Open house scheduled for new Pediatric Retinal Research Laboratory

An open house to celebrate the opening of a new laboratory in Oakland University’s Eye Research Institute (ERI) will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12 in 402 Dodge Hall.

The Virginia and Clarence Clohset Pediatric Retinal Research Laboratory (PERRL) is believed to be the only laboratory in the country dedicated solely to pediatric retinal research, said Frank Giblin, Ph.D., director of the ERI.

Dr. Giblin said PERRL’s state-of-the-art equipment will benefit ERI’s research on potentially blinding eye diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy and retinal complications associated with juvenile diabetes.

The opening of the laboratory was made possible by private donations from the Clohset and Bergquist families. Their donations were made through Dr. Michael Trese of Beaumont Hospitals, a world-renowned expert on pediatric eye diseases and longtime member of the ERI’s clinical faculty; and the ROPARD (Retinopathy of Prematurity and other Retinal Diseases) Foundation. Dr. Trese will serve as director of PERRL.

All members of the OU community are invited to attend the open house. Refreshments and a tour of the lab will be offered, and guests can meet with ERI faculty and staff.

For more information about the ERI, view the website at oakland.edu/eri.