Download the final version of the paper “Dehydration kinetics of soft contact lenses: The hidden impact of early wear” by Silvia Tavazzi, Anna Galli, Francesco Maspero, Giulia Carlotta Rizzo, Fabrizio Zeri, and Erika Ponzini published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.
contact lens
Radio24 Meets Optics and Optometry at Milano-Bicocca: Innovation and Future Vision
On June 23, 2025, Smart City, the renowned program on Radio24 hosted by Maurizio Melis, turned the spotlight on a groundbreaking development in the field of vision science. The episode featured Prof. Silvia Tavazzi, Chair of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry and the Master’s Degree in Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca.
At the center of the conversation: an exciting innovation involving contact lenses integrated with biocompatible nanoparticles that allow the perception of infrared light. This advancement opens new frontiers not only for vision enhancement but also for potential applications in healthcare, safety, and augmented reality.
Prof. Tavazzi guided listeners through the scientific and technological foundations of the project, offering insights into how research in optics and optometry is shaping the future of visual experiences.
2nd runner-up at the BCLA 2025 Poster Competition
The poster “CL sustainability behaviours among soft CL wearers: an international survey” by Zeri F, Shinde L, Naroo S, Woods CA, Aakre BM, Arshad M, Bakkar M, Barodawala FS, Carrillo G, Chetty E, Dominguez-Vicent A, Liaw H, Lira M, Livi S, Martinet LA, Marx S, Nosch D, Jones D, Ruiz-Alcocer J, Santoro C, Steca P, Tavazzi S, was awarded at the BCLA 2025 poster competition.
COMiB at the Annual Congress of the Contact Lens and Ocular Surface Society
True to tradition, this year’s scientific program of the Annual Congress of the Contact Lens and Ocular Surface Society covers a wide spectrum of essential topics, including lifestyle impacts on the ocular surface, advancements in contact lenses, ocular surface pathology, dry eye syndrome, myopia control, and more—each crucial to everyday practice.
Dr. Erika Ponzini, invited as a plenary speaker, presented “Beyond quantification: uncovering lactoferrin interaction with contact lens materials” providing new insights into how proteins interact with contact lens materials and their implications for lens comfort and eye health.
COMiB at the 27th EVER Congress: European Association for Vision and Eye Research
With 883 attendees, 52 represented countries, and 460 posters, EVER 2024 Congress (European Association for Vision and Eye Research) has proven to be a highly impactful event for vision research.
Dr. Erika Ponzini from COMiB presented “Investigating the temporal variability of the tear fluid proteome for biomarker discovery” and Alessandro Duse, BSc, presented “Early detection of biochemical changes in tear fluid induced by contact lens wear using Raman spectroscopy” (oral communications, November 5). Both works were also displayed as posters, drawing significant attention and many questions. Thank you for your patience if we couldn’t respond to everyone!
Our collaborators, Gloria Astolfi, MSc, and Prof. Piera Versura, also attended, presenting studies developed with COMiB on innovative topics: a drug delivery system for treating ocular surface diseases and a pilot study on the interaction between tear substitutes and native tear proteins.
COMiB at the 10th International TFOS Conference
Giulia Carlotta Rizzo, BSc, presented two insightful posters at the 10th International TFOS Conference on the Tear Film & Ocular Surface: Basic Science and Clinical Relevance:
1. “Evaluating dehydration kinetics of kalifilcon A and other contact lens materials using water kinetics coefficients”
2.” Evaluation of meibomian gland loss: comparison between grading scale and semi-automated computerized classification“
These studies contribute valuable data on contact lens material properties and new techniques in meibomian gland evaluation, offering advancements for both researchers and clinicians focused on ocular surface health.
COMIB at the 15th Assottica Conference: advancing CL Education and Research
With more than 800 delegates gathered for its 15th edition titled “Change the View” the Assottica Conference has firmly established itself as one of the most attended global meetings on contact lenses. Dr. Fabrizio Zeri from COMIB presented a talk on ocular surface and tear film aging and the evolution of contact lens materials, co-presented with Prof. Stefano Barabino from the Ocular Surface Centre at Sacco Hospital, University of Milan.
Dr. Zeri also chaired a round table organized in collaboration with IACLE, which provided Italian contact lens students the opportunity to join a live-streamed discussion on contact lens education and clinical practice alongside three Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs): Prof. Lyndon Jones (Director of CORE at the University of Waterloo, Canada), Dr. Sarah Morgan (FAOO, FBCLA), and Dr. Alberto Recchioni (Researcher at University Hospitals Birmingham).
Additionally, Dr. Zeri and Dr. Byki Huntjens, both IACLE Directors, hosted an informal breakfast for Italian contact lens educators. This gathering offered an opportunity to discuss IACLE resources for students and future developments in contact lens education. The conversation began with recent changes in Italian education, including the launch of a new Postgraduate Degree in Optometry at the University of Milano-Bicocca, which has the potential to expand academic training in the field of contact lenses.
“Raman spectroscopy to investigate early biochemical alterations in human tears” is online
Download the free final version of the article “ Raman spectroscopy to investigate early biochemical alterations in human tears caused by contact lenses” by R.Rolandi, A.Duse, S.Tavazzi, R.Grandori, F.Pezzoli and E.Ponzini, published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry.
110th National Congress of the Italian Physical Society – Optometry Symposium
The COMiB group and its collaborators will participate in the Optometry Symposium of the 110th National Congress of the Italian Physical Society in Bologna (9-13 September) with the following oral communications:
- Children with dyslexia too show the practice effect on the Rate of Reading Test. Presented by Dr. Fabrizio Zeri
- Assessment of duochrome test efficacy across age groups. Presented by Giulia Carlotta Rizzo
- Choroidal thickness measurements: challenges in clinical practice. Presented by Dr. Beatrice Terni De Gregory
- Water kinetics coefficients to compare the dehydration properties of different CL polymers. Presented by prof. Anna Galli
- Irregular diffusion of water in worn Etafilcon A contact lenses. Presented by prof. Silvia Tavazzi
- Assessing the impact of lysozyme adsorption on the friction coefficient in Etafilcon A contact lenses. Presented by Dr. Erika Ponzini
- Trattamenti oftalmologici avanzati: copolimeri per il rilascio di molecole attive sulla superficie oculare. Presented by Gloria Astolfi
Training course at COMiB
The training and updating course on soft contact lenses and tear film organized by Bausch & Lomb – Iom and the University of Milano-Bicocca at the University’s COMiB Research Center continues.