huji Koret School of Veterinary Medicine

Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Ron Ofri, DVM, PhD

Ron Ofri, DVM, PhD

Dipl. ECVO
Associate Professor, Veterinary Ophthalmology
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Office Address:
P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Phone: +972-(0)3-9688554
Fax: +972-(0)3-9604079
Email Address: ofri@agri.huji.ac.il

Special interests

Veterinary and comparative ophthalmology

Professional Experience and Qualifications

1985 B.Sc. , Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Biology

1989 DVM , Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine (member of the charter class)

1993 Ph.D., University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, College of Veterinary Medicine

1994 Clinical Ophthalmologist, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

1995 Lecturer in Veterinary Ophthalmology, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2002 Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Ophthalmology, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2005 Diplomate, European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists

2008 Associate Professor in Veterinary Ophthalmology, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2009-2010 Visiting Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis

Teaching

Veterinary Ophthalmology courses, including applied anatomy, ophthalmic physiology, ocular pharmacology, companion animal ophthalmology (basic and advanced courses) and equine ophthalmology. Clinical training in veterinary ophthalmology for 4th year students.

top

Research

Retinal electrophysiology, and changes in retinal function resulting from aging, species, habitat and disease
Pathophysiology of glaucoma
Comparative optics and visual function
Tear film physiology and diseases

top

International interests

A. Textbooks co-authored

  • Maggs DJ, Miller PE and Ofri R. Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007 (478 pages; ISBN 0721605613)

B. Textbook chapters authored

  • Gum GG, Gelatt KN and Ofri R. Ophthalmic Biochemistry & Physiology (Chapter 3) in Veterinary Ophthalmology, 3rd edition. Edited by Gelatt KN. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 1999, pp. 151-181.
  • Ofri R. Optics & Physiology of Vision (Chapter 4) in Veterinary Ophthalmology, 3rd edition. Edited by Gelatt KN. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 1999, pp. 183-216.
  • Ofri R. Optics & Physiology of Vision (Chapter 4) in Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Edited by Gelatt KN. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, 2007, pp. 183-219.
  • Shamir MH and Ofri R. Comparative Neuro-ophthalmology (Chapter 29) in Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Edited by Gelatt KN. Blackwell Publishing, Ames, Iowa, 2007, pp. 1406-1469.
  • Ofri R. Development and Congenital Abnormalities (Chapter 2) in Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Maggs DJ, Miller PE and Ofri R. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007, pp. 20-32.
  • Ofri R. The Lens (Chapter 13) in Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Maggs DJ, Miller PE and Ofri R. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007, pp, 258-276.
  • Ofri R. The Vitreous (Chapter 14) in Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Maggs DJ, Miller PE and Ofri R. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007, pp. 277-284.
  • Ofri R. The Retina (Chapter 15) in Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Maggs DJ, Miller PE, Ofri R. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007, pp. 285-317.
  • Ofri R. Neuro-ophthalmology (chapter 16) in Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Maggs DJ, Miller PE and Ofri R. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007, pp. 318-351.
  • Aroch I, Ofri R and Sutton GA. Ocular Manifestations of Systemic Diseases (Chapter 18) in Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 4th edition. Maggs DJ, Miller PE and Ofri R. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, 2007, pp. 374-418.

C. International Meetings Organized (last 5 years)

  • Advisory Committee, Basis Science Course, ACVO, June 2nd-20th, 2008, Madison, Wisconsin
  • Advisory Committee, Basis Science Course, ACVO, June 2nd-20th, 2008, University of Wisonsin-Madison
  • Advisory Committee, Basis Science Course, ACVO, June 7th-25th, 2010, North Carolina State University
  • Co-Chairman, Organizing Committee, ERG course and wetlab, ACVO annual meeting, October 10th, 2010, San Diego, CA

D. Ad-hoc Reviewer in International Journals

  • Archives of Ophthalmology
  • Veterinary Ophthalmology
  • The Veterinary Journal
  • Documenta Ophthalmologica
  • American Journal of Veterinary Research
  • PLoS (Public Library of Science)
  • Equine Veterinary Journal
  • Experimental Eye Research
  • Journal of Veterinary Science

