Billy R. Hammond, Ph.D.
- Graduate Coordinator
- Professor
- Behavioral and Brain Sciences Program
- Ph.D. University of New Hampshire, 1994
- Office: Room 520
- Ph: (706) 542-4812
- Fax: (706) 542-3275
- Email: bhammond {at} uga dt edu
Research Interests
The primary goal of my research program is to conduct basic and applied studies on the structure and function of the central primate retina and crystalline lens. A primary focus of the laboratory has been the study of the dietary carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, concentrated within the fovea (termed macular pigment or the macula lutea) and the epithelium of the lens.
Evidence from my studies and others has indicated a major role of the macular pigments in protecting the retina and lens and retarding the development of age-related eye disease. One major result of the work has been to highlight the importance of behavior in the etiology of chronic eye disease. This emphasis is also evident in other studies I have conducted on the role of lifestyle (e.g., smoking and dietary behavior) in promoting cataract.
I am also interested in interactions between the cardiovascular and visual systems. Currently, one of my graduate students is conducting a study on the relationship between blood pressure variations and critical flicker thresholds. Another one of my graduate students is using psychophysical methods to measure age-related variations in the anterior retinal blood supply.
Selected Publications
Hammond, B.R. (2008). A possible role for dietary lutein and zeaxanthin in visual development. Nutrition Reviews, 66(12), 695-702.
Hammond, B.R., Bernstein, B. And Dong, J. (2009). The Effect of the AcrySof(R) Natural lens on Glare Disability and Photostress. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 148, 272-76.
Stringham, J., Bovier, E., Wong, J. and Hammond, B.R. (2010). The influence of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin on visual performance. Journal of Food Science, 75(1), 24-29..
Renzi, L. and Hammond, B.R. (2010). The relation between the macular carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, and temporal vision. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 30(4), 351-357.
Wooten, B.R., Renzi, L., Moore, R. and Hammond, B.R. (2010). A practical method of measuring the temporal modulation transfer function. Biomedical Optics Express, 1(1), 47-58.
Renzi, L. and Hammond, B.R. (2010). The effect of macular pigment on heterochromatic luminance contrast. Experimental Eye Research, 91(6), 896-900.
Hammond, B.R., Renzi, L.M., Sachak, S. and Brint, S.F. A (2010). A contralateral comparison of blue-filtering and non-blue-filtering intraocular lenses: glare disability, heterochromatic contrast threshold, and photostress recovery. Clinical Ophthalmology, 4, 1465-73.
Lien, E. and Hammond, B.R. (2011). Nutritional influences on visual development and function. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, 30, 188-203
