implications for clinical trial designLisa S Friedman
Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Mov Disord 25:426-32. 2010..These results help to establish norms for progression in FRDA that can be useful in measuring the long-term success of therapeutic agents and defining sample-size calculations for double-blind clinical trials... - Approach to optic neuropathies: clinical updateSashank Prasad
Division of Neuro ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Neurologist 16:23-34. 2010.... - Friedreich ataxia: effects of genetic understanding on clinical evaluation and therapyDavid R Lynch
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA
Arch Neurol 59:743-7. 2002..Although no proven therapy is yet available, antioxidants are a potential method for therapeutic intervention... - Near infrared muscle spectroscopy in patients with Friedreich's ataxiaDavid R Lynch
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Muscle Nerve 25:664-73. 2002..These results suggest that NIRS may be an effective tool for monitoring the biochemical and functional features of Friedreich's ataxia in parallel... - Lack of effect of polymorphisms in dopamine metabolism related genes on imaging of TRODAT-1 in striatum of asymptomatic volunteers and patients with Parkinson's diseaseDavid R Lynch
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania and The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Mov Disord 18:804-12. 2003..These results demonstrate that these specific genetic variations do not alter the fidelity of (99)Tc-TRODAT-1 as a measure of dopaminergic function in asymptomatic volunteer individuals or patients with PD... - Validation and test characteristics of a 10-item neuro-ophthalmic supplement to the NEI-VFQ-25Brian A Raphael
Department of Neurology, Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Am J Ophthalmol 142:1026-35. 2006..The use of the 10-Item Supplement in clinical trials and epidemiologic studies will examine its capacity to demonstrate treatment effects in longitudinal cohorts... - Occult thyroid eye disease in patients with unexplained ocular misalignment identified by standardized orbital echographyNicholas J Volpe
Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Am J Ophthalmol 142:75-81. 2006.... - Performance measures in Friedreich ataxia: potential utility as clinical outcome toolsDavid R Lynch
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 4318, USA
Mov Disord 20:777-82. 2005..Thus, a composite scale derived from these performance measures may provide the best overall measure for assessing disease progression throughout the illness... - Pupil-involving third nerve palsy as a manifestation of anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein neuropathyMadhura A Tamhankar
Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
J Neuroophthalmol 31:29-33. 2011..The patient improved with prednisone and rituximab treatment. Anti-MAG neuropathy should be considered when evaluating a patient with an undiagnosed cranial neuropathy, especially in the setting of a sensory neuropathy... - Optical coherence tomography in multiple sclerosisElliot Frohman
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75235, USA
Lancet Neurol 5:853-63. 2006..In this review, we consider the usefulness of optical imaging of the retina as a biomarker for neurodegeneration in multiple-sclerosis... - Optical coherence tomography: a window into the mechanisms of multiple sclerosisElliot M Frohman
Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
Nat Clin Pract Neurol 4:664-75. 2008.... - Macular volume determined by optical coherence tomography as a measure of neuronal loss in multiple sclerosisBryn M Burkholder
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Arch Neurol 66:1366-72. 2009..Inner (area adjacent to the fovea) and outer regions of the macula differ with respect to relative thicknesses of the ganglion cell layer (neurons) vs retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL; axons)... - Functional visual loss in idiopathic intracranial hypertensionJoshua J Ney
Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 51 North 39th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Ophthalmology 116:1808-1813.e1. 2009..To identify and describe patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) with concurrent functional visual loss (FVL)... - Pituitary apoplexy causing optic neuropathy and horner syndrome without ophthalmoplegiaRobert K Shin
Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
J Neuroophthalmol 23:208-10. 2003..The combination of headache, acute visual loss, and ipsilateral Horner syndrome without ophthalmoplegia, which may suggest carotid artery dissection, is evidently an unusual manifestation of pituitary apoplexy... - Reproducibility of high-resolution optical coherence tomography in multiple sclerosisStephanie B Syc
Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Mult Scler 16:829-39. 2010..Specific procedures for OCT acquisition and analysis of retinal imaging metrics using SD-OCT technology may improve the application of this novel technology in multiple sclerosis... - Combined optic neuropathy and myelopathy secondary to copper deficiencyStacy L Pineles
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Surv Ophthalmol 55:386-92. 2010..It is crucial to elicit a history of gastric surgery or other risk factors for hypocupremia in those patients undergoing an evaluation for subacute or chronically progressive optic neuropathy or myelopathy... - Health related quality of life measures in Friedreich AtaxiaElizabeth Epstein
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA
J Neurol Sci 272:123-8. 2008..Findings of this study are consistent with the phenotypic characteristics of FA, and suggest that HRQOL measures are potentially useful as clinical markers of disease status in FA... - Treatment of acute demyelinating optic neuritisLaura J Balcer
Division of Neuro-ophthalmology, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Semin Ophthalmol 17:4-10. 2002..Oral prednisone alone, without prior treatment with IV methylprednisolone, may increase the risk for recurrent optic neuritis and should be avoided... - The King-Devick test as a determinant of head trauma and concussion in boxers and MMA fightersK M Galetta
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Neurology 76:1456-62. 2011..We investigated the K-D test as a potential rapid sideline screening for concussion in a cohort of boxers and mixed martial arts fighters... - Tension pneumocephalus after endoscopic sinus surgery: case report of repair and management in absence of obvious skull base defectRobert G Whitmore
Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Ear Nose Throat J 87:96-9. 2008..We discuss management of this complication and preventive measures for avoiding pneumocephalus after functional endoscopic sinus surgery... - Antioxidant use in Friedreich ataxiaLauren Myers
Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA
J Neurol Sci 267:174-6. 2008..This confirms that non-prescription antioxidant use represents a major confounder to formal trials of existing and novel agents for Friedreich ataxia... - The role of unilateral temporal artery biopsyJennifer K Hall
Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 51 North 39th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Ophthalmology 110:543-8; discussion 548. 2003..Jaw claudication, pale optic disc edema, particularly "chalky white" disc edema, fever, or any systemic symptom other than headache should raise suspicion for a diagnosis of GCA... - Reproducibility of optical coherence tomography in multiple sclerosisDeanna Cettomai
Pathology Bldg, Ste 627, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Arch Neurol 65:1218-22. 2008..Optical coherence tomography is being considered as a potential outcome measure in multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical trials, but no data exist on the reproducibility of this technique in MS centers... - Laser pointer visual field screeningMichael S Lee
Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
J Neuroophthalmol 23:260-3. 2003..0 minutes for HVF. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, laser visual field testing was significantly more sensitive than confrontation testing. It may represent an effective, time-efficient tool for visual field screening...
Research Grants
- Novel visual outcome measures in optic neuritis and multiple sclerosisLaura Balcer; Fiscal Year: 2007..S. This work will provide support for additional research and for mentoring of beginning clinician scientists in the development of improved testing methods for vision in these conditions. ..
- Longitudinal Assessment of Visual Function in MSLaura Balcer; Fiscal Year: 2007....
- Visual Dysfunction and Quality of Life in MSLaura Balcer; Fiscal Year: 2003..This proposal will provide a crucial foundation for future studies of vision in MS that will involve longitudinal assessment. ..
- Novel Clinical and Ocular Imaging Outcomes with Long-Term Follow-Up in MSLaura Balcer; Fiscal Year: 2010..Aim 3: Determine how low-contrast letter acuity, RNFL thickness, and total macular volume impact vision specific and overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in longitudinal studies of MS and ON. ..