Tibor Juhasz | |
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Occupation(s) | Physicist, academic |
Awards |
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Academic background | |
Education | University of Szeged (Dipl. Phys.) University of California, Irvine (Ph.D.) |
Academic work | |
Institutions | University of California,Irvine ViaLase Inc |
Tibor Juhasz is an American-Hungarian physicist and an academic. He is a professor at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California,Irvine [1] as well as the CEO of ViaLase. [2]
Juhasz is most known for his work on medical applications of lasers,laser-tissue interactions,tissue biomechanics,and biomedical imaging. [3] He is the recipient of the 2002 Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize for the development and commercialization of femtosecond laser surgical technology as well as the 2022 Golden Goose Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Association of American Universities for introducing femtosecond laser technology to ophthalmology. [4]
Juhasz completed his Diploma in Physics from JATE University of Szeged in 1982 followed by a Ph.D. in Physics from the same institution in 1986. He completed his postdoctoral education at the Department of Physics and Astronomy,at UC Irvine from 1987 to 1990. Later in 2001,he obtained a Doctor of Sciences degree from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. [1] [5]
Juhasz began his academic career in 1982 at the Technical University of Budapest,where he held various positions,including research assistant in the Department of External Physics from 1982 to 1985 and assistant professor from 1985 to 1986. In 1987,he joined the Department of Physics at the University of California,where he was postgraduate researcher from 1987 to 1990,and assistant researcher physicist from 1990 to 1994. Between 1996 and 1998,he was a senior associate research scientist at Kellogg Eye Center and the Center for Ultrafast Optical Sciences at the University of Michigan,Ann Arbor. From 1998 to 2004,he served as an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan. Since 2004,he has been a professor at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California,Irvine. [1]
Juhasz co-founded IntraLase Corporation. At IntraLase Corporation,he served as vice president for R&D until 2002 and later took on the role of chief technology officer from 2002 to 2007. Subsequently,in 2008,he co-founded Lensx Lasers. During his time at Lensx Lasers,he served as chief technology officer from 2008 to 2010. From 2010 to 2016,he held the position of vice president of R&D at Alcon LenSx. In 2017,he founded ViaLase,and has since been serving as its CEO. [2]
Juhasz has conducted research in the field of femtosecond laser applications in ophthalmology. With over 25 US patents to his name,his research encompasses projects,including femtosecond laser applications in Corneal Surgery,Cataract Surgery and the development of an image-guided non-invasive femtosecond laser treatment for Glaucoma. [3]
Juhasz started his research career investigating interactions between ultrashort laser pulses and matter. [6] [7] [8] This turned his attention towards medical applications of femtosecond lasers. After establishing that femtosecond laser pulses have confined tissue effects with minimized collateral damage he led the development of the first commercially available ophthalmic femtosecond laser. [9] [10] He collaborated with Ron Kurtz,Gerard Mourou,and IntraLase Corp to conduct investigations into the applications of femtosecond lasers in corneal surgery. He demonstrated that the utilization of femtosecond laser technology for flap creation in LASIK surgery offers enhanced safety and yields superior refractive outcomes in comparison to the conventional microkeratome method. [11] [12] [13] Furthermore,his work established that employing femtosecond laser technology for corneal transplantation offers distinct benefits in comparison to conventional methods. [14] [15] [16]
In collaboration with,Ron Kurtz,Zoltan Nagy,and Alcon LenSx,Juhasz worked on the development and investigation of clinical applications of femtosecond lasers in cataract surgery. [17] He led the design and development of the first clinical cataract femtosecond laser. [18] Ultimately,he demonstrated that the mechanical strength of femtosecond laser capsulotomy is on par with that of manual capsulotomy,but with a significantly reduced variability in strength. Consequently,these studies significantly decreased the likelihood and rate of capsular tears and other complications. [19] [20]
Concentrating his research efforts further on the clinical applications of the ophthalmic femtosecond laser technology,Juhasz undertook a research project supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH),which aimed to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) by establishing partial thickness channels from the front chamber (AC) to the area beneath the conjunctiva through the sclera. [21] [22] Although the channels proved to be efficient,his early animal experiments showed a swift healing response,which subsequently constrained the long-term efficacy of these treatments. To counter this,he developed a micron-resolution OCT imaging technology. [23] [24] Later,he demonstrated that by using micron-resolution OCT imaging,it is possible to precisely identify the trabecular meshwork and create precise drainage pathways that connect the anterior chamber to Schlemm's canal. [25] [26] [27] Additionally,he showed in preserved human cadaver eyes that the femtosecond laser-generated drainage pathways have the potential to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP). [28] His company ViaLase developed a clinical device that,in initial human trials,demonstrated a highly favorable safety record and delivered effective,long-lasting results over a two-year follow-up period. [29] [30]
In addition to his work in clinical applications of femtosecond lasers,Juhasz also performed important research in the field of corneal biomechanics[ citation needed ] and in the field of the treatment of keratoconus. [31] [32] [33]
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of sight" because the loss of vision usually occurs slowly over a long period of time. A major risk factor for glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye, known as intraocular pressure (IOP). It is associated with old age, a family history of glaucoma, and certain medical conditions or the use of some medications. The word glaucoma comes from the Ancient Greek word γλαυκός, meaning 'gleaming, blue-green, gray'.
