Key Takeaways
- • Akron Children's Hospital received a $2 million research endowment from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF), which the hospital will match with another $2 million, for a total of $4 million for pediatric eye research.
- • The funding will support nystagmus research at the hospital's eye movement recording lab, which holds more than 18,000 eye movement recordings, described as the largest collection of its kind in the world.
- • Research will be led by Dr. Faruk H. Örge, the Dr. Boomer and Jill Burnstine Endowed Chair in Pediatric Ophthalmology, who joined the hospital in 2025.
- • The funding will allow the hospital to hire a full-time expert in functional near-infrared spectroscopy and bring in two doctoral candidates specializing in AI and deep learning, with Cleveland Clinic's Neurosciences Lab and Cleveland State University as partners.
Summary
Akron Children's Hospital in Akron, Ohio, has received a $2 million research endowment from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation to expand its work in pediatric eye disorders. The hospital will match the gift with an additional $2 million, bringing total funding to $4 million, according to the report published by Cleveland.com.
The funding will support research at the hospital's eye movement recording lab, which houses more than 18,000 eye movement recordings, the largest collection of its kind in the world. Researchers led by Dr. Faruk H. Örge will build on existing work studying eye movements and pupil reactions, particularly in patients with nystagmus, a disorder that causes rapid, uncontrollable eye movements that may move up and down, side to side, or in a circular motion. Örge said the condition "remains poorly understood" and "can significantly impact vision, learning and quality of life."
Örge joined Akron Children's in 2025 and follows Dr. Richard Hertle, who was internationally known for his nystagmus expertise. Patients have traveled to the hospital from around the world for specialized care since 2010. The lab's database already allows researchers to distinguish different types of nystagmus and to study how therapies such as surgery, medication or contact lenses may help patients.
The funding will also allow the hospital to hire a full-time expert in functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a portable, non-invasive imaging technique that measures brain activity by tracking changes in blood oxygenation in the outer layer of the brain. Akron Children's will partner with the Cleveland Clinic's Neurosciences Lab and Cleveland State University, and two doctoral candidates specializing in AI and deep learning algorithms will join the team. Örge called the KTEF endowment "one of their biggest gifts" and said, "It will help us take our research to the next level."
The funding will support research at the hospital's eye movement recording lab, which houses more than 18,000 eye movement recordings, the largest collection of its kind in the world. Researchers led by Dr. Faruk H. Örge will build on existing work studying eye movements and pupil reactions, particularly in patients with nystagmus, a disorder that causes rapid, uncontrollable eye movements that may move up and down, side to side, or in a circular motion. Örge said the condition "remains poorly understood" and "can significantly impact vision, learning and quality of life."
Örge joined Akron Children's in 2025 and follows Dr. Richard Hertle, who was internationally known for his nystagmus expertise. Patients have traveled to the hospital from around the world for specialized care since 2010. The lab's database already allows researchers to distinguish different types of nystagmus and to study how therapies such as surgery, medication or contact lenses may help patients.
The funding will also allow the hospital to hire a full-time expert in functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a portable, non-invasive imaging technique that measures brain activity by tracking changes in blood oxygenation in the outer layer of the brain. Akron Children's will partner with the Cleveland Clinic's Neurosciences Lab and Cleveland State University, and two doctoral candidates specializing in AI and deep learning algorithms will join the team. Örge called the KTEF endowment "one of their biggest gifts" and said, "It will help us take our research to the next level."
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