Eli Peli, MSc, OD, FAAO, was selected to receive the Charles F. Prentice Medal Award by the American Academy of Optometry (AAO). Established in 1958, this award is given annually to a distinguished scientist or clinician scientist in recognition of a career-long record of advancement of knowledge in vision science. The award is considered to be the most prestigious of the Academy’s awards for achievement in research. As the recipient, Dr. Peli will present a special lecture at the AAO annual meeting in October 2017 that highlights his most significant scientific contributions.
Dr. Peli is a Professor of Ophthalmology and co-director of the Mobility Enhancement and Vision Rehabilitation Center of Excellence at Harvard Medical School. His research spans 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.