Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EYE (European Young Eye)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2025-03-31
What is the problem/issue being addressed?
Presbyopia, the gradual loss of the eye's ability to focus on close objects, typically begins around the age of 40 and affects nearly everyone as they age. With increasing life expectancy, it is estimated that over a billion adults are currently living with presbyopia, which significantly impacts their daily activities and quality of life. Despite various treatments, presbyopia continues to challenge individuals, creating a need for innovative solutions that improve comfort, convenience, and effectiveness.
Why is it important for society?
Presbyopia affects millions globally, leading to social and economic consequences. As populations age, the prevalence of presbyopia rises, reducing productivity and increasing healthcare costs. Addressing this issue is crucial not only for improving individual quality of life but also for supporting active aging, reducing dependency, and improving visual independence. The development of better therapeutic solutions will also have a significant impact on reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
What are the overall objectives?
The EYE project seeks to advance scientific knowledge in vision science to develop more effective and personalized presbyopia treatments. The objectives include creating new contact lenses tailored to individual needs, enhancing lens comfort and performance, and developing technological tools to monitor and personalize patient care. The project is organized into two work packages: WP1 focuses on contact lens development, and WP2 aims to create tools for continuous monitoring outside clinical settings. The overall goal is to improve the quality of life for presbyopic patients and further the global understanding of presbyopia treatment.
As part of translational objectives, the project aimed to train five Early-Stage Researchers through high-level academic and industrial exposure. This included: (i) scientific and technical training; (ii) complementary skills development; (iii) close collaboration with the private sector to bridge academic and industrial research; and (iv) structured support for career development and international networking.
A further objective was to enhance the impact and visibility of EU-funded research by promoting dissemination, public engagement, and sustainable academic–industry collaboration.
Presbyopia, the gradual loss of the eye's ability to focus on close objects, typically begins around the age of 40 and affects nearly everyone as they age. With increasing life expectancy, it is estimated that over a billion adults are currently living with presbyopia, which significantly impacts their daily activities and quality of life. Despite various treatments, presbyopia continues to challenge individuals, creating a need for innovative solutions that improve comfort, convenience, and effectiveness.
Why is it important for society?
Presbyopia affects millions globally, leading to social and economic consequences. As populations age, the prevalence of presbyopia rises, reducing productivity and increasing healthcare costs. Addressing this issue is crucial not only for improving individual quality of life but also for supporting active aging, reducing dependency, and improving visual independence. The development of better therapeutic solutions will also have a significant impact on reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
What are the overall objectives?
The EYE project seeks to advance scientific knowledge in vision science to develop more effective and personalized presbyopia treatments. The objectives include creating new contact lenses tailored to individual needs, enhancing lens comfort and performance, and developing technological tools to monitor and personalize patient care. The project is organized into two work packages: WP1 focuses on contact lens development, and WP2 aims to create tools for continuous monitoring outside clinical settings. The overall goal is to improve the quality of life for presbyopic patients and further the global understanding of presbyopia treatment.
As part of translational objectives, the project aimed to train five Early-Stage Researchers through high-level academic and industrial exposure. This included: (i) scientific and technical training; (ii) complementary skills development; (iii) close collaboration with the private sector to bridge academic and industrial research; and (iv) structured support for career development and international networking.
A further objective was to enhance the impact and visibility of EU-funded research by promoting dissemination, public engagement, and sustainable academic–industry collaboration.
The EYE project has made significant progress in developing advanced solutions for presbyopia correction. Early-stage researchers (ESRs) have focused on several key areas:
• Lens Design & Optics: ESR1 optimized contact lens designs for presbyopia and astigmatism correction, using tools like Zemax OpticStudio and MATLAB. They developed new extended depth of focus (EDOF) lenses that improve vision at varying distances, reducing the need for axis alignment in astigmatism correction.
• Material Development: ESR2 focused on creating silicone-free hydrogels with high oxygen permeability, resulting in lenses that are comfortable and do not cause ocular surface inflammation even after prolonged
• Developed a presbyopic contact lens Patient-Reported Outcomes instrument (PRO instrument): ESR3 focused on developing a high-quality, specific PRO instrument to assess the performance of multifocal contact lenses (MCLs), and essential tool to clinical trial endpoints in healthcare.
• Mobile Application: ESR4 developed a mobile app for continuous monitoring of contact lens wearers' eye health, tracking blinking dynamics and redness using smartphone cameras. This app provides valuable real-time feedback for personalized lens fitting.
• Computer Modeling: ESR5 developed a computational model that simulates the interaction between the human eye, contact lenses, and eyelids. This model provides insights into how lenses affect the eye, aiding in the design of better-fitting lenses.
These contributions have resulted in advanced materials, improved lens designs, and new diagnostic tools that enhance comfort, performance, and patient monitoring.
• Lens Design & Optics: ESR1 optimized contact lens designs for presbyopia and astigmatism correction, using tools like Zemax OpticStudio and MATLAB. They developed new extended depth of focus (EDOF) lenses that improve vision at varying distances, reducing the need for axis alignment in astigmatism correction.
