Welcome to the Aquavella Lab
Research Overview
Dr. James Aquavella has organized a group of basic scientists including Geunyoung Yoon, Krystel Huxlin, and Jim Zavislan to evaluate human tear film dynamics and its relationship to clinical dry eye syndrome. Utilizing three new technologies developed at the Flaum Eye Institute, including wave front analysis, OCT, and ellipsometry, the team is measuring variations in tear film thickness and composition related to the normal blink reflex during altered environmental conditions. This multidisciplinary approach -- which may lead to a better diagnosis and treatment of clinical dry eye -- is a collaborative effort between the Eye Institute and the departments of immunology, oral biology, optics, and dermatology.
James V. Aquavella, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Publications
View All Publications- Clinical Outcomes of Pars Plana Vitrectomy in Boston Keratoprosthesis Type I in Pediatric Patients.; Cornea. 2026 Feb 11.
- Short-Term Outcomes of Pediatric Keratoprosthesis With the Near-Complete Conjunctival Flap.; Cornea; Vol 40(6). 2021 Jun 01.
- ISOPT Clinical Hot Topic Panel Discussion on Cornea Anterior Segment Disease.; Journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics : the official journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics; Vol 35(8). 2019 Oct.
- Chemical Burns of the Eye: The Role of Retinal Injury and New Therapeutic Possibilities.; Cornea. 2017 Nov 09.
- Keratoprosthesis in Ectodermal Dysplasia.; Cornea; Vol 35(7). 2016 Jul.
- Protective effect of soft contact lenses after Boston keratoprosthesis.; The British journal of ophthalmology; Vol 100(4). 2016 Apr.
- Temperatures of the Ocular Surface, Lid, and Periorbital Regions of Sjögren's, Evaporative, and Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eyes Relative to Normals.; The ocular surface; Vol 14(1). 2016 Jan.
- Outcomes of Repeat Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis Implantation.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 161. 2016 Jan.
- Accuracy, Reliability, and Consistency in the Collection of Tear Film Osmolarity Data.; JAMA ophthalmology; Vol 133(12). 2015 Dec.
- Thermal analysis of dry eye subjects and the thermal impulse perturbation model of ocular surface.; Experimental eye research; Vol 132. 2015 Mar.
- Incidence of peters anomaly and congenital opacity.; Cornea; Vol 34(2). 2015 Feb.
- Measurement of a multi-layered tear film phantom using optical coherence tomography and statistical decision theory.; Biomedical optics express; Vol 5(12). 2014 Dec 1.
- Long-term outcomes of boston type 1 keratoprosthesis implantation: a retrospective multicenter cohort.; Ophthalmology; Vol 121(11). 2014 Nov.
- Dry eyes: are new ideas drying up?; The British journal of ophthalmology; Vol 97(7). 2013 Jul.
- Phantom study of tear film dynamics with optical coherence tomography and maximum-likelihood estimation.; Optics letters; Vol 38(10). 2013 May 15.
- Infant keratoprosthesis.; International ophthalmology clinics; Vol 53(2). 2013.
- Maximum-likelihood estimation in Optical Coherence Tomography in the context of the tear film dynamics.; Biomedical optics express; Vol 4(10). 2013.
- Novel formulation of glycerin 1% artificial tears extends tear film break-up time compared with Systane lubricant eye drops.; Journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics : the official journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics; Vol 28(5). 2012 Oct.
- The use of precut, γ-irradiated corneal lenticules in Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis implantation.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 154(3). 2012 Sep.
- Infectious endophthalmitis in adult eyes receiving Boston type I keratoprosthesis.; Ophthalmology; Vol 119(4). 2012 Apr.
- Noninvasive, objective, multimodal tear dynamics evaluation of 5 over-the-counter tear drops in a randomized controlled trial.; Cornea; Vol 31(2). 2012 Feb.
- Integrated multimodal metrology for objective and noninvasive tear evaluation.; The ocular surface; Vol 10(1). 2012 Jan.
- Effect of airflow exposure on the tear meniscus.; Journal of ophthalmology; Vol 2012. 2012.
- Micrometer axial resolution OCT for corneal imaging.; Biomedical optics express; Vol 2(11). 2011 Nov 1.
- Titanium back plate for a PMMA keratoprosthesis: clinical outcomes.; Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv für klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie; Vol 249(10). 2011 Oct.
- A safe Nd:YAG retroprosthetic membrane removal technique for keratoprosthesis.; Cornea; Vol 29(10). 2010 Oct.
- Simultaneous measurement of tear film dynamics using wavefront sensor and optical coherence tomography.; Investigative ophthalmology & visual science; Vol 51(7). 2010 Jul.
- Short-term visual outcomes of Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis implantation.; Ophthalmology; Vol 117(4). 2010 Apr.
- Effect of blinking on tear volume after instillation of midviscosity artificial tears.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 146(6). 2008 Dec.
- Dynamic distribution of artificial tears on the ocular surface.; Archives of ophthalmology (Chicago, Ill. : 1960); Vol 126(5). 2008 May.
- Correlations among upper and lower tear menisci, noninvasive tear break-up time, and the Schirmer test.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 145(5). 2008 May.
- Keratoprosthesis in the treatment of severe ocular trauma.; Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie; Vol 43(2). 2008 Apr.
- Pediatric keratoprosthesis: a new surgical approach.; Annals of ophthalmology (Skokie, Ill.); Vol 40(2). 2008.
- Histopathologic and immunologic aspects of alphacor artificial corneal failure.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 144(5). 2007 Nov.
- Management of exposure keratopathy associated with severe craniofacial trauma.; Journal of cataract and refractive surgery; Vol 33(9). 2007 Sep.
- Outcomes of Boston keratoprosthesis in aniridia: a retrospective multicenter study.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 144(2). 2007 Aug.
- Effect of blinking on tear dynamics.; Investigative ophthalmology & visual science; Vol 48(7). 2007 Jul.
- The Boston keratoprosthesis in herpetic keratitis.; Archives of ophthalmology (Chicago, Ill. : 1960); Vol 125(6). 2007 Jun.
- Pediatric keratoprosthesis.; Ophthalmology; Vol 114(5). 2007 May.
- Relationships between central tear film thickness and tear menisci of the upper and lower eyelids.; Investigative ophthalmology & visual science; Vol 47(10). 2006 Oct.
- Repeated measurements of dynamic tear distribution on the ocular surface after instillation of artificial tears.; Investigative ophthalmology & visual science; Vol 47(8). 2006 Aug.
- Keratoprosthesis: current techniques.; Cornea; Vol 25(6). 2006 Jul.
- Keratoprosthesis: the Dohlman-Doane device.; American journal of ophthalmology; Vol 140(6). 2005 Dec.
Collaborators
News
- May 28, 2019 Brain stimulation speeds up visual learning in healthy adults, helps patients re-learn how to see.
- September 6, 2017, Ruchira Singh, PhD, assistant professor at the Flaum Eye Institute, develops a new model for hard-to-study form of blindness paving the way for future research.
- On May 5, 2017, 13 WHAM reports, Eye therapy gives sight back to stroke survivors. "We are trying to make the blind parts of the visual field see again", says Krystel Huxlin, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology.
- On April 12, 2017, Science Blog's article "Retraining the Brain to See After Stroke" explains the type of visual training patients are undergoing designed by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Flaum Eye Institute.
- On February 17, 2017, Dr. Richard Libby, PhD is awarded the 2017 Shaffer Prize for Innovative Glaucoma Research.
Contact Us
Aquavella Lab
601 Elmwood Ave
Rochester, NY 14642
(585) 276-0292