Family History of Vision Loss Inspires Researcher’s Fight Against Macular Degeneration

OKLAHOMA CITY – University of Oklahoma researcher Wenjing “Lily” Wu, Ph.D., who studies age-related macular degeneration (AMD), isn’t driven solely by scientific curiosity but also by vision loss that has affected generations of her family.

Wu, a postdoctoral fellow in the Dean McGee Department of Ophthalmology at the OU College of Medicine, was recently awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant from the BrightFocus Foundation Macular Degeneration Research Program. The award advances her career toward becoming an independent researcher and propels research that is personal.

At age 16, Wu learned that she had amblyopia in her left eye. A vision development disorder where the brain and the eye are not working together properly, amblyopia decreases the ability to see clearly. Over time, the brain relies more and more on the stronger eye while vision in the weaker eye gets worse.

“By the time I was diagnosed, the doctor told me it was too late for corrective treatment,” Wu said. “No matter what prescription I wear, I see the world through my left eye in permanent pixelation, and each year my vision worsens a little more. I know what it feels like to lose sight with no way to get it back.”

Ten years ago, Wu’s mother was diagnosed with an untreatable form of glaucoma. Then her aunt was diagnosed with the dry form of AMD in one eye and wet AMD in the other. The ophthalmologist said AMD runs in the family, a reality that is never far from Wu’s mind.

“That knowledge changed the direction of my life,” she said. “I am not studying macular degeneration as an abstract problem. I am studying it because I have watched women in my family lose their vision, and I refuse to accept that the same fate is inevitable for me or for the millions of others living with this diagnosis.”

Twenty million U.S. adults have AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in Americans aged 65 and older. AMD, which blurs central vision, occurs when aging causes damage to the macula, the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision. Most people with AMD have the dry form, when the macula gets thinner with age. Wet AMD, in which abnormal blood vessels damage the macula, is less common but usually causes faster vision loss. Because current treatments are limited and often begin after significant damage has occurred, researchers are seeking ways to detect and treat the disease earlier.

With the grant, Wu is studying a group of healthy fats called very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs), which help protect vision but decline with age. These fats are made by the cells in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. She believes that the loss of VLC-PUFAs may play a role in AMD.

To test the idea, she will use human retinal cells to better understand how VLC-PUFAs are produced and used by the retina. She will also study these fats in a mouse model of AMD to determine whether restoring VLC-PUFAs can slow age-related retinal degeneration.

“Age-related macular degeneration affects millions of older adults and can profoundly impact quality of life,” Wu said. “Our goal is to better understand how these protective fatty acids support retinal health and whether restoring them could help prevent vision loss. This funding will allow us to explore a promising new approach that may one day lead to earlier and more effective treatments for patients.”

Postdoctoral fellowship awards support promising early-career scientists as they complete advanced research training under established investigators. Wu works under the mentorship of Martin-Paul Agbaga, Ph.D., associate professor of cell biology and ophthalmology at the OU College of Medicine.

Wu also received the BrightFocus Foundation’s 2026 Elizabeth Anderson Award for Macular Degeneration Research.

BrightFocus is supporting 44 active macular degeneration research grants across the globe, a $14 million investment in promising studies toward improving early disease detection and diagnosis, helping to develop effective treatments, and developing a better understanding of the root causes of disease onset. Grants are highly competitive, with decisions guided by scientific advisory committees of leading researchers in the field.

“Defeating macular degeneration will require bold thinking and sustained investment in innovative science,” said Stacy Pagos Haller, president and CEO of BrightFocus Foundation. “The ideas being explored by this year’s grant recipients reflect the kind of forward-looking research that moves us closer to protecting vision and ultimately finding a cure.”

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About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, the OU Health Campus is one of the nation’s few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. The OU Health Campus serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about the OU Health Campus, visit www.ouhsc.edu.