A Newly Minted NJIT Engineering Professor is Named a Fellow of the Academy of Optometry

Chang Yaramothu '13H MS '14 Ph.D. '17, a biomedical engineer who develops diagnostic and therapeutic devices for concussion-related vision disorders, was named a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry just two months after joining the NJIT faculty as an assistant professor of engineering technology.

As a postdoctoral researcher in engineer Tara Alvarez’s laboratory at NJIT, Yaramothu designed novel concussion diagnosis procedures using eye movements and virtual reality (VR) headsets in pediatric populations. He focuses on three metrics – the number of eye movements, balance and neuronal blood flow – to diagnose concussions and design personalized regimens for recovery.

A video game that Yaramothu was instrumental in developing won the 2018 IEEE AWE Auggie Award for “Most Innovative Breakthrough” at the leading industry conference for augmented reality technology in Munich, Germany. The project, known as VERVE (Virtual Eye Rotation Vision Exercises), employs virtual reality games to correct an eye motor disorder called convergence insufficiency, in which the muscles that control eye movements do not coordinate to focus on near objects. Because each eye sees images separately, the person experiences double and blurred vision, headaches and difficulty concentrating. The impact on cognition and learning can be severe, particularly in children.

“The field of optometry is still very much in the analog world, and one of my goals is to enhance it with technology,” he said, calling the use of virtual reality “an important step in the right direction.”

“During the pandemic, many optometrists couldn’t see patients, because these are face-to-face interactions. But by putting on a VR headset, they can be two feet or even a room away and observe them as if they were right there,” he added. “These methods are still in the research phase, but I hope soon to assemble a cohort of clinicians and scientists to design and test a VR-enhanced binocular screening.”

Yaramothu also designed the OculoMotor Assessment Tool, an inexpensive, portable and easy-to-use analog tool, which aids in the rapid assessment of concussion on a sports field or battlefield. This tool has been licensed by Gulden Ophthalmics and is currently being used by clinicians at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Saint Peter’s Children’s Hospital and other institutions for concussion assessment.

“As an emergency medical technician, Chang has clinical insights that many researchers do not.  As such, he creates practical tools and techniques that have high translational impact for clinical use,” noted Alvarez, a professor of biomedical engineering and pioneer in vision therapy.

Two years ago, he co-founded OculoMotor Technologies, Inc., a medical device startup company that creates VR content for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Yaramothu is the chief technology officer, Alvarez is the company's chief scientific officer, Mitchell Scheiman, O.D., Ph.D., of Salus University, is the chief clinical officer and John Vito d’Antonio-Bertagnolli '16 H MS '17 is the CEO. Their collaborators and backers include Salus University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, New Jersey Health Foundation and the National Science Foundation. 

“In this field, entrepreneurialism is key to success,” he remarked. “If I can’t get my ideas out of the lab, optometrists and their patients will never benefit from them.”