Confronting myopia’s global rise with novel optical wavefronts (IN-PERSON)

Dr. Len Zheleznyak

Vice President of Vision Science at Clerio Vision, Inc

Bausch & Lomb Room 109

Recorded Talk

Abstract:

Beyond the daily burden of needing glasses, myopia, or near-sightedness, significantly increases the risk of permanently blinding ocular diseases, such as retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy. In addition, the prevalence of myopia is increasing worldwide at an alarming pace, currently effecting 33% of the world’s population and expected to reach 52% in 2050 (World Health Organization, 2015). Optical therapeutic interventions, such as multifocal contact lenses, have shown significant, but limited, clinical success in slowing down the rate of childhood eye growth to combat myopia progression. To improve efficacy, a better understanding of their mechanism of action is needed. In this talk, we will discuss the interaction between the neural visual system and optical quality in the peripheral retina as a potential regulator of ocular growth. Specifically, a model is presented examining the eye’s peripheral wavefront aberrations and their impact on through-focus optical quality, that is, behind and in front of the retina. Finally, we will discuss how novel “myopia control” optical wavefronts can be imprinted within a soft contact lens using femtosecond laser induced refractive index change (LIRIC).

Bio:  Len Zheleznyak is Vice President of Vision Science at Clerio Vision, Inc, where he is currently developing non-invasive methods of correcting refractive error in the human eye using ultrafast laser phenomena to modify refractive index. Len’s previous research interests include presbyopia correction, intraocular lens design and developing adaptive optics systems to study the visual system. He completed his PhD in Optics from the University of Rochester in 2014. Prior to his doctoral work, he developed spectroscopic devices for optical inspection of pharmaceuticals at Ometric Corporation, a start-up company from the University of South Carolina, subsequently acquired by Halliburton Energy Services. During his  Len has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and patents relating to vision and optical science.