Events

Designing corrections for presbyopia

Dr. Susana Marcos

Zoom Virtual Setting

Abstract:  With aging, the eye has loses the ability to focus dynamically at far and near (a condition known as presbyopia). We used optical technologies to get insights on the optical, geometrical and functional properties of the young crystalline lens as an inspiration for the design of new optical corrections of presbyopia, in particular extended depth-of-focus and accommodating intraocular lenses. Custom optical model eyes allow optimizing retinal image quality in patients. Furthermore,m adaptive optics technologies and temporal multiplexing based visual simulators allow patients to experience vision with presbyopic corrections (i,e, multifocal lenses, monovision) before they are applied in the eye.

Bio:  Susana Marcos is a MsC (1992) and PhD (1996) in Physics from the University of Salamanca and was a postdoctoral researcher (1997-2000) at Harvard University, with Fulbright and Human Frontiers Science scholarships. She has been Director of the Institute of Optics, CSIC (2008-2012) and Director at Large of the Optical Society of America. She is currently a Professor of Research and Director of the Laboratory of Visual and Biophotonics Optics at the Institute of Optics, CSIC, where she supervises a multidisciplinary (physicists, biomedical, telecommunications, materials, mechanical engineers, chemists and vision scientists) and international team of >25 members.

Susana Marcos is a pioneer in the development of new techniques for the evaluation of the eye, including retinal imaging instruments, aberrometers, adaptive optics, anterior segment imaging of the eye and intraocular lens designs. Several of these technologies (QuickseeTM, SimVisTM and Isofocal IOL) have been marketed and already contributed to improving the diagnosis and treatment of thousands of patients. She has published more than 180 highly cited research articles, is the inventor of 20 patent families (14 licensed to the industry), is co-founder of the Plenoptika and 2EyesVision spin-offs, has directed 20 doctoral theses and pronounced more than 200 talks at international conferences and conferences. Public and private projects led by Susana Marcos in the last ten years has exceeded 10 million euros in funding (2 ERC Advanced Grant, H2020-ICT Innovation Action, 3 ERC Proof of Concept Grants, 2 ITN-Marie Skłodowska -Curie Actions and dozens of contracts with international companies in the ophthalmic sector).

She has served in various positions at the Optical Society of America, Spanish Society of Optics, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, MIT M + Vision Consortium and as editor at Vision Research, Biomedical Optics Express, Optica (OSA), and Scientific Culture Editorial Board (CSIC). She is currently the President of the Technical Scientific Committee of the National Research Agency, and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Gadea Science Foundation and the CSIC General Foundation, Alcon Research Institute, Advisory Council of the Generalitat of Valencia and of the Publication Council of the Optical Society of America. Recognitions include the Adolph Lomb Medal (Optical Society), ICO Prize (International Commission for Optics), Doctor Honoris Causa by the Ukraine Academy of Science and Technology, OSA Fellow, EOS Fellow, ARVO Fellow, Alcon Research Institute Award, Borish Scholar Award (Indiana University), Physics, Innovation and Technology Award (Royal Spanish Society of Physics-BBVA Foundation), Honor Plate of the Spanish Association of Scientists, King Jaime I Award, Ramón y Cajal Medal (Royal Academy of Sciences), and National Research Award in Engineering (Government of Spain).