IU researchers create technologies to improve vision and eye health of patients

Pete Kollbaum, the associate dean for research and director of the Borish Center for Ophthalmic Research at the IU School of Optometry and the scientist team of the Clinical Optics Research Lab (CORL) have dedicated their time and expertise to improving ocular health and the clinical care of patients.

“Our group investigates various technologies which aim to either improve ocular health or help individuals see better,” Kollbaum said. “We are hoping to speed up the process of improving eye health by making predictions of what’s happening optically when a contact lens or spectacle lens combines optically with an eye.”

Recently, CORL have developed contact lenses with optical manipulations that increase retinal activity, which is the response of light stimulation to the retina, to slow uncontrolled eye growth which otherwise leads to nearsightedness. One in five children are currently diagnosed with high levels of nearsightedness that is highly associated with a form of macular degeneration which leads to loss of best-corrected vision. Nearsightedness is anticipated to be the leading cause of preventable blindness by 2050. Prolonged near work with devices and reduced time spent outdoors in daylight are just a few of the numerous factors that have been associated with this increase in nearsightedness.

One of the strengths of the CORL lab, which puts it at the forefront of the current research into myopia, is its combined expertise in optics and clinical care, providing deep understanding of different state-of-the-art treatments (glasses, contact lenses etc.). This unique know-how is possible because of the multitude of clinical, experimental, and computational studies with novel optical devices CORL undertakes. By evaluating the multitude of treatments and designs, the lab consolidates clinical and technical insights about optical characteristics that are both unique, or common, and to leverage these insights into proprietary intellectual property. In particular, the lab is currently pursuing an exciting finding to remove optical material from a lens, which happens prior to embedding sophisticated lenslets, scattering centers, or other features into glasses or contact lenses. This removal has interesting optical implications to slow eye growth.

CORL have also created a system that predicts which optical lens may best correct an eye, helping practitioners choose the optimal visual correction for a patient. Due to individual ‘s habitual viewing behavior and variabilities in their eye optics, such as pupil size and aberrations, a contact lens may not work as well in accomplishing its optical goals for one patient as it may for another.?

“The tool we’ve created takes optical and real-world information to predict which lens is best for individuals to allow them to see more clearly,” said Matt Jaskulski, a research associate in CORL. ?“This is especially important in aging eyes, as the eye naturally loses its ability to change focus over time and results in the eye becoming focused only at one viewing distance. However, our system will greatly help the aging population as it takes into account the totality of their eyes optics and viewing behaviors and provides solutions for patients to see at multiple viewing distances again.”

Another recent invention aims to reduce complications associated with cataract surgery, which is the most frequently performed surgery in the world. Despite this, complications arise in 3-5% of cases, therefore, with CORL’s optimized design of suspending an intraocular lens in the right place, they are hoping to reduce complications and improve patient outcomes.

Previous work and ongoing NIH funded R01 by the CORL team and colleagues at Purdue University has also led to a startup, BVS Sight, which tackles the growing issue of detecting and treating glaucoma with smart soft contact lenses that measure intraocular pressure.

To further their research and improve eye care for individuals, the CORL team have partnered with the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office to disclose their technologies and patents have been filed to protect their innovations.