• Material Development: ESR2 focused on creating silicone-free hydrogels with high oxygen permeability, resulting in lenses that are comfortable and do not cause ocular surface inflammation even after prolonged
• Developed a presbyopic contact lens Patient-Reported Outcomes instrument (PRO instrument): ESR3 focused on developing a high-quality, specific PRO instrument to assess the performance of multifocal contact lenses (MCLs), and essential tool to clinical trial endpoints in healthcare.
• Mobile Application: ESR4 developed a mobile app for continuous monitoring of contact lens wearers' eye health, tracking blinking dynamics and redness using smartphone cameras. This app provides valuable real-time feedback for personalized lens fitting.
• Computer Modeling: ESR5 developed a computational model that simulates the interaction between the human eye, contact lenses, and eyelids. This model provides insights into how lenses affect the eye, aiding in the design of better-fitting lenses.
These contributions have resulted in advanced materials, improved lens designs, and new diagnostic tools that enhance comfort, performance, and patient monitoring.
The EYE project has delivered significant advancements in presbyopia treatment, introducing innovations that go beyond current solutions:
• Lens Design & Comfort: The development of EDOF lenses and silicone-free hydrogels will represent a breakthrough in presbyopia correction, with the potential to reduce patient rejection and improve overall comfort.
• Personalized Monitoring: The PRO-instrument and the mobile app developed allows for continuous, real-time monitoring of lens wearers, offering a new, cost-effective way to personalize care. It also reveals how environmental factors like humidity affect lens comfort, providing insights for future designs.
• Computational Modelling Insights: The computational model developed offers deep insights into the biomechanical interactions between the eye and contact lenses, guiding the design of lenses that provide better fit and stability.
The potential socio-economic impact of these innovations is substantial. They promise greater patient satisfaction, longer lens wear times, fewer clinic visits, and more affordable solutions, particularly for underserved populations. The project's outcomes empower healthier aging, visual independence, and improved productivity, contributing to the well-being of individuals and society.
Early-Stage Researchers were trained through an interdisciplinary doctoral programme that successfully combined academic excellence and industrial relevance. All five ESRs submitted their PhD theses, in line with the training plans outlined in Annex 1, and each spent at least 18 months in industry settings, ensuring direct exposure to real-world research environments. The training encompassed advanced scientific research, complementary skills development, and intensive private sector engagement. Their involvement in cutting-edge work contributed to high-impact research outputs and has significantly enhanced their career trajectories—with two ESRs already securing positions in academia and the med-tech industry.
To maximize the societal and scientific impact of the project, the consortium undertook a comprehensive programme of dissemination and public engagement. This included the production of six peer-reviewed Open Access publications, with six more manuscripts currently under preparation or review, participation in international conferences, regular updates via social networks and the project website, and a focused effort on patent protection of key technical innovations.
Through its integrated approach to research, training, and innovation, the project has fostered sustainable academic–industry partnerships, contributed to technological advancements in vision science, and strengthened Europe’s position in global scientific leadership.
• Lens Design & Comfort: The development of EDOF lenses and silicone-free hydrogels will represent a breakthrough in presbyopia correction, with the potential to reduce patient rejection and improve overall comfort.
• Personalized Monitoring: The PRO-instrument and the mobile app developed allows for continuous, real-time monitoring of lens wearers, offering a new, cost-effective way to personalize care. It also reveals how environmental factors like humidity affect lens comfort, providing insights for future designs.
• Computational Modelling Insights: The computational model developed offers deep insights into the biomechanical interactions between the eye and contact lenses, guiding the design of lenses that provide better fit and stability.
The potential socio-economic impact of these innovations is substantial. They promise greater patient satisfaction, longer lens wear times, fewer clinic visits, and more affordable solutions, particularly for underserved populations. The project's outcomes empower healthier aging, visual independence, and improved productivity, contributing to the well-being of individuals and society.
Early-Stage Researchers were trained through an interdisciplinary doctoral programme that successfully combined academic excellence and industrial relevance. All five ESRs submitted their PhD theses, in line with the training plans outlined in Annex 1, and each spent at least 18 months in industry settings, ensuring direct exposure to real-world research environments. The training encompassed advanced scientific research, complementary skills development, and intensive private sector engagement. Their involvement in cutting-edge work contributed to high-impact research outputs and has significantly enhanced their career trajectories—with two ESRs already securing positions in academia and the med-tech industry.
To maximize the societal and scientific impact of the project, the consortium undertook a comprehensive programme of dissemination and public engagement. This included the production of six peer-reviewed Open Access publications, with six more manuscripts currently under preparation or review, participation in international conferences, regular updates via social networks and the project website, and a focused effort on patent protection of key technical innovations.
Through its integrated approach to research, training, and innovation, the project has fostered sustainable academic–industry partnerships, contributed to technological advancements in vision science, and strengthened Europe’s position in global scientific leadership.