Presbyopia researchers win J. Lloyd Hewett Award for Excellence
Biomedical engineer Dr Klaus Ehrmann and Professor Arthur Ho from the Institute for Eye Research, and Professor Jean-Marie Parel, from the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, co-authored the winning paper - Biomedical engineer Dr Klaus Ehrmann and Professor Arthur Ho from the Institute for Eye Research, and Professor Jean-Marie Parel, from the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, co-authored the winning paper - ‘Biomechanical analysis of the accommodative apparatus in primates.’ All have been major contributors to the Presbyopia Programme and the Dynamic Vision Project at the Vision CRC.
The article was published in Volume 91, Issue 3, 2008 of Clinical and Experimental Optometry, of the Optometrists Association Australia, one of the leading international scientific and clinical journals in optometry and vision science. This issue was a special edition devoted to research on presbyopia.
The winning paper reports on a new instrument that helps better understand the forces and mechanisms involved in the primate accommodative apparatus, and the means for testing viability and efficiency in restoring that accommodation.
Dr Ehrmann paid special tribute to Professor Parel’s critical involvement in the research. “Jean-Marie did all the pioneering work and provided the inspiration for the research and publication that led to the award”, he said.
“Nonetheless, I am honoured by the recognition and feel privileged to find my name beside two of the most eminent researchers in the field on this prestigious award.”
The Presbyopia Programme at the Vision CRC has brought leading researchers together to invent new ways to reverse the loss of focusing ability(accommodation) that occurs to us all as we age. This combined effort over the last 15 years has now led to the development of a unique polymer gel-lens system, designed to replace the eye’s natural lens which gradually hardens as we age, usually meaning the need for reading glasses.
Clinical trials are now being planned to test this technology in humans.
The Vision CRC, located at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), brings together leading researchers from around the world and industry, to collaborate on breakthrough research projects to deliver better eye care for Australia and the world.
Biographies in Brief
Dr Klaus Ehrmann – Trained in Germany in precision engineering, followed by further studies in machine design in the United Kingdom and biomedical engineering at the UNSW, and is now Research Manager in Technology at the Vision CRC.
Professor Arthur Ho - Presbyopia Programme Director at Vision CRC and Executive Director of Technology at the Institute for Eye Research, overseeing the Institute’s group that develops devices and custom biometric and metrology systems for optimising vision correction.
Jean-Marie Parel – Research Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, research collaborator at Vision CRC. Professor Parel is recognised internationally as a leader in biomedical engineering specialising in ophthalmic technologies. He is one of the pioneers in the development of the phaco-ersatz technique for restoring accommodation to presbyopes. He is also well-known for co-development of landmark technology such as the Schultz-Crock binocular indirect ophthalmoscope.
The Vision CRC was established and is supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre’s Program. Its mission is to further Australia as a world leader in research, education and delivery of vision correction; to improve international eye care; and to maximise commercial opportunities for the Centre, Australia and the eye care industry.
