Prof. José Cunha-Vaz is Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology of the University of Coimbra, Portugal and President of the Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image.
Doctor, Medical Science, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
F.C. Ophth. - Fellow of the College of Ophthalmologists - U.K.
José Cunha-Vaz identified the Blood-Retinal Barrier (BRB), their tight interendothelial junctions, measured its permeability and demonstrated the presence of active transport systems. These findings are fundamental for understanding retinal disease.
José Cunha-Vaz developed vitreous fluorometry and the retinal leakage analyzer, for clinical evaluation of the BRB. With these methods he delineated the importance of BRB in retinal disease.
Recently, José Cunha-Vaz introduced multimodal macula mapping leading to the identification of different phenotypes of diabetic retinopathy.
Studies on the permeability of the blood-ocular barrier. I. On the existence, development and site of a blood-retinal barrier.
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 1966, 50:411-453.
Studies on the permeability of the blood-retinal barrier. IV. Junctional complexes of the retinal vessels and their role on their permeability.
Exp. Eye Res. 1966, 5:229-234.
The active transport of fluorescein by retinal vessels and the retina.
Early breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier in diabetes.
Br. J. Ophthalmol. 1975, 59:649-656.
Prog. Retinal Res. 1984, 89-114.
Three-year follow-up of blood retinal barrier and retinal thickness alterations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and mild nonproliferative retinopathy.
Arch. Ophthalmol. 2004, 122: 211-217.
Nonproliferative retinopathy in diabetes type 2. Initial stages and characterization of phenotypes.
Progr. Retinal Eye Res. 2005, 24:355-377.