Fortenbach Lab

Christopher R. Fortenbach, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Neurobiology & Biophysics

Medical Director, Karalis Johnson Retina Center

University of Washington

750 Republican St., Building E

Seattle, WA 98109

crfort@uw.edu

Outer retinal degeneration, as seen in age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, affects millions of people worldwide. These diseases result in progressive loss of photoreceptors and irreversible vision loss. Our research focuses on vision restoration using photopharmacology, light-activated small molecules that restore light sensitivity to the retina when photoreceptors have been lost.

Questions we’re working on

How does the structure of photoswitches impact their targeting in the retina?
How do we improve photoswitch-mediated retinal signaling to optimize their ability to restore vision in patients?

We are part of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington, and practice at the Karalis Johnson Retina Center. Recruiting at all levels.

news

Jun 03, 2026	New paper in Ophthalmology: Large Language Model Authorship in Ophthalmic Publications, finding that undisclosed LLM-generated text is increasingly present in the ophthalmic literature and arguing for clearer disclosure standards.
May 04, 2026	ARVO 2026: Photochemical Restoration of Transient ON- and OFF- Retinal Ganglion Cell Responses.
May 01, 2026	Appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Biophysics at the University of Washington, supporting cross-departmental training and research in retinal physiology and vision science.
Apr 15, 2026	Phase 1 trial of intravitreal photoswitch (KIO-301/BENAQ) in advanced retinitis pigmentosa published in Nature Medicine
Feb 19, 2026	Basic Science Grand Rounds: joint presentation with Dr. James Kuchenbecker on photochemical restoration of vision augmented with assistive devices.