E. Invited Speaker, International meeting (last 5 years)

  • February, 2006. Retinal diseases. Continuing education course in veterinary ophthalmology for Slovak practitioners. University of Kosice, Kosice, Slovakia.
  • March, 2006. Electrophysiological studies in animal models of glaucoma. The 9th Vision Research Symposium, Center for Vision Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
  • May, 2006. Visual Optics and Electroretinography. Annual meeting of the Italian Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (SOVI), Rimini, Italy.
  • May, 2006. Companion animal ophthalmology. Annual meeting of the Italian Small Animal Veterinary Association (SCIVAC), Rimini, Italy.
  • June, 2006. Electroretinography & refraction. The 7th Basic Science Course of the ACVO. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
  • July, 2006. Retinal Electrophysiology. The 2006 Continuing Education Course in Veterinary Ophthalmology for Spanish Practitioners. Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
  • September, 2006. Retinal electrophysiology. The AcriTec Continuing education course for veterinary ophthalmologists. Berlin, Germany.
  • October, 2006. Ophthalmic diseases. The 31st WSAVA Congress, Prague, Czech Republic.
  • April, 2007. Vision in the animal kingdom-What do your patients actually see? The Niemeyer Visiting Lecture, University of Missouri-Columbia. Columbia, MO, USA. Key-note speaker.
  • May, 2007. Companion animal ophthalmology. The 1st PractiVet International Veterinary Conference. Moscow, Russia.
  • October, 2007. Retinal electrophysiology. Continuing education symposium of the Japanese Society and Japanese College of Veterinary Ophthalmology. University of Tokyo. Tokyo, Japan. Key-note speaker.
  • March, 2008. Companion animal ophthalmology. The 2nd PractiVet International Veterinary Conference. Moscow, Russia.
  • February, 2008. Retinal Electrophysiology. The 2008 Continuing Education Course in Veterinary Ophthalmology for Spanish Practitioners. Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
  • April, 2008. Companion animal ophthalmology. The 41st annual meeting of the Dutch Veterinary Association (Voorjaarsdagen). Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • June, 2008. Electroretinography & refraction. The 8th Basic Science Course of the ACVO. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
  • August, 2008. Companion animal ophthalmology. The 31st WSAVA Congress, Dublin, Ireland.
  • January, 2009. Retinal diseases. Charter meeting of the Portuguese Society of Companion Animal Ophthalmology, University of Lisbon, Portugal.
  • February, 2009. Companion animal ophthalmology. A continuing education course of the Pets Practitioners Association of Mumbai (PPAM). Mumbai, India.
  • July, 2009. Visual optics and refraction. Annual meeting of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists, ophthalmology chapter. Gold Coast, Australia.
  • October, 2009. Vision in the animal kingdom & electroretinography. 17th annual meeting of the Polish Small Animal Veterinary Practitioners Association. Lublin, Poland. Key-note speaker.
  • December, 2009. Retinal electrophysiology. The AcriVet Continuing education course for veterinary ophthalmologists. Berlin, Germany.
  • May, 2010. Master class in veterinary ophthalmology, and diagnostic wetlab for general practitioners. Saint Petersburg, Russia.
  • June, 2010. Electroretinography, visual optics & refraction. The 9th Basic Science Course of the ACVO. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
  • September, 2010. Companion animal ophthalmology. The 10th annual Congreso Veterinario de Leon (CVDL). Leon, Mexico.
  • October, 2010 Electroretinography. A post-congress ERG course, following the annual ACVO meeting, San Diego, CA.

top

Service

A. Faculty and University Level Functions, last 5 years

  • 2004-2005 Member, Advisory Committee on improving services at the Office of Student Affairs
  • 2004-2007 Member, Faculty Research Committee
  • 2005-2006 Chairman, Faculty Safety Committee, Faculty of Agriculture
  • 2005-2006 Member, University Safety Committee

B. Koret School Functions, last 5 years

  • 1999-2005 Chairman, Academic Steering Committee of the freshman year
  • 1999-2005 Member, Curriculum Committee
  • 2000-2004 Member, Senior Dissertations Committee
  • 2000-2003 Member, Scholarship Awards Committee
  • 2000-2007 Member, Planning & Development Steering Committee
  • 2004-Present Chairman, School Admissions Committee
  • 2007-Present Chairman, Clinicians' Research & Promotions Advisory Committee

C. Volunteer Community Work

  • Tel-Aviv Ramat-Gan Zoological Center (Safari), National Park, Ramat Gan
  • The Tisch Family Biblical Zoological Gardens, Jerusalem
  • The Israeli Guide Dog Center for the Blind, Beit Oved

D. National Meetings Organized

  • Scientific Organizer, Annual Meeting of the Israeli Veterinary Association (Small Animal Practitioners), Tel Aviv, September 2000
  • Scientific organizing committee, 24th Annual Meeting of the meeting of the Israeli Society for Vision & Eye Research, Neve Ilan, 2004
  • Scientific organizing committee, 28th Annual Meeting of the meeting of the Israeli Society for Vision & Eye Research, Neve Ilan, 2008

E. Reviewer, National Forums

  • Member, Scientific Review Committee, Office of the Chief Scientist, Ministry of Health
  • Internal grant reviewer-Technion, Tel Aviv University
  • PhD Dissertation judge-Technion
  • PhD Dissertation judge-Tel Aviv University

top

Membership in Scientific organizations

A. Membership in Israeli Professional Organizations

  • Member, The Israeli Veterinary Medical Association
  • Member, Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Association
  • Member, Israeli Society for Vision & Eye Research

