About

Mandi D. Conway is a Clinical Professor in the Clinical Series of Ophthalmology and Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She holds the position of Chair of Ophthalmology and is associated with Arizona Retinal Specialists. Dr. Conway completed her MD at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago Medical School in 1983. Her postgraduate training includes a residency in Ophthalmology at Tulane University in 1988, a research fellowship in Corneal Research at Tulane University in 1985, and fellowships in Vitreoretinal surgery at Washington University in St. Louis in 1995 and at Retinal Consultants Limited in 1992. Her research interests focus on macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Conway has contributed to the field through publications on topics such as the management of cataracts in uveitis patients, visual system manifestations of Alzheimer's disease, and cases of central serious chorioretinopathy in postmenopausal women receiving exogenous testosterone. She is actively involved in ophthalmology research and clinical practice, emphasizing retinal diseases and their treatment.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Intensive care medicine
• Pathology
• Dermatology
• Immunology
• Optics
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Nuclear medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Optometry
• Statistics

Selected publications

• Accuracy of an objective binocular automated phoropter for providing spectacle prescriptions

  Clinical and Experimental Optometry · 2023 · 1 citations

  • Optometry
  • Mathematics
  • Ophthalmology

  CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Currently eye examinations are usually based on autorefraction followed by subjective refraction (SR) with a phoropter. An automated phoropter that can also perform autorefraction may facilitate the optometric workflow. BACKGROUND: The efficiency and feasibility of an objective autorefraction and correction system are assessed by comparing objective refractive measurements with SR on the same subjects and evaluating the visual acuity (VA) values obtained after the objective refractive measurement and correction. METHODS: Objective autorefraction and correction was performed on 41 subjects using an automated binocular phoropter system. The auto-phoropter performs autorefraction by wavefront measurement and corrects the spherical and cylindrical errors with tunable fluidic lenses while the patient looks at a visual display inside the instrument. The instrument outputs are optometric constants of spherical and cylindrical aberrations. After measurement and automated correction of the refractive errors, the VA values were assessed by having the subjects look at an integrated Snellen chart. The objective measurement results were statistically compared with their SR. RESULTS: ) were 0.73 (0.55-0.85) and 0.82 (0.69-0.90), for the right and left eyes, respectively, with the 95% confidence interval (CI) values in parentheses. 89.0% of the 82 eyes had at least 6/7.5 VA. CONCLUSIONS: A significant agreement between the SR and objective autorefraction and correction was observed. An all-objective refractive assessment with instantaneous verification may improve the precision of eye prescriptions and possibly reduce the procedure time.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Endogenous Endophthalmitis: Etiology and Treatment

  IntechOpen eBooks · 2021 · 12 citations

  • Intensive care medicine
  • Medicine
  • Dermatology

  This chapter comprehensively covers all aspects of endogenous endophthalmitis from systemic infectious agents, with an emphasis on reported and newer etiologies to broaden the diagnostic and investigative acumen of treating ophthalmic providers. The discussion includes the etiology of metastatic endophthalmitis and diagnostic investigations, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), for identification of bacterial and viral infections involving the eye in both immunosuppressed in non-immunosuppressed patients. Additionally, we present clinical and diagnostic findings of fungal infections, protozoal infections, and helminthic infections. Pediatric cases are also reported and etiologies described. We discuss both etiology and diagnostic challenges. Current therapeutic modalities and outcomes are reviewed. While no two cases of metastatic endophthalmitis are the same, some similarities may exist that allow us to generalize how to approach and treat this potentially sight- and life-threatening spectrum of diseases and find the underlying systemic cause.

