We are a group of scientists from around the world who participate in both basic and clinical studies designed to improve the visual quality of patients who are experiencing a variety of optical imperfections. Our diverse team has ongoing collaborations with colleagues in Spain, England, China as well as other labs at Indiana University.

The Clinical Optics Research Lab (CORL) was founded by Dr. Pete Kollbaum, who is joined by Dr. Arthur Bradley, Dr. Carolyn Begley and Prof. Larry Thibos. We are part of the Center for Ophthalmic Research at the University School of Optometry.

CORL performs cutting-edge translational clinical optics research. The goal of this research is to improve the vision and clinical care of patients by achieving the following aims:
1. Evaluate and predict the success of refractive interventions and visual corrections
2. Develop outcome measures to enhance a clinician’s ability to treat patients and the researchers ability to quantify improvements in care and determine causes for failures
3. Improve ocular diagnostics for the detection, diagnosis, and correction of corneal disease
4. Generate improvements in refractive interventions and visual corrections through controlled optical manipulations

As technologies advance, and our understanding of ocular optics expands, the scope of the lab is constantly adapting. We employ wavefront sensing, OCT, computer modeling and psychophysical methods to explore core questions about the human eye and modern ophthalmic corrections, e.g. night vision, aberrations, refraction, myopia development, presbyopia, multifocal contact lenses, IOLs, and refractive surgeries. Recently, we have examined the visual benefits and losses associated with presbyopic corrections that manipulate either the phase or amplitude function of the human eye. These studies are ongoing, and they become even more complex when we consider the rules by which the right and left eye’s images are combined in the visual cortex.