Centers/Research Area Affiliations 

• Mobility Enhancement and Vision Rehabilitation

Biography

At Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear, Dr. Shrinivas Pundlik’s main research interests include image processing, computer vision, vision science, vision rehabilitation, and ocular biometrics. After completing his doctoral studies in the electrical engineering, Dr. Pundlik developed novel image processing algorithms for biometric identification using iris and face images. Since 2010, Dr. Pundlik has been engaged in various research projects that involved the application of computer vision and machine learning to develop new technologies and solutions for vision screening and vision rehabilitation. He also developed a wearable collision-warning device to help people with severe vision impairments avoid colliding while walking. He has contributed to the development of numerous mobile apps, either intended as low-vision aids or vision measurement for healthcare professionals. His research has resulted in more than 20 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and conferences, one patent, and a patent application under review.

Education

MS and PhD, Electrical Engineering, Clemson University (2005 and 2009)

Postgraduate Training

Research Associate, School of Computing, Clemson University (2009-2010)

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass. Eye and Ear (2010-2016)

Honors

2018: National Eye Institute Travel Grant, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology                

2015: Outstanding Reviewer Recognition, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement

2007: Harris Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Clemson University

Wearable Collision-Warning Device

Dr. Pundlik's collision-warning devicePeople with visual impairments, especially those with peripheral vision loss or blindness, often experience mobility related challenges and have a high risk of collisions or falls while walking. Dr. Pundlik is developing a wearable video camera-based collision warning device that detects impending collisions by processing videos captured from a body-mounted camera in real time, and provides audio or vibro-tactile warnings. The device computes collision risk based on the time-to-collision and the collision trajectory of objects in the surrounding environment captured by the body-mounted camera. The device has been shown to be effective in lowering the number of collisions in an indoor obstacle course in people with severe visual impairments and peripheral vision loss. Evaluation of the device in a long-term home use study is ongoing.

Mobile App for Measuring Strabismus

Dr. Pundlik's strabismus appStrabismus, or eye misalignment, affects about 3-8 percent of Americans. Children younger than 10 years of age and older adults with head trauma due to stroke or injury are primarily at risk of developing strabismus. In children, untreated eye misalignment can lead to amblyopia (severe loss of vision in the misaligned eye). In adults, it can lead to double vision, spatial confusion, and diminished depth perception, if left untreated. Early screening in children can substantially reduce the risk of developing vision defects. In adults, an objective measurement can facilitate appropriate intervention to alleviate double vision. However, there is an unmet need for a rapid, convenient, accessible, and inexpensive device that can provide objective assessment outcomes to clinicians. Dr. Pundlik has developed a mobile app to measure eye misalignment that allows an examiner to capture image(s) of the patient from a smartphone and provides quantifiable measurements of strabismus. Further development, addition of various operating features, and clinical testing of the app is ongoing.

Smartphone Virtual Reality Apps for Vision Rehabilitation

Virtual reality app for vision rehabilitationBrain injury due to trauma or stroke sometimes affects the nerves that control movements of the eyes that results in misalignment of eyes only at specific gaze directions such as when looking below or above. Measurement of eye deviation at different gaze points can be important to determine the underlying cause and effective intervention to alleviate the problem. The smartphone virtual reality headsets provide an inexpensive platform for performing the sensorimotor tests of the eyes. Dr. Pundlik has developed a virtual reality app in which the patient performs a vision test of aligning two stimuli presented dichoptically while wearing the virtual reality headsets. This makes administering the test efficient and more repeatable. Preliminary research found that the app can accurately measure eye deviation at different gaze points in simulated scenarios. Dr. Pundlik is currently performing an extended evaluation of this app in outpatient and rehabilitation clinics.

Understanding of Saccadic Eye Movements in Naturalistic Viewing Tasks

Saccadic eye movements, or saccades, are fast ballistic movements of the eyes between fixations (steady gaze). Saccades are characterized by latency, peak-speed, amplitude, and duration. Under controlled viewing conditions, the saccades parameters generally tend to follow a well-known model: the main sequence. The deviation of saccades from this model has been reported in the case of various vision and neurological defects. However, we have observed large deviations from this model in saccades even in normally sighted subjects without any cognitive or neurological defects when viewing unconstrained visual stimuli such as movies. Dr. Pundlik is working on developing a model that explains the variance in the observed naturalistic eye movement data with the expectation that it will provide some insight into the neuronal processes involved in saccadic eye movement planning and execution.