Dr. Austin Roorda

Biography

Austin Roorda is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he specializes in vision science and optometry. His research primarily focuses on high-resolution retinal imaging, adaptive optics, and physiological optics. Roorda's lab investigates the early stages of vision, particularly the formation of retinal images and the sampling of the photoreceptor mosaic. He is dedicated to developing novel instruments that measure and overcome the optical limits of the human eye. Roorda employs adaptive optics—a technology initially designed for astronomical imaging—to correct for aberrations in the eye, allowing for unprecedented resolution in presenting stimuli to the retina. His efforts have led to new insights into vision science, including the mapping of the trichromatic cone mosaic and advancements in understanding how human visual acuity responds to aberration correction. His recent work includes the development and clinical application of the Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) for measuring blood flow, optical sectioning of the retina, and microperimetry. Roorda is also passionate about creating robust instruments using state-of-the-art wavefront correcting technologies to enhance non-invasive microscopic imaging techniques in vision science.

Research Interests

Courses