UIC BIRCWH Scholar Named One of the Top Chicago Doctors

A special congratulations to Dr. Thasarat Vajaranant! Dr. Vajaranant is honored in Chicago Magazine's January 2012 issue as one of the top doctors in the Chicago area for her work in women's eye health. Dr. Vajaranant was chosen from among the more than 35,000 doctors in the metroland Chicago area and recognized for her unique clinical expertise. The magazine is currently available at newstands throughout Chicago or online.

As a BIRCWH scholar, Dr. Vajaranant's research goal is to build a research program in women’s eye health. Specifically, she hopes to determine gender difference in eye diseases and to identify women at risk as well as gender specific risk factors for blindness. Worldwide, blindness is more common in women, and glaucoma is one of major causes of irreversible blindness. Dr. Vajaranant is investigating gender difference in eye diseases and glaucoma using a database from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES), a large population based study. In addition, she is examining the neuroprotective effect of female sex hormones, and studying the association between the decline in the female sex hormones with aging and the development of glaucoma and glaucoma progression.