Center/Research Area Affiliations

• Mobility Enhancement and Vision Rehabilitation
• AMD Center of Excellence

Biography

Dr. Eli Peli, a Senior Scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear, studies the interface between engineering and ophthalmic/vision research. Specifically, he tries to understand how we see in the context of low vision rehabilitation. The application of his basic research findings fuels the development and evaluation of novel vision aids and methods for low-vision rehabilitation. For instance, he developed a metric for contrast in complex images that permits quantitative specification of contrast in images, which has been widely adopted. His research also includes eye movement analysis, binocular vision, image processing, image communications, and optics. His most recent work in low vision focuses on mobility and devices for mobility, including pedestrian mobility and driving.

Dr. Peli also serves on the faculty of the New England College of Optometry (Adjunct Professor of Optometry and Visual Sciences) and Tufts University School of Medicine (Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology). Since 1983, he has been caring for patients with visual impairments as the Director of the Vision Rehabilitation Service at the New England Medical Center Hospitals in Boston.

Additionally, Dr. Peli is a consultant to many companies in the ophthalmic instrumentation area and to manufacturers of head-mounted displays (HMDs). He served as a consultant on many national committees, advising the National Institutes of Health and NASA Aviation Operations Systems (AOS) Advisory Committee

Education

1979: MSc, Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

1983: OD, New England College of Optometry

Postgraduate Training

1983-1984: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear with Dr. George Timberlake

Honors

2018: Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award, Harvard Medical School Office for Diversity Inclusion & Community Partnership

2017: Charles F. Prentice Medal Award, American Academy of Optometry

2015: Bartimaeus Award, the Eye, the Brain, and the Auto conference of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology

2010: Edwin H Land Medal awarded jointly by the Optical Society of America and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology

2010: Otto Schade Prize, the Society for Information Display

2009: Alcon Research Institute award (shared with Dr. R. Massof)

2009: William Feinbloom Award, American Academy of Optometry

2006: Pisart Vision Award by the Lighthouse International

2006: Honorary Doctor of Science Degree, State University of New York (SUNY)

2004: Alfred W. Bressler Prize in Vision Science, the Jewish Guild for the Blind (shared with Dr. R. Massof)

2002: Honorary Degree of Master in Medicine, Harvard Medical School

2001: Glenn A. Fry Lecture Award, American Academy of Optometry

Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry

Fellow of the Optical Society of America

Fellow of the Society for Information Display (SID)

Fellow of the International Society of Optical Engineering (SPIE)

Contrast in Complex Images

Dr. Peli developed a metric for contrast in complex images that has been widely adopted. This permits quantitative specification of contrast, the most relevant visual parameter, in images. The contrast metric can also be used to simulate normal or low-vision. It was applied successfully in the development of image enhancement for the visually impaired (an area of research he pioneered) and in understanding visual function in wide field simulations.

Vision and Display Interaction

Dr. Peli is studying vision and display interaction in general, and the clinical aspects of head-mounted displays in particular. He has contributed to the understanding of how some optical parameters impact the comfort of users and conducted clinical research in the evaluation of these displays.

Novel Vision Aids

Dr. Peli has been applying all aspects of his basic research to the development and evaluation of novel vision aids and methods of low-vision rehabilitation, which is also his chosen area of clinical practice.

Eye movement, Image Processing, Image Communication, and Optics

Dr. Peli’s research also includes contributions to the areas of eye movement analysis, image processing, image communication, and optics. He has been a leader in the area of image processing of retinal images, developing optical and computational methods for enhancement of clinical images and quantitative analysis, ranging from measurements of retinal nerve fiber defects to the measurements of drusen in macular degeneration. In the area of eye movements, he has contributed to the understanding of eye movement control with peripheral vision, the analysis and modification of eye movements in binocular vision disorders, and the interaction of eye movement with the perception of displayed images. He developed a novel fiber optics reading magnifier, a calibration device for the confocal microscope, and an adjustable spectacle lens for presbyopia. He also introduced the use of circular polarizers in ophthalmic imaging.

His recent work in low vision is concentrating on mobility and devices for mobility. This includes pedestrian mobility and driving. He is studying both aspects in real-world studies, as well as in virtual environments (walking and driving simulators).

Visit Dr. Peli's Laboratory Website

Current Members of Dr. Peli’s Laboratory

Visiting Scientists

• Miguel A. Garcia-Perez, PhD

Investigators

• Alex D. Hwang, PhD
• Jae Hyun Jung, PhD

Postdoc Research Fellows

• Zahide Pamir, PhD
• Mojtaba Falahati, PhD

Senior Computer Analyst

• Robert Goldstein, PhD

Senior Engineer

• Frank Rogers, BS

Mechanical Engineer

• Kenny Tang, MSc

Research Fellows

• Sailaja Manda, MPhil, MSc

Graduate Students

• Michael Stahl, MSc (PhD Student, Biomedical Engineering)
• Huiyu Duan, BE (PhD Student)

Alumni

More than 85 trainees have worked in Dr. Peli’s laboratory. View alumni members of the Peli Laboratory. 

Eli Peli Laboratory Website