{
	"event_id": "1143978",
	"eventinstance_id": "4208784",
	"calendar": {
		"id": 6833,
		"title": "Office of Research",
		"slug": "office-of-research",
		"url": "https://events.ucf.edu/calendar/6833/office-of-research/"
	},
	"id": "4208784",
	"title": "CREOL Fall Colloquium: Daniel Palanker, Stanford University",
	"subtitle": null,
	"description": "\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle: \u003C/strong\u003EProsthetic vision with a photovoltaic substitute for the lost photoreceptors\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAbstract:\u0026nbsp\u003B\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/strong\u003ERetinal degenerative diseases lead to blindness due to loss of photoreceptors, while neurons in the inner retinal layers are still preserved. We developed a system substituting the lost photoreceptors with photovoltaic arrays. Visual information captured by a camera is projected onto the subretinal implant from augmented\u002Dreality glasses using pulsed near\u002Dinfrared (880nm) light. Photovoltaic pixels convert this light into electric current, stimulating the second\u002Dorder retinal neurons, which then pass visual information through the retinal neural network to the brain. This approach preserves many features of natural vision, simplifies surgery by avoiding bulky electronics and wiring, allows scaling the number of electrodes to thousands and retains normal association of eye movements with visual perception.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003EPhotovoltaic arrays implanted in patients blinded by age\u002Drelated macular degeneration provides monochromatic form vision perceived simultaneously with the remaining peripheral natural vision. Clinical trials with 43 patients across 17 centers in 5 European countries demonstrated letter acuity matching their 100mm pixel size (20/420). Electronic zoom enables patients to read and write smaller fonts, improving visual acuity, on average, by 5 lines of the vision chart \u0026ndash\u003B up to 20/63.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003EDecreasing the pixel size for higher resolution is challenging due to reduced penetration depth of electric field in tissue. We developed various strategies for shaping the electric field, including current steering and 3\u002Ddimensional electrodes. With this new design, grating acuity with 40mm pixels in rats matched the pixel pitch, while with 20mm, it reached their natural resolution limit of 28mm. If successful in clinical trials, implants with 20mm pixels have the potential to increase acuity up to 20/80 without zoom, providing highly functional restoration of sight to millions of patients blinded by retinal degeneration.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the speaker:\u0026nbsp\u003B\u003C/strong\u003EDaniel Palanker is a Professor of Ophthalmology and by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. He received PhD in Applied Physics (biomedical optics) in 1994 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and postdoctoral training in Physics (ultrafast lasers) in 1996\u002D1998 at Stanford University, CA.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003EDr. Palanker studies interactions of electric field with biological cells and tissues, and develops optical and electronic technologies for diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical and prosthetic applications, primarily in ophthalmology. In the field of laser\u002Dtissue interactions, his group developed several ophthalmic laser systems, including Pattern Scanning Laser Photocoagulator (PASCAL, Iridex) and Femtosecond Laser for Cataract Surgery (Catalys, J\u0026amp\u003BJ). In the field of electrosurgery, he developed the scalpel\u002Dsize electrosurgical tool with single\u002Dcell precision (PlasmaBlade, Medtronic). In the area of ophthalmic imaging, he is working on optoretinography \u0026ndash\u003B label\u002Dfree imaging of neural signals based on phase\u002Dresolved OCT.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003EIn the field of electro\u002Dneural interfaces, his lab developed the photovoltaic subretinal prosthesis for restoration of central vision in patients blinded by retinal degeneration (PRIMA), neural stimulator for enhancement of tear secretion (TrueTear, Allergan) and devices for electronic control of blood flow.\u003C/p\u003E",
	"location": "CREOL : 103",
	"location_url": "http://map.ucf.edu/?show\u003D53",
	"virtual_url": "https://ucf.zoom.us/j/92569132660?from\u003Daddon",
	"registration_link": null,
	"registration_info": null,
	"starts": "Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:00:00 -0400",
	"ends": "Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0400",
	"ongoing": "False",
	"category": "Speaker/Lecture/Seminar",
	"tags": ["Ophthalmology","Retina","CREOL","Optics"],
	"contact_name": "Arin Partington",
	"contact_phone": null,
	"contact_email": "Arin.Partington@ucf.edu",
	"url": "https://events.ucf.edu/event/4208784/creol-fall-colloquium-daniel-palanker-stanford-university/"
}