SAIP 2025
Plenary SPEaker
Speaker: PROFESSOR PABLO ARTAL
Title: Wearable adaptive optics for the eye
Abstract
The optics of the human eye is at once simple, robust, and remarkably well adapted to the needs of the visual system. However, how different optical aberrations, whether naturally occurring or artificially induced, affect vision remains a central question in ophthalmology and visual optics. One of the most powerful approaches to investigate this involves the use of adaptive optics (AO) visual simulators. Traditionally, AO visual simulators have been developed as laboratory or clinical desktop systems. These instruments combine wavefront sensing to measure the eye’s optical aberrations with phase modulation devices, such as deformable mirrors or spatial light modulators, that allow the controlled induction of specific optical profiles. This enables direct testing of visual performance under well-defined optical conditions, providing insights into the visual impact of aberrations and the design of new advanced optical corrections. In recent years, we have extended this concept into wearable devices. These emerging systems aim to bring high-resolution visual simulation and testing into real-world settings, enabling assessment under natural viewing conditions and over extended periods of time. In this presentation, I revise the evolution of adaptive optics in vision science, from retinal imaging to visual simulation. Special emphasis will be placed on the technological challenges and opportunities of miniaturizing and adapting these systems for use in dynamic, real-life environments. Wearable adaptive optics has the potential to transform both vision research and clinical care, opening new possibilities for personalized correction or myopia control strategies.
Biography
Professor Pablo Artal is a world-renowned optical scientist specializing in vision, ophthalmology, and biomedical imaging. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Zaragoza, Spain and he pursued postdoctoral research at Cambridge University (UK) and the Institut d’Optique in Orsay, France, before securing a permanent research position at the Instituto de Óptica in Madrid. In 1994, he became the first Full Professor of Optics at the University of Murcia, where he founded the Laboratorio de Óptica. He has held sabbatical positions in Rochester (USA) and Sydney (Australia) and is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Aier School of Ophthalmology, Central South University, in Changsha, China.
Professor Artal has made pioneering contributions to understanding the optical limitations of human vision and developing novel ophthalmic instruments. Many of his innovations have been integrated into clinical ophthalmology. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers, accumulating more than 26500 citations (h-index: 87), and has delivered over 300 invited talks at international conferences. His work has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Edwin H. Land Medal (2013), the King Jaime I Award in New Technologies (2015), the Spanish National Research Award “Juan de la Cierva” (2018), the OSA Edgar D. Tillyer Award (2019) and in 2021, he was awarded the medal of the Spanish Royal Physics Society. He is a Fellow of OSA, ARVO (Gold Class), EOS, and SPIE and holds 30 international patents. Additionally, he co-founded four spin-off companies, translating his research into real-world applications and has been the mentor of many students and post-docs.