B. Appointments in Professional Organizations in Israel

  • 2001-Present Member, Executive Board, Israeli Veterinary Medical Association (representing veterinarians employed in research institutions)
  • 2002-Present Member, Executive Board, Israeli Society for Vision & Eye Research

C. Membership in International Professional Organizations

  • Member, European Society of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ESVO)
  • Member, International Society of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ISVO)
  • Member, Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology (ARVO)
  • Member, American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ASVO)
  • Diplomate, European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO)

D. Appointments in International Professional Organizations

  • 2000-2005 Member, Executive Board, European Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ESVO), in charge of ESVO Continuous Education
  • 2001-2002 Vice President (& President-elect), ESVO
  • 2002-2005 President, ESVO
  • 2008-2010 Executive Board member, European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO)

top

Selected Recent Publications

  1. Ofri R, Dawson WW, Foli K and Gelatt KN. (1993). Chronic ocular hypertension alters local retinal responsiveness. Br. J. Ophthalmol. 77:502-8.
  2. Ofri R, Dawson WW, Foli K and Gelatt KN. (1993). Primary open angle glaucoma alters retinal recovery from a thiobarbiturate: spatial frequency dependence. Exp. Eye Res. 56:481-8.
  3. Ofri R, Dawson WW and Gelatt KN. (1993). Visual resolution in normal and glaucomatous dogs determined by pattern electroretinogram. Prog. Vet. Comp. Ophthalmol. 3:111-6.
  4. Ofri R, Samuelson DA, Strubbe DT, Dawson WW, Brooks DE and Gelatt KN. (1994). Altered retinal recovery and optic nerve fiber loss in primary open angle glaucoma in the Beagle. Exp. Eye Res. 58:245-8.
  5. Ofri R, Dawson WW and Samuelson DA. (1994). The cortical area of central vision in two dog breeds. Vet. Comp. Ophthalmol. 4:172-8.
  6. Whittaker CJG, Ofri R, Heaton-Jones T, Kubilis PS, Tu H, Brooks DE, Mackay EO and Dawson WW. (1996). Electroretinography in the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Anim. Eye Res. 15:103-13.
  7. Ofri R, Horowitz IH, Jacobson S and Kass PH. (1997). Tear production in lions (Panthera leo): The effect of two anesthetic protocols. Vet. Comp. Ophthalmol. 7:173-5.
  8. Ofri R, Horowitz IH and Kass PH. (1998). Tonometry in three herbivorous wildlife species. Vet. Ophthalmol. 1:21-4.
  9. Ofri R, Horowitz IH, Jacobson S and Kass PH. (1998). The effects of anesthesia and gender on intraocular pressure in lions (Panthera leo). J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 29:307-10.
  10. Ofri R, Horowitz IH and Kass PH. (1999). Tear production in three captive wild herbivores in Israel. J. Wildl. Dis. 35:134-6.
  11. Ofri R, Shore LS, Kass PH and Horowitz IH. (1999). The effect of elevated progesterone levels on intraocular pressure in lions (Panthera leo). Res. Vet. Sci. 67:121-3.
  12. Ofri R, Horowitz IH and Kass PH. (2000). How low can we get? Tonometry in the Thomson Gazelle (Gazella Thomsoni). J. Glaucoma 9:187-9.
  13. Ofri R, Raz D, Kass PH, Lambrou GN and Percicot CL. (2000). The effect of 0.12% unoprostone isopropyl (Rescula) on intraocular pressure in normotensive dogs. J Vet Med Sci 62:1313-5.
  14. Borenshtein D, Ofri R, Verman M, Stark A, Tritschler HJ, Moeller W and Madar Z. (2001). Cataract development in diabetic sand rats treated with a-lipoic acid and its g-linolenic acid conjugate. Diabetes-Metab. Res. 17:44-50.
  15. Ofri R, Horowitz IH, Levison M and Kass PH. (2001). Intraocular pressure and tear production in captive eland and fallow deer. J. Wildl. Dis. 37:387-390.
  16. Ofri R, Millodot S, Shimoni R, Horowitz IH, Ashash E and Millodot M. (2001). The development of the refractive state in the young ostrich chick (Struthio camelus). Am. J. Vet. Res. 62:812-5.
  17. Ofri R, Shub N, Galin Z, Shemesh M and Shore L. (2002). Changes in intraocular pressure during the reproductive cycle of the cat. Am. J. Vet. Res. 63:159-62.
  18. Raz D, Seeliger MW, Geva A, Percicot CL, Lambrou GN and Ofri R. (2002). The effect of contrast and luminance on mfERG responses in a monkey model of glaucoma. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 43:2027-35.