Far-sightedness, also known as long-sightedness, hypermetropia, and hyperopia, is a condition of the eye where distant objects are seen clearly but near objects appear blurred. This blur is due to incoming light being focused behind, instead of on, the retina due to insufficient accommodation by the lens. Minor hypermetropia in young patients is usually corrected by their accommodation, without any defects in vision. But, due to this accommodative effort for distant vision, people may complain of eye strain during prolonged reading. If the hypermetropia is high, there will be defective vision for both distance and near. People may also experience accommodative dysfunction, binocular dysfunction, amblyopia, and strabismus. Newborns are almost invariably hypermetropic, but it gradually decreases as the newborn gets older.
LASIK or Lasik, commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. LASIK surgery is performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a femtosecond laser or a microkeratome to create a corneal flap to expose the corneal stroma and then an excimer laser to reshape the corneal stroma in order to improve visual acuity.
The National Eye Institute (NEI) is part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The mission of NEI is "to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research." NEI consists of two major branches for research: an extramural branch that funds studies outside NIH and an intramural branch that funds research on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Most of the NEI budget funds extramural research.
A microkeratome is a precision surgical instrument with an oscillating blade designed for creating the corneal flap in LASIK or ALK surgery. The normal human cornea varies from around 500 to 600 μm in thickness; and in the LASIK procedure, the microkeratome creates an 83 to 200 μm thick flap. The microkeratome uses an oscillating blade system, which has a blade that oscillates horizontally as the blade travels vertically for a precise cut. This piece of equipment is used all around the world to cut the cornea flap. The microkeratome is also used in Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), where it is used to slice a thin layer from the back of the donor cornea, which is then transplanted into the posterior cornea of the recipient. It was invented by Jose Barraquer and Cesar Carlos Carriazo in the 1950s in Colombia.
Eye surgery, also known as ophthalmic surgery or ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa. Eye surgery is part of ophthalmology and is performed by an ophthalmologist or eye surgeon. The eye is a fragile organ, and requires due care before, during, and after a surgical procedure to minimize or prevent further damage. An eye surgeon is responsible for selecting the appropriate surgical procedure for the patient, and for taking the necessary safety precautions. Mentions of eye surgery can be found in several ancient texts dating back as early as 1800 BC, with cataract treatment starting in the fifth century BC. It continues to be a widely practiced class of surgery, with various techniques having been developed for treating eye problems.
Refractive surgery is an optional eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea (keratomileusis), lens implantation or lens replacement. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to reshape the curvature of the cornea. Refractive eye surgeries are used to treat common vision disorders such as myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism.
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error due to rotational asymmetry in the eye's refractive power. This results in distorted or blurred vision at any distance. Other symptoms can include eyestrain, headaches, and trouble driving at night. Astigmatism often occurs at birth and can change or develop later in life. If it occurs in early life and is left untreated, it may result in amblyopia.
ReLExSmall incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), second generation of ReLEx Femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx), is a form of laser based refractive eye surgery developed by Carl Zeiss Meditec used to correct myopia, and cure astigmatism. Although similar to LASIK laser surgery, the intrastromal procedure uses a single femtosecond laser referenced to the corneal surface to cleave a thin lenticule from the corneal stroma for manual extraction.
