News at UI Health

Illinois Eye & Ear at UI Health has partnered with Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration (HFSR) to become a Center of Excellence for severe ocular surface diseases.

UI Health is the fifth institution in the country — and first in Illinois — to collaborate as an HSFR Center of Excellence. 

Ocular surface diseases (OSD), including limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), are characterized by damage to the transparent, outermost layer of the eye, known as the epithelium, which can prevent proper healing and leave patients vulnerable to pain, redness, poor vision, and permanent injury. Patients with severe OSD often face delayed diagnoses and limited access to specialized care. 

The Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration works to address this critical unmet medical need by establishing Centers of Excellence to build specialized teams, protocols, and state-of-the-art practices for treating OSD, while also serving as leading hubs for physician education and clinical innovation.

Dr. Ali R. Djalilian, co-director of the Cornea & External Disease Service in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at UI Health, leads the newly established center. Dr. Djalilian is a recognized authority on the management of severe corneal and ocular surface diseases and ocular surface stem cell transplantation. He bridges his clinical experience with his federally funded basic science and translational research projects.

“We are honored to partner with the Holland Foundation to certify UI Health as a Center of Excellence for ocular surface disease patients,” said Dr. Djalilian, who also leads the department’s Limbal Cell Transplant Program. “This collaboration, combined with the support from across our hospital and health sciences colleges, enables us to expand access to specialized care and deliver sight-restoring treatments to more patients with severe ocular surface disease.”

As an HFSR Center of Excellence, the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences will partner with the UI Health Transplant Program to be one of the few centers in the country to provide stem cell transplantation to treat LCSD. UI Health is a leading center for both solid organ and cell transplantation, having played a pivotal role in advancing islet cell transplantation, including the use of the only FDA-approved cell therapy for the treatment of brittle type 1 diabetes. Dr. Lorenzo Gallon, director of Transplant Research at UI Health, will be a key partner in this initiative. 

The Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration is an independent, non-profit organization that aims to address OSD care gaps by recognizing hospitals and health systems that offer expert care, specialized treatments, physician education, and clinical innovation. 

“This collaboration, combined with the support from across our hospital and health sciences colleges, enables us to expand access to specialized care and deliver sight-restoring treatments to more patients with severe ocular surface disease,” said Dr Djalilian.