Schepens Eye Research Institute scientist selected for Otto Schade Prize

Dr. Peli honored for innovations that improve vision for visually impaired

Dr. Eli Peli, a senior scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute, has been selected by the Society for Information Display for the Otto Schade Prize. Peli will receive the award at a special presentation at the Society's Awards Banquet on May 24, 2010 in Seattle.

Peli was chosen "for his many outstanding contributions to vision science and its application to image quality evaluation and enhancement, including pioneering efforts in improving display performance for populations with special visual needs," according to the prize citation.

According to Dr. Chris King, SID Honors and Awards Chair, "Professor Eli Peli was chosen for his work, which has used vision science to improve both the image quality of electronic displays and the visual performance of those with special visual needs."

The Moakley Scholar in Aging Eye Research and co-director of Research at Schepens Eye Research Institute, Peli is also a professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and serves on the faculties of the New England College of Optometry, Tufts University School of Medicine, the University of York in the UK, and Dalian Maritime University in China.

A dedicated clinician, since 1983 he has been caring for visually impaired patients as the director of the Vision Rehabilitation Service at Tufts-Medical Center in Boston. His research at Schepens Eye Research Institute has been focused on creating new and innovative optical and electro-optical devices to help his patients and others with impaired vision caused by diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa live better despite their visual impairments.

SID is honoring Peli because many of his innovations have used the latest image processing and information display technologies in new ways. For instance, to help patients with tunnel vision, Peli has created a pair of high-tech glasses that display a cartoon-like minified view of missing parts of the patient's visual field, while also allowing a normal central view of the surroundings. Peli has also pioneered and refined techniques to modify television displays to improve contrast in ways that are particularly useful for those with macular degeneration. In pursuit of these projects Peli has developed and implemented innovative methods for the evaluation of contrast in images and the measurement of perceived image quality, the subject of this prestigious prize.