Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ACTIVA (Advanced Customized Technologies for Intact Vision in Ageing)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-08-31
The doctoral network ACTIVA – Advanced Customized Technologies for Intact Vision in Ageing – is dedicated to tackling one of Europe’s major health and societal challenges: enabling the elderly to remain active and independent by preserving good vision throughout life. As our population ages, millions of people are affected by natural changes in the eye and by age-related ocular diseases. These conditions impair near and far vision and thereby reduce independence and mobility; in severe cases they can even lead to vision loss. Beyond the impact on the individual, this also places a heavy socio-economic burden on healthcare systems and society at large.
ACTIVA addresses this challenge by creating an international, interdisciplinary research platform to develop novel optical technologies for early diagnosis of eye diseases and for compensating age-related changes in vision. Through this network, nine early-stage researchers develop optical solutions that help older adults maintain independence, mobility, and quality of life, while simultaneously gaining the skills needed to drive innovation and become future leaders in vision science. These optical solutions primarily focus on improving near vision, without hampering distance vision, and on enabling early detection of pathological changes, providing practical tools that can be applied in clinical settings.
By integrating academic excellence, industrial expertise, and international collaboration, ACTIVA combines cutting-edge research with real-world applications to translate scientific discoveries into technologies that directly benefit the ageing population by reducing the risk of vision loss. In doing so, the network supports European strategies on active and healthy ageing, innovation, and social well-being.
ACTIVA addresses this challenge by creating an international, interdisciplinary research platform to develop novel optical technologies for early diagnosis of eye diseases and for compensating age-related changes in vision. Through this network, nine early-stage researchers develop optical solutions that help older adults maintain independence, mobility, and quality of life, while simultaneously gaining the skills needed to drive innovation and become future leaders in vision science. These optical solutions primarily focus on improving near vision, without hampering distance vision, and on enabling early detection of pathological changes, providing practical tools that can be applied in clinical settings.
By integrating academic excellence, industrial expertise, and international collaboration, ACTIVA combines cutting-edge research with real-world applications to translate scientific discoveries into technologies that directly benefit the ageing population by reducing the risk of vision loss. In doing so, the network supports European strategies on active and healthy ageing, innovation, and social well-being.
During the first reporting period, nine novel research projects have been launched within the consortium and all planned milestones and deliverables have been delivered. The experimental work focus on creating new methods and instruments for early diagnosis of age related ocular conditions and on developing technologies that maintain or restore visual function to near-by objects without compromising distance vision. Across the network, this has produced laboratory prototypes, reference datasets, and methodologies ready for the next phase in translation to clinical practise.
Presbyopia and near vision functionality (WP1).
A laboratory system was built to extend depth of field by shaping light with a spatial light modulator. The setup enables controlled comparison of optical phase profiles and was validated on human observers, including benchmarks against pharmacological pupil constriction. This demonstrates that near vision can be improved while preserving distance vision and provides a rigorous test bench for future device concepts. In parallel, a physics informed machine learning method was developed to retrieve ocular wavefront aberrations from point spread images even in the presence of straylight. This offers a faster and more robust route to predict how intraocular lenses will perform after manufacture and is now being prepared for in vitro and in vivo validation. A third strand upgrades a peripheral adaptive optics vision simulator with a spatial light modulator to emulate multifocal lens profiles and to correct each participant’s own aberrations, allowing peripheral performance to be measured with psychophysical tasks tailored for the periphery. Together, these developments move beyond fovea centred evaluation and support both pre manufacturing design and post manufacturing assessment of presbyopia solutions.
Early functional diagnostics (WP2).
Three closely aligned systems were advanced to improve sensitivity to early disease related changes. First, a coupled functional–structural framework combines contrast sensitivity measurements in the centre and periphery (with adaptive optics to control retinal image quality) and local retinal thickness analysis from optical coherence tomography. Baseline datasets in younger adults are complete and pipelines for older adult measurements are in place. Second, an interferometric setup that bypasses the eye’s optics delivered a large foveal dataset of neural contrast sensitivity across adulthood. The data show a clear age related decline and provide robust reference values for subsequent peripheral mapping and mechanistic analyses. Third, a non invasive perimeter using pulsed infrared light and two photon absorption was prototyped to measure retinal sensitivity even when cataract would otherwise limit testing with visible light. The instrument integrates precise power control, scanning across eccentricities, refractive error compensation, and fixation/pupil monitoring, and generates three dimensional maps of retinal sensitivity following dark adaptation.
