2026-2027 ROC Optica Speaker Series - Len Zheleznyak, Clerio Vision

Rainbows in the eye: chromatic aberration, myopia and laser-written contact lenses

 

Abstract

Myopia (nearsightedness) is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate, and nearly half the world’s population is projected to be myopic by 2050. Beyond the inconvenience of glasses, myopia significantly increases risk of sight-threatening conditions, such as retinal detachment, glaucoma and myopic maculopathy. Vision scientists are therefore working to identify the optical cues that regulate eye growth in an effort to develop therapies to slow myopia progression in children.

One such cue is longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA). Although LCA degrades retinal image quality, it is also functional: it helps guide accommodation and regulate ocular development. In this talk, I will describe how the eye brings itself into focus during development, a process called emmetropization, and the role LCA plays in guiding it. I will then review current optical interventions for myopia, from spending time outdoors to novel spectacle designs. Finally, I will introduce a new approach from our work at Clerio Vision: using femtosecond lasers to write diffractive gradient-index optics directly into soft contact lenses to manipulate the eye’s LCA.

Bio

Len Zheleznyak, PhD, is Chief Scientific Officer at Clerio Vision, where he joined as the first employee to translate femtosecond laser writing of optics in the eye and contact lenses into clinical products. His work spans customized vision correction and optical strategies for controlling myopia in children. He received his BS, MS, and PhD in Optics from the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics and is Adjunct Faculty at UR's Center for Visual Science. He currently chairs the Optica Vision Technical Group.

Parking and location
The talk will be held at UR River Campus,  Goergen 101. Parking is available in the lot across the street in Intercampus Drive Lot, and is free for talk attendees (no pass needed).