  PublisherDOI

• Corrigendum to: A Brief Overview of Ophthalmic Ultrasound Imaging

  2019-02-05

  erratum
  Publisher

• Innovative Diagnostic Tools for Ophthalmology in Low-Income Countries

  IntechOpen eBooks · 2019-02-21 · 10 citations

  book-chapterOpen access

  Globally, there are almost 300 million people blind and visually impaired and over 90% live developing countries. The gross disparity in access to ophthalmologists limits the ability to accurately diagnose potentially blinding conditions like cataract, glaucoma, trachoma, uncorrected refractive error and limits timely initiation of medical and surgical treatment. Since 85% of blindness is preventable, bridging this chasm for care is even more critical in preventing needless blindness. Many low-income countries must rely on community health workers, physician assistants, and cataract surgeons for primary eye care. Ophthalmology in low-income countries (LIC) is further challenging due to complexities brought from tropical climates, frail electric grids, poor road and water infrastructure, limited diagnostic capability and limited treatment options. Vision 2020 set the goal of eliminating preventable blindness by 2020 despite formidable obstacles. Innovative technologies are emerging to test visual acuity, correct refractive error quickly and inexpensively, capture retinal images with portable tools, train cataract surgeons using simulators, capitalize on mHealth, access ophthalmic information remotely. These advancements are allowing nonspecialized ophthalmic practitioners to provide low-cost, high impact eye care in resource-limited regions around the world.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Laser indirect ophthalmoscopy

  2019-07-12

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  This chapter discusses the indications, instrumentation, and complications of the laser indirect ophthalmoscope (LIO) delivery system. The binocular indirect laser photocoagulation system, developed by K. Mizuno and Y. Takaku in 1981, uses an indirect ophthalmoscope coupled with a fiberoptic cable to a laser optic. The binocular ophthalmoscope permits visualization of the entire fundus with ease. Initial or supplemental laser photocoagulation can be administered with the LIO in children and uncooperative adults under general anesthetic. The LIO may be required in certain intraoperative and postoperative situations. Peripheral retinal pathology can be treated intraoperatively with or without scleral indentation in phakic eyes. During the LIO laser treatment, the simplest way to change the effective tissue treatment and laser spot size is to change the distance between the focal point and aerial image generated by the condensing lens. Topical, peribulbar, or retrobulbar anesthesia can be used with the LIO delivery system.

  PublisherDOI

• Implantation of a sustained-release ganciclovir implant

  2019-07-12

  book-chapterSenior author

  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is the most common opportunistic ocular infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Intravenous ganciclovir was the first treatment shown to be efficacious in the management of CMV retinitis. Poor ocular bioavailability prompted the use of intravitreal injection of ganciclovir, foscarnet, and, more recently, cidofovir in order to treat CMV retinitis. The ideal candidate for the ganciclovir implant would be an AIDS patient with newly diagnosed unilateral CMV retinitis with no evidence of systemic CMV. A ganciclovir implant has been used successfully to treat a patient with CMV retinitis caused by profound immuno-suppression after bone marrow transplantation for myeloproliferative disease. In a randomized, controlled clinical trial, the placement of the ganciclovir implant plus orally administered ganciclovir was compared to the use of intravenous cidofovir in 56 eyes of 42 patients, who underwent a total of 74 surgeries for ganciclovir implantation.

  PublisherDOI

• Fine-needle biopsy of intraocular tumors

  2019-07-12

  book-chapterSenior author

  Fine-needle biopsy techniques allow diagnostic samples to be obtained for pathologic assessment, but the techniques require skill and coordination between the surgeon and a trained cytopathologist in the preparation, handling, and interpretation of the small specimens. Preoperative preparation and planning are important in patients requiring intraocular biopsy. Fine-needle biopsy is especially useful in eyes with suspected metastatic carcinoma when there is no clear evidence of other metastatic disease or a primary source. The placement of the biopsy needle and the approach to the tumor depend on the ease of visualization and the lens status of the eye. Limbal approaches for anterior lesions are performed with viscoelastic maintenance of the anterior chamber and visualization through an operating microscope. Solid tumor biopsies are more difficult to perform, and require proper needle-tip placement visualization and control to obtain the sample and prevent complications.