Enabling technologies and translation (WP3).
A compact binocular wearable for real time, electronically controlled correction of ocular aberrations was designed, built, optically aligned, and tested in the laboratory. The prototype demonstrates stable image formation and targets higher order aberrations beyond the reach of passive spectacles. To quantify how loss of accommodation affects visually guided actions, a synchronized framework combining mobile eye tracking with high speed motion capture was established and validated, including robust temporal and spatial registration. This enables precise metrics of gaze behaviour and upper limb kinematics during natural tasks and will support studies of training and correction strategies. In parallel, a high stability projection system with greater bit depth is being compared with a calibrated monitor to reduce variability in contrast sensitivity threshold estimates. Different paradigms with letter recognition and crowding have been evaluated for both central and peripheral vision, utilizing adaptive optics to separate optical from neural limitations.
Presbyopia and near vision functionality (WP1).
A laboratory system was built to extend depth of field by shaping light with a spatial light modulator. The setup enables controlled comparison of optical phase profiles and was validated on human observers, including benchmarks against pharmacological pupil constriction. This demonstrates that near vision can be improved while preserving distance vision and provides a rigorous test bench for future device concepts. In parallel, a physics informed machine learning method was developed to retrieve ocular wavefront aberrations from point spread images even in the presence of straylight. This offers a faster and more robust route to predict how intraocular lenses will perform after manufacture and is now being prepared for in vitro and in vivo validation. A third strand upgrades a peripheral adaptive optics vision simulator with a spatial light modulator to emulate multifocal lens profiles and to correct each participant’s own aberrations, allowing peripheral performance to be measured with psychophysical tasks tailored for the periphery. Together, these developments move beyond fovea centred evaluation and support both pre manufacturing design and post manufacturing assessment of presbyopia solutions.
Early functional diagnostics (WP2).
Three closely aligned systems were advanced to improve sensitivity to early disease related changes. First, a coupled functional–structural framework combines contrast sensitivity measurements in the centre and periphery (with adaptive optics to control retinal image quality) and local retinal thickness analysis from optical coherence tomography. Baseline datasets in younger adults are complete and pipelines for older adult measurements are in place. Second, an interferometric setup that bypasses the eye’s optics delivered a large foveal dataset of neural contrast sensitivity across adulthood. The data show a clear age related decline and provide robust reference values for subsequent peripheral mapping and mechanistic analyses. Third, a non invasive perimeter using pulsed infrared light and two photon absorption was prototyped to measure retinal sensitivity even when cataract would otherwise limit testing with visible light. The instrument integrates precise power control, scanning across eccentricities, refractive error compensation, and fixation/pupil monitoring, and generates three dimensional maps of retinal sensitivity following dark adaptation.
Enabling technologies and translation (WP3).
A compact binocular wearable for real time, electronically controlled correction of ocular aberrations was designed, built, optically aligned, and tested in the laboratory. The prototype demonstrates stable image formation and targets higher order aberrations beyond the reach of passive spectacles. To quantify how loss of accommodation affects visually guided actions, a synchronized framework combining mobile eye tracking with high speed motion capture was established and validated, including robust temporal and spatial registration. This enables precise metrics of gaze behaviour and upper limb kinematics during natural tasks and will support studies of training and correction strategies. In parallel, a high stability projection system with greater bit depth is being compared with a calibrated monitor to reduce variability in contrast sensitivity threshold estimates. Different paradigms with letter recognition and crowding have been evaluated for both central and peripheral vision, utilizing adaptive optics to separate optical from neural limitations.
ACTIVA has already produced results beyond the state of the art: (1) build several laboratory prototypes (a depth of field extension test bench, a two photon infrared perimeter for cataract robust testing, and a compact wearable for real time aberration correction); (2) developed an AI method to predict intraocular lens performance under straylight; and (3) created a large adult reference dataset for neural contrast sensitivity measured with interferometry. Our early scientific outputs include one peer-reviewed manuscript in BOE and seven peer-reviewed international conference presentations at ARVO, VPO and OPTICA Frontiers. Furthermore patent applications have been filed and a proof of concept grant is being pursued to prototype extended depth of field glasses.