  19. Epstein A, White R, Horowitz IH, Kass PH and Ofri R. (2002). Physiological effects of propofol as an induction agent in adult lions: a comparison with 2 established protocols. Res. Vet. Sci. 72:137-40.
  20. Ofri R, Horowitz IH, Raz D, Shvartsman E and Kass PH. (2002). Intraocular pressure and tear production in five herbivorous wildlife species. Vet. Record 151:265-8.
  21. Raz D, Perlman I, Percicot CL, Lambrou GN and Ofri R. (2003). Functional damage to inner and outer retinal cells in experimental glaucoma. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 44:3675-84.
  22. Ofri R, Millodot S, Tadmor Y, Matalon E, Kass PH, Horowitz IH and Millodot M. (2004). The development of the refractive state in the newborn Thomson gazelle. J. Comp. Physiol. A 190:831-5.
  23. Ben-Shlomo G, Bakalash S, Lambrou GN, Latour E, Dawson WW, Schwartz M and Ofri R. (2005). Pattern electroretinography in a rat model of ocular hypertension: Functional evidence for early detection of inner retinal damage. Exp. Eye Res. 81:340-9.
  24. Bakalash S, Ben-Shlomo G, Aloni E, Shaked I, Wheeler L, Ofri R and Schwartz M. (2005). T cell-based vaccination for morphological and functional neuroprotection in a rat model of chronically elevated intraocular pressure. J. Mol. Med. 83:904-16.
  25. Ben-Shlomo G and Ofri R. (2006). Development of inner retinal function, evidenced by the pattern electroretinogram, in the rat. Exp. Eye Res. 83:417-23.
  26. Ben-Shlomo G, Belokopytov M, Rosner M, Dubinsky G, Belkin M, Epstein Y and Ofri R. (2006). Functional deficits resulting from laser-induced damage in the rat retina. Lasers Surg. Med. 38:689-94.
  27. Ofri R, Orgad K and Dickstein S. (2007). Canine meibometry: Establishing baseline values for meibomian gland secretions in dogs. Vet. J. 174;536-40.
  28. Komnenou AA, Mylonakis ME, Kouti V, Tendoma L, Leontides L, Skountzou E, Dessiris A, Koutinas A and Ofri R. (2007). Ocular manifestations of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis): a retrospective study of 90 natural cases. Vet. Ophthalmol. 10:137-42.
  29. Bandah D, Swissa T, Ben-Shlomo G, Banin E, Ofri R and Sharon D. (2007). A complex expression pattern of PAX6 in the pigeon retina. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 48:2503-9.
  30. Ben-Shlomo G, Bach M and Ofri R. (2007). Temporal and spatial frequencies interact in the contrast transfer of the pattern electroretinogram. Vision Res. 47:1992-9.
  31. Belokopytov M, Ben-Shlomo G, Rosner M, Belkin M, Dubinsky G, Epstein Y and Ofri R. (2008). Functional efficacy of glatiramer acetate treatment for laser-induced retinal damage in rats. Lasers Surg. Med. 40:196-201.
  32. Ben-Shlomo G, Ofri R, Bandah D, Rosner M and Sharon D. (2008). Microarray-based gene expression analysis during retinal maturation of albino rats. Graef. Arch. Clin. Exp. Ophthalmol. 246:693-702
  33. Ofri R, Steinmetz A, Thielebein J, Horowitz IH, Oechtering G and Kass PH. (2008). Factors affecting intraocular pressure in lions. Vet. J. 177:124-129.
  34. Ofri R, Lambrou GN, Allgoewer I, Graenitz U, Pena TM, Spiess BM and Latour E. (2009). Clinical evaluation of pimecrolimus eye drops for treatment of canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca: A comparison with cyclosporine A. Vet. J. 179:70-77.
  35. Shelah-Goraly M, Aroch I, Bruchim Y, Ofri R. (2009). A prospective study of the association of anemia and thrombocytopenia with ocular lesions in dogs. Vet. J. 182:187-192.
  36. Sandalon S, Ofri R. (2009). The effect of topical anesthesia on the rat electroretinogram. Doc. Ophthalmol. 18:101-108.
  37. Shamir MH*, Ofri R*, Bor A, Brener O, Reicher S, Obolensky A, Averbukh E, Banin E, Gootwine E. (2010). A novel day blindness in sheep: epidemiological, behavioural, electrophysiological and histopathological studies. Vet. J. 185:130-137.
    *Equal contribution by both authors
  38. Kroeber M, Davis N, Holzmann S, Kritzenberger M, Shelah-Goraly M, Ofri R, Ashery-Padan R, Tamm ER. (2010). Reduced expression of Pax6 in lens and cornea of mutant mice leads to failure of chamber angle development and juvenile glaucoma. Hum Mol Genet. 19:3332-3342

top
K&E Design
© The Hebrew University of Jerusalem