Sayoko Moroi, MD, PHD

About

Biography

Sayoko Moroi, MD, PhD, has the long-term goal to prevent blindness from glaucoma. Inspired by her father, who had glaucoma and fortunately maintained central vision, Dr. Moroi is driven by curiosity to provide hope for patients by combining clinical care and research to improve patient outcomes. Glaucoma can cause vision impairment and blindness by damaging the optic nerve which is the critical cable that connects the light stimulation in the retina to the brain. Currently, the only effective management is to lower eye pressure by treatments using medications, laser, or surgery. In addition, risk factors for glaucoma have been identified from clinical trials supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) and other well-designed large clinical studies. These risk factors include thin cornea, family history of glaucoma, large eye pressure fluctuations, However despite these treatment options and clinical knowledge of glaucoma risk factors, some patients still have progressive optic nerve damage leading to vision impairment and blindness.

In order to reduce glaucoma-related vision impairment and blindness, Dr. Moroi’s research program includes:

Newer technology to detect large eye pressure fluctuations outside of clinic hours: Patients have access to rebound tonometry using iCare HOME instrument outside of the clinic to regularly measure their eye pressures throughout the day and night. This real-world eye pressure data can provide the extent of eye pressure fluctuations beyond office hours. Using this data, the clinican will determine if the patient’s treatment needs to be changed to reduce the eye pressure fluctuation and thus lower the risk glaucoma progression. Dr. Moroi and her team has a library of these instruments that can be used to help patients and clinicians understand the potential role of large eye pressure fluctuations and customize the glaucoma treatment to address this modifiable risk factor of eye pressure control.

Newer technology using head-mounted display: For patients who are not able to perform peripheral vision testing in the standard instrument, we have begun using head-mounted display using goggles for visual field testing. This goggle systems can also test for vision and color vision.

Genetics: Dr. Moroi will investigate if certain genetic markers of disease types, disease severity, eye pressure, and pathways involved in glaucoma will help determine which patients are at highest risk for disease progression. By conducting such research, the hope is to determine if risk stratification can identify who is at highest risk for glaucoma progression and needs more aggressive therapy versus those who can be monitored.

Machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence: Dr. Moroi is building a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, computer scientists, and biostatisticians in order to advance precision medicine for eye care. This team is generating large, multi-modal datasets that combine de-identified clinical information, high-resolution ocular imaging, and functional eye testing. With rigorous safeguards to ensure patient privacy, this approach enables the identification of subtle patterns and patient-specific risk profiles that are not apparent through traditional analyses. The overarching goal is to refine diagnosis, predict disease trajectory, and tailor treatment strategies to the individual patient—thereby improving outcomes through more precise, data-driven, and personalized care. .

Credentials

Research

News and media

My news coverage

• NIH awards Ohio State $2.85 million grant for vision research