Background

Residency: University of California, Irvine; Albany Medical Center

Additional Study: Fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles

Board Certification: Ophthalmology, 1987

Research

Clinical disorders and treatment of visual loss

• Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)
• Treatment of NAION with Sinemet (Levodopa)
• Optic neuritis & multiple sclerosis
• Optic neuropathy, including associated with Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone) use
• Peudotumor cerebri and papilledema

Stress, mood, complicated grief, and depression on the development and treatment of

• Essential blepharospasm
• Hemifacial spasm

Visual field loss and pupil abnormality in

• Homonymous hemianopsia
• Afferent pupillary defect
• Assessing prestimulus modulation of reflexive and voluntary eye blink (in collaboration with Dr. Steve Hackley in the Department of Psychological Sciences)

Media

• Mizzou Wire. Nerds of Mizzou, "Drop the CliffsNotes. Lenworth Johnson expects details." Feburary 23, 2009.
  View Online Article


• Pojmann K, Bell B. “The Making of Columbia Honor Students (Cover Story).” Columbia Home & Lifestyle 2006(August/September):41-44.
  Download PDF Version 


• Dennis S. “Johnson Experiences Banner Year. Eye Openers”—The Mason Eye Institute, Fall 2004.
  Download PDF Version 


• Isaacson J. “Our Town: Lenworth Johnson.” Columbia Daily Tribune 2004 (February 17): 6A.
  View Online Article
  Download PDF Version 


• Johnson LN. Hamlet Meets NAION (Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy). Audio-Digest: Ophthalmology 42(4), February 21, 2004.


• Johnson LN. Optic Neuritis Treatment Trials. Audio-Digest: Ophthalmology 41(23), December 7, 2003.


• Lee JH. “Shadows of the Future: Students Gain More than Knowledge with Program.” Columbia Missourian 1998 (February 27): 5A.


• McMurray J. “An Eye-Opening Drug: New Therapy Might Reverse Vision Loss.” Columbia Missourian 1996 (January 18); 107:1A.


• Keeley M. “Neuro-ophthalmologist Scopes Out Vision Problems” Missouri Medical Review 1991 (Spring/Summer); 10:13.

Photos

Selected Publications

1. Castro O, Johnson LN, Mamourian AC. Isolated Inferior Oblique Paresis from Brainstem Infarction: Perspective on Oculomotor Fascicular Organization in the Ventral Midbrain Tegmentum. Arch Neurol 1990;47:235-7.


2. Johnson LN, Hepler RS, Bartholomew MJ. Accuracy of Papilledema and Pseudopapilledema Detection: A Multi-Specialty Study. J Fam Practice 1991;33:381-6.


3. Shahinfar S, Johnson LN, Madsen RW. Confrontation Visual Field Loss as a Function of Decibel Sensitivity on Automated Static Perimetry: Implications on the Accuracy of Confrontation Visual Field Testing. Ophthalmology 1995;102:872-7.


4. Johnson LN, Gould TJ, Krohel GB. Effect of Levodopa and Carbidopa on Recovery of Visual Function in Patients with Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy of Longer than Six Months Duration. Am J Ophthalmol 1996;121:77-83.


5. Johnson LN. The Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect and Visual Cortex Binocular Cell Activity: A Novel Method of Fusion Recovery with Worth 4-dot Test. Arch Ophthalmol 1996;114:171-5.


6. Johnson LN, Krohel GB, Allen SD, Mozayeni R. Recurrent Herpes Labialis as a Potential Risk Factor for Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy. J Natl Med Assoc 1996;88:369-73.


7. Johnson LN, Krohel GB, Madsen RW, March, GA Jr. The Role of Weight Loss and Acetazolamide in the Treatment of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudotumor Cerebri). Ophthalmology 1998;105:2313-17.
   Download PDF Version 


8. Johnson LN, Yee W, Colapinto EV. The Nasal Circling Phenomenon Pattern of Visual Field Loss on Automated Static Perimetry: Implications on the Neuroanatomy of the Optic Chiasm. Neuro-Ophthalmology 1999;21:1-11.
   Download PDF Version 


9. Johnson LN, Krohel GB, Stetson SW, Cipollo CL, Madsen RW. Aspirin Use and the Prevention of Acute Ischemic Cranial Nerve Palsy. Am J Ophthalmol 2000;129:3:367 71.
   Download PDF Version 


10. Johnson LN, Guy ME, Krohel GB, Madsen RW. Levodopa May Improve Vision Loss in Recent Onset Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy. Ophthalmology March-2000;107:521-6.
    Download PDF Version 


11. Johnson LN, Daniels OCB (eds). Breaking the Color Line in Medicine: African Americans in Ophthalmology. Slack Inc., Thorofare, New Jersey ( 2002).


12. Faber KM, Johnson LN. Hallucinating the Past: A Case of Spontaneous and Involuntary Recall of Long-term Memories. Perspectives on the Hemispheric Organization of Visual Memory. J Neurology 2003;250:55-62.
    Download PDF Version 


13. DeWitt CA, Johnson LN, Schoenleber DB, Hainsworth DP, Madsen RW. Visual Function in Patients with Optic Nerve Pallor (Optic Atrophy). J Natl Med Assoc 2003;95:394-397.
    Download PDF Version 


14. Williams KE, Johnson LN. Neuroretinitis in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Ophthalmology 2004;111:335-341.
    Download PDF Version 


15. Johnson LN, Krohel GB, Thomas ER. The Clinical Spectrum of Amiodarone-Associated Optic Neuropathy. J Natl Med Assoc 2004;96:1477-91.
    Download PDF Version 


16. Johnson LN. The Influence of Race on Glaucoma, Optic Nerve, and Optic Nerve Cup:Disc Ratio. Chapter 5: Maintaining the Target Intraocular Pressure (Kosoko-Lasaki S, Olivier MMG, Burney EN, eds) Slack Inc., Thorofare, New Jersey, 2005.
    Download PDF Version 


17. Johnson LN, Morey SS. Repeated Intervals of High-dose Corticosteroids: An Overlooked Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis. Missouri Med 2005;102:47-50.
    Download PDF Version 


18. Sonnenberg D, Johnson LN, Jurkowski A, Hackley SA. Facilitation as well as inhibition of the blink reflex by a visual prepulse requires intact striate cortex. Clinical Neurophysiology 2006;117:2284-91.
    Download PDF Version 


19. Omar A, Johnson LN. Tetracycline Delays the Decline in Ocular Motility in Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia: An 8-Year Analysis. Neurology 2007;68:1159-60.
    Download PDF Version 


20. Johnson LN, Lapour RW, Johnson GM, Johnson PJ, Madsen RW, Hackley SA. Closely Spaced Stressful Life Events Precede the Onset of Benign Essential Blepharospasm and Hemifacial Spasm: The Double-Hit Hypothesis. J Neuro-Ophthalmology 2007;27:275-280.
    Download PDF Version 


21. Johnson LN, Diehl ML, Hamm CW, Sommerville DN, Petroski GF. Differentiating Optic Disc Edema from Optic Nerve Head Drusen on Optical Coherence Tomography. Arch Ophthalmol 2008 (in press).

Dr. Johnson is involved in several research projects pertaining to disorders affecting the visual pathway and visual processing, including NAION, optic neuritis, multiple sclerosis and pseudotumor cerebri.

Breaking the Color Line in Medicine Also read Dr. Johnson's book Breaking the Color Line in Medicine: African Americans in Ophthalmology.