Keratoprosthesis is a surgical procedure where a diseased cornea is replaced with an artificial cornea. Traditionally, keratoprosthesis is recommended after a person has had a failure of one or more donor corneal transplants. More recently, a less invasive, non-penetrating artificial cornea has been developed which can be used in more routine cases of corneal blindness. While conventional cornea transplant uses donor tissue for transplant, an artificial cornea is used in the keratoprosthesis procedure. The surgery is performed to restore vision in patients with severely damaged cornea due to congenital birth defects, infections, injuries and burns.
A corneal inlay is a device which is surgically implanted in the cornea of the eye as a treatment for presbyopia. Successful installation results in reducing dependence on reading glasses, so that the user can more easily engage in everyday tasks such as using a mobile phone, reading store shelf prices and working on a computer.
Sheraz Daya is a British ophthalmologist. Daya founded the Centre for Sight in 1996, and works in stem-cell research and sight restoration and correction surgery.
Primary juvenile glaucoma is a subtype of primary congenital glaucoma that develops due to ocular hypertension and is diagnosed between three years of age and early adulthood. It is caused due to abnormalities in the anterior chamber angle development that obstruct aqueous outflow in the absence of systemic anomalies or other ocular malformation.
Post-LASIK ectasia is a condition similar to keratoconus where the cornea starts to bulge forwards at a variable time after LASIK, PRK, or SMILE corneal laser eye surgery. However, the physiological processes of post-LASIK ectasia seem to be different from keratoconus. The visible changes in the basal epithelial cell and anterior and posterior keratocytes linked with keratoconus were not observed in post-LASIK ectasia.
Micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) is the latest advance in surgical treatment for glaucoma, which aims to reduce intraocular pressure by either increasing outflow of aqueous humor or reducing its production. MIGS comprises a group of surgical procedures which share common features. MIGS procedures involve a minimally invasive approach, often with small cuts or micro-incisions through the cornea that causes the least amount of trauma to surrounding scleral and conjunctival tissues. The techniques minimize tissue scarring, allowing for the possibility of traditional glaucoma procedures such as trabeculectomy or glaucoma valve implantation to be performed in the future if needed.
Burkhard Dick is a German ophthalmologist who has specialized in refractive and cataract surgery. With his many contributions to the scientific literature on this topic, he is considered one of the pioneers of employing the femtosecond laser in cataract surgery. In the "Power List 2024" by the publication The Ophthalmologist, Burkhard Dick was listed among the world's most 100 most influential ophthalmologists.
Corneal opacification is a term used when the human cornea loses its transparency. The term corneal opacity is used particularly for the loss of transparency of cornea due to scarring. Transparency of the cornea is dependent on the uniform diameter and the regular spacing and arrangement of the collagen fibrils within the stroma. Alterations in the spacing of collagen fibrils in a variety of conditions including corneal edema, scars, and macular corneal dystrophy is clinically manifested as corneal opacity. The term corneal blindness is commonly used to describe blindness due to corneal opacity.
Herbert Edward Kaufman is an American ophthalmologist who discovered idoxuridine, the first clinically useful antiviral agent; co-developed with William Bourne the clinical specular microscope to view the live corneal endothelium, co-developed timolol with Thomas Zimmerman, a new class of medications to treat glaucoma; corneal storage media for eye banks; natamycin, the first commercially available medication to treat fungal infections of the eye; co-developed with Tony Gasset the use of bandage contact lenses; and was involved in the first laser vision photorefractive keratectomy of the eye with Marguarite McDonald.
Anastasios John Kanellopoulos is a Greek-American eye surgeon specializing in corneal transplantation, cornea crosslinking for keratoconus, complicated cataract surgery and complicated glaucoma. Widely known for research and clinical contributions in micro-incision cataract, customized laser refractive surgery and corneal cross-linking propagation and most innovations, reducing corneal transplants for advanced keratoconus.
Clear lens extraction, also known as refractive lensectomy, custom lens replacement or refractive lens exchange is a surgical procedure in which clear lens of the human eye is removed. Unlike cataract surgery, where cloudy lens is removed to treat cataract, clear lens extraction is done to surgically correct refractive errors such as high myopia. It can also be done in hyperopic or presbyopic patients who wish to have a multifocal IOL implanted to avoid wearing glasses. It is also used as a treatment for diseases such as angle closure glaucoma.