  PublisherDOI

• A Brief Overview of Ophthalmic Ultrasound Imaging

  IntechOpen eBooks · 2019-02-15 · 7 citations

  book-chapterOpen accessCorresponding

  Ultrasound is one of the oldest imaging modalities. Sound waves are emitted into the body, and the returning echoes can be interpreted. It has become widely used because it can easily be done at bedside with a relatively small apparatus and does not expose the patient to any ionizing radiation. While this technique has seen widespread acceptance in other fields such as cardiology or obstetrics and gynecology, the general use in ophthalmology has been somewhat limited. However, recent advancements in ultrasonic arrays can be a powerful tool in the evaluation of ophthalmic pathology. Such systems can quickly generate very high detail images and 3D reconstructions without the need for extensive manual scanning. The application of this technology includes evaluation of traumatic eye injuries; assessing presence and location of an intraocular foreign body; evaluation of intraocular tumors, including small tumors that have not yet caused visual distortion; evaluation of retinal detachment; and evaluation of vascular disease. The goal of this article is to briefly review the history and development of ultrasound and to provide an overview of the most current systems and applications of ultrasound use in ophthalmologic clinical evaluation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Management of endophthalmitis

  2019-07-12 · 15 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Endophthalmitis, one of the most challenging ocular diseases, is also among the most variable in terms of visual outcome: some eyes retain useful reading vision and some are lost. Endophthalmitis is an inflammatory response to bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral invasion of the eye. Bacterial endophthalmitis is a disastrous complication of any intraocular surgery or antecedent trauma. Patient symptoms indicative of endophthalmitis include ocular pain, diminished vision, and headache, with associated drowsiness. Bleb-associated endophthalmitis is a special case of acute postoperative endophthalmitis that occurs any time following filtration surgery and is a significant cause of visual morbidity. Eyes with traumatic endophthalmitis present with symptoms similar to eyes with acute postoperative infections: they are often intensely red and painful. Eyes receiving intravitreal therapeutic agents such as triamcinolone acetonide or pegaptanib need to have strict adherence to intravitreal injection guidelines to prevent postinjection endophthalmitis.

  PublisherDOI

• Intracameral dexamethasone injection in the treatment of cataract surgery induced inflammation: design, development, and place in therapy

  Clinical ophthalmology · 2018-10-31 · 59 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed surgeries worldwide, with nearly 20 million cases annually. Appropriate prophylaxis after cataract surgery can contribute to a safe and quick visual recovery with high patient satisfaction. Despite being the current standard of care, the use of multiple postoperative eye drops can create a significant burden on these patients, contributing to documented and significant non-adherence to the postoperative regimen. Over the past 25 years, there have been a few studies analyzing the use of intracameral dexamethasone (DXM) in controlling inflammation following cataract surgery. This review explores various drug delivery approaches for managing intraocular inflammation after cataract surgery, documenting the strengths and weaknesses of these options and examining the role of intracameral DXM (among these other strategies) in controlling postoperative intraocular inflammation. Intracameral DXM has a particular advantage over topical steroids in possibly decreasing postoperative inflammatory symptoms and objective anterior cell and flare scores. Compared to topical steroids, there may be a slightly less theoretical risk of significant intraocular pressure spikes and systemic absorption. In addition, surveys indicate patients prefer an intraoperative intracameral injection over a self-administered postoperative eye drop regimen. However, there are several adverse effects associated with intracameral DXM delivery that are not seen with the noninvasive topical approach. Although it is unlikely that intracameral DXM will replace topical medications as the standard management for postoperative inflammation, it is seemingly another safe and effective strategy for controlling postoperative inflammation after routine cataract surgery.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant F32EY006193

  NIH · $100k

Frequent coauthors

• Gholam A. Peyman

  University of Phoenix

  168 shared

• Stephen A Meffert

  27 shared

• Peter J. Kertes

  University of Toronto

  27 shared

• Rizwan A. Cheema

  26 shared

• Ting Fang

  Ningbo University

  25 shared

• Diane A. Blake

  Tulane University

  20 shared

• G.A. Peyman

  Tulane University

  18 shared

• Kenneth F. Soike

  17 shared