On March 8th and 9th, COMiB researchers attended the Nederlands Contact lens Congress (NCC) 2026 in Veldhoven.
Prof. Fabrizio Zeri brought a little magic with his talk: “Potions, not poisons: optimizing contact lens solutions for comfort and safety”
Dr. Giulia Carlotta Rizzo presented her reasearch “Experiencing contact lens wear encourages young adults to consider their use: findings from the ATP study”.
Moreover, during the one-hour session “Artificial Intelligence in Education and Research” hosted by IACLE, Fabrizio Zeri and Alison Ng gave the oral presentation “Evaluation of AI in assessing students’ group work”.
The COMiB attended the annual congress of the RCLSO society. Dr. Erika Ponzini presented her research “The hidden impact of early wear: Detecting the subtle alterations in tear fluid and contact lens hydration”, highlighting how even subtle changes can affect vision quality and contact lens comfort. A valuable opportunity to share scientific results and strengthen dialogue within the optometric community.
On September 29, 2025, the University of Milano-Bicocca appointed Professor Fabrizio Zeri as Associate Professor (second tier) in the scientific-disciplinary sector PHYS-06/A – Physics for Life Sciences, the Environment, and Cultural Heritage.
This marks the first time that an Italian university, 25 years after the establishment of the first degree program in Optics and Optometry, has created an associate professorship dedicated to research in the field of optometry and contact lenses—an area in which Professor Zeri has been a pioneer, recognized internationally.
This academic recognition represents a historic step forward for optometric education in Italy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
