Charles Munnerlyn
Encyclopedia
Dr. Charles Munnerlyn is an American optical engineer. He constructed the first working excimer laser
system for vision correction in 1985, and also developed the Munnerlyn Formula
that dictates the amount of corneal tissue
to be removed by the laser to correct vision disorders such as myopia and astigmatism. Munnerlyn is the founder of VISX, Incorporated, once the world's largest manufacturer of laser-based vision correction
(LVC) systems. VISX is now owned by Abbott Laboratories.
from Texas A&M University
in 1962 and a doctorate in optical engineering
from the University of Rochester
in 1969.
, receiving his Ph.D. in optical engineering
in 1969. He remained in the Rochester
area as head of research and development for Tropel, a company that designed prototype custom lenses for applications that included Xerox
copiers, Polaroid
cameras, satellites and semiconductor photolithography
. In the early 1970s, he designed the first automatic digital device to measure refractive errors in the eye. He also developed a pressure test to detect glaucoma
before pioneering his laser
systems for vision correction. Munnerlyn holds more than 30 U.S. patents in the field of optics.
Munnerlyn also calculated the basic formula—now known as the "Munnerlyn Formula
" -- that told ophthalmologists how much corneal tissue
to remove in the actual laser vision correction procedure. With collaborator Terry Clapham, an electrical engineer, they left Coherent in 1983 to continue developing a YAG laser design for vision correction. They secured financial backing from a company called CooperVision, which wanted the rights to sell the system when it was successfully developed. In 1987, Munnerlyn and Clapham purchased the excimer laser
technology from CooperVision and started their own company, VISX, Incorporated. They took VISX public in 1989, raising $4 million, then merged with competitor Taunton Technologies in 1990. By 2002, about two thirds of laser vision correction procedures in the U.S. were performed with VISX equipment. In December 2004, Advanced Medical Optics announced plans to purchased VISX for $1.27 billion.
Munnerlyn retired in 2005. He is an avid amateur astronomer, a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Rochester
, and on the Advisory Board of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
.
The Charles R. '62 & Judith G. Munnerlyn Astronomical Laboratory and Space Sciences Engineering Building at Texas A&M University
, dedicated in September 2009 is named in their honor. He has also endowed a number of professorhips at Texas A&M University
including the Mitchell/Heep/Munnerlyn Endowed Chair in Observational Astronomy, and Munnerlyn-Heep Endowed Chair in Quantum Optics.
Excimer laser
An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices , eye surgery, and micromachining....
system for vision correction in 1985, and also developed the Munnerlyn Formula
Munnerlyn Formula
The Munnerlyn Formula is the theoretical formula discovered by Charles Munnerlyn, which gives the depth an excimer laser will need to ablate during LASIK surgery or similar medical interventions...
that dictates the amount of corneal tissue
Cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...
to be removed by the laser to correct vision disorders such as myopia and astigmatism. Munnerlyn is the founder of VISX, Incorporated, once the world's largest manufacturer of laser-based vision correction
Refractive surgery
Refractive eye surgery is any eye surgery used to improve the refractive state of the eye and decrease or eliminate dependency on glasses or contact lenses. This can include various methods of surgical remodeling of the cornea or cataract surgery. The most common methods today use excimer lasers to...
(LVC) systems. VISX is now owned by Abbott Laboratories.
Biography
Charles Ray Munnerlyn was born in Shreveport, LA in 1940. He received his bachelor's degree in physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in 1962 and a doctorate in optical engineering
Optical engineering
Optical engineering is the field of study that focuses on applications of optics. Optical engineers design components of optical instruments such as lenses, microscopes, telescopes, and other equipment that utilizes the properties of light. Other devices include optical sensors and measurement...
from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in 1969.
Career
Following a stint in the U.S. Air Force, Munnerlyn continued his studies at the Institute of Optics at the University of RochesterUniversity of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, receiving his Ph.D. in optical engineering
Optical engineering
Optical engineering is the field of study that focuses on applications of optics. Optical engineers design components of optical instruments such as lenses, microscopes, telescopes, and other equipment that utilizes the properties of light. Other devices include optical sensors and measurement...
in 1969. He remained in the Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
area as head of research and development for Tropel, a company that designed prototype custom lenses for applications that included Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
copiers, Polaroid
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
cameras, satellites and semiconductor photolithography
Photolithography
Photolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
. In the early 1970s, he designed the first automatic digital device to measure refractive errors in the eye. He also developed a pressure test to detect glaucoma
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...
before pioneering his laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
systems for vision correction. Munnerlyn holds more than 30 U.S. patents in the field of optics.
Munnerlyn also calculated the basic formula—now known as the "Munnerlyn Formula
Munnerlyn Formula
The Munnerlyn Formula is the theoretical formula discovered by Charles Munnerlyn, which gives the depth an excimer laser will need to ablate during LASIK surgery or similar medical interventions...
" -- that told ophthalmologists how much corneal tissue
Cornea
The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...
to remove in the actual laser vision correction procedure. With collaborator Terry Clapham, an electrical engineer, they left Coherent in 1983 to continue developing a YAG laser design for vision correction. They secured financial backing from a company called CooperVision, which wanted the rights to sell the system when it was successfully developed. In 1987, Munnerlyn and Clapham purchased the excimer laser
Excimer laser
An excimer laser is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices , eye surgery, and micromachining....
technology from CooperVision and started their own company, VISX, Incorporated. They took VISX public in 1989, raising $4 million, then merged with competitor Taunton Technologies in 1990. By 2002, about two thirds of laser vision correction procedures in the U.S. were performed with VISX equipment. In December 2004, Advanced Medical Optics announced plans to purchased VISX for $1.27 billion.
Munnerlyn retired in 2005. He is an avid amateur astronomer, a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, and on the Advisory Board of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership medical association of ophthalmologists–medical doctors specializing in eye care and surgery including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing U.S. Eye M.D.s are Academy members, and the...
.
The Charles R. '62 & Judith G. Munnerlyn Astronomical Laboratory and Space Sciences Engineering Building at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
, dedicated in September 2009 is named in their honor. He has also endowed a number of professorhips at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
including the Mitchell/Heep/Munnerlyn Endowed Chair in Observational Astronomy, and Munnerlyn-Heep Endowed Chair in Quantum Optics.
Marriage and children
He is married to Judith G. Munnerlyn. They have four children, John, Audrey, Stewart, and Patrick. Stewart Munnerlyn is the owner of Munnerlyn's Ice Creamery in Pine Grove, California, serving the best hand crafted ice cream in the Mother Lode.Awards
- 2001: Engineer of the Year, Design News
- 2001: Stevens Honor Award, Stevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
- 2002: Distinguished Alumnus Award, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Rochester.
- 2007: Edwin H. Land Medal, Optical Society of AmericaOptical Society of AmericaThe Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...
- 2008: Rochester Distinguished Scholar Award
- 2009: Texas A&M University Distinguished Alumnus