K. Thiran Jayasundera
The Power List 2015
K. Thiran Jayasundera
Jayasundera gained recognition as one of the first surgeons to implant the first Argus II implants in the US following FDA approval, which he considers to be his biggest achievement to date – and will soon chair the first Argus II investigator meeting.
His interests include the diagnosis and treatment of inherited retinal degenerative diseases, including Stargardt disease, retinitis pigmentosa variants, cone dystrophies and unusual retinal dystrophies that require electrophysiological testing for diagnosis. His research focus is genotype-phenotype correlations in inherited retinal disease, predictors of disease progression and outcome measures for therapeutic clinical trials. He predicts that gene therapy will see the most advances in the next five years. “My goals are: to provide patients with an accurate diagnosis and prognosis; to help guide the choice or targeting of treatment; and to develop outcome measures which will determine progression of their disease state in therapeutic trials,” he adds.
A nominator said: “Jayasundera completed fellowships in medical retinal diseases and in vitreoretinal surgery, a unique combination that allows him to fully treat patients with retinal dystrophies. This background will enable him in the near future to deliver molecular and gene therapies for these patients. His medical fellowship emphasized retinal electrophysiology, which very few ophthalmologists perform and interpret. His publications on retinal degenerative diseases, particularly Stargardt disease, retinitis pigmentosa (RP) 2 and X-linked RP have enhanced clinical diagnosis of these diseases, leading to improved genetic counselling for patients and their families.”
