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Researcher

Jos Rozema

  • Research Expertise:In the coming years the VOLANTIS research group, plans to conduct several studies related to visual optics and ocular biomechanics. Overall, these studies may be grouped into three topics. The first is refractive development and eye modelling, which studies how the eye grows and how this can be described as a mathematical model. Such models will look at e.g. how during eye growth the different components of ocular biometry interact with each other to first bring the eye in focus ('emmetropia') and then maintain this condition as the eye continues to grow. Other studies look at what happens if such a balance is disrupted or how it is accomplished in pathological eyes (e.g. premature infants or infants operated for cataract). Within the European OBERON project, we will also develop a new type of model that combines the biomechanics of the eye with its optical function as a platform for testing new treatments in virtual clinical trials. This 'opto-biomechanical' model will need close interactions with our European partners. The next study topic is keratoconus, a disease that gradually deforms the cornea, leading to a considerable loss in visual quality. Early detection of the disease and its possible progression is very important in its management as it allows the patients to preserve a higher visual quality through timely treatment. To this end, we are working on machine learning systems that can tell ophthalmologists whether an eye has keratoconus and, if so, if it is in a progressive state. Another project looks at improving the popular 'crosslinking' treatment that increases corneal elasticity and stops the progression. To do this, we need to develop corneal elasticity maps that can inform ophthalmologists what areas of the cornea need treatment. Although the current methods to develop such maps are very computationally intensive, we will use new methods that have not yet been tried to speed up this process from several hours to minutes, making it clinically useful. Finally, we will study straylight and dark adaptation, which refers to being blinded by bright lights ('glare') and the time needed to recover afterwards. These phenomena can play a major role in traffic safety as drivers may be blinded by the headlights of oncoming cars. Since it is not yet understood at what level of glare the safety risks for safe driving become too high, we will organize a study to test the effect of a bright light source on performance in a driving simulator in a darkened room. The outcomes of these experiments will later be formulated as advice to legislative authorities to improve traffic safety.
  • Keywords:MYOPIA, EYE MODELLING, VISUAL OPTICS, Physics (incl. astronomy)
  • Disciplines:Classical and physical optics, Optical technology, Optometry, Biostatistics, Public health sciences not elsewhere classified
  • Research techniques:Clinical eye measurements Eye modelling
  • Users of research expertise:Researchers, doctors, journalists