William G. Christen, ScD, OD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Associate Epidemiologist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
wchristen@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

About

I am an epidemiologist with more than 30 years of experience studying the epidemiology of chronic disease, with a particular emphasis on eye disease. I serve or have served as Principal Investigator of investigator-initiated grants from the National Eye Institute to examine cataract, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), dry eye, and glaucoma in our on-going or completed randomized trials and large cohort studies.

Education

PhD: University of Miami
OD: New England College of Optometry
MS: Harvard School of Public Health
ScD: Harvard School of Public Health

Publications

Full Listing of Publications

Intake of Blueberries, Anthocyanins, and Risk of Eye Disease in Women March 3, 2024
CONCLUSIONS: Greater blueberry intake significantly reduced total AMD, but not visually significant AMD or cataract. However, the magnitude of effect for visually significant AMD was similar to total AMD. There was a modest but significant inverse association between dietary anthocyanin intake with cataract but not AMD.
Howard D Sesso
Efficacy of Marine ω-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation vs Placebo in Reducing Incidence of Dry Eye Disease in Healthy US Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial June 9, 2022
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this randomized clinical trial, long-term supplementation with 1 g per day of marine ω-3 fatty acids for a median (range) of 5.3 (3.8-6.1) years did not reduce the incidence of diagnosed DED or a combined end point of diagnosed DED or incident severe DED symptoms. These results do not support recommending […]
William G Christen
Homocysteine Is Associated With Future Venous Thromboembolism in 2 Prospective Cohorts of Women May 27, 2021
[Figure: see text].
Aaron W Aday
Dose-Response Models May Explain Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Vitamin Treatments-Reply April 29, 2021
No abstract
William G Christen
Effect of Vitamin D and ω-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Ancillary Study of the VITAL Randomized Clinical Trial October 29, 2020
CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Neither vitamin D3 nor marine ω-3 fatty acid supplementation had a significant overall effect on AMD incidence or progression.
William G Christen