Tom N. Cornsweet
Encyclopedia
Tom N. Cornsweet is an American
experimental psychologist, author, inventor, and entrepreneur known best for his pioneering work in visual perception
and in the development of ophthalmic
instrumentation.
and enrolled in a graduate program at Brown University
, working in the vision research laboratory of Lorrin A. Riggs. During his graduate studies he was co-author of an early paper describing stabilized images
. His 1955 Ph.D. dissertation in experimental psychology involved small movements of the eye.
He was an assistant professor at Yale University
from 1955–1959, and then became professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. His interest in psychophysics
led him to develop an widely-employed improvement in the staircase method. As an outgrowth of the courses he taught, Cornsweet published a frequently-cited textbook.
. While also teaching in the psychology department at Stanford, he designed or co-designed several innovative instruments for measuring properties of the eye, including eyetrackers, auto-refractors, and optical fundus
scanners. He left SRI to become Chief Scientist at Acuity Systems, where he developed the first commercial auto-refractor in 1973. He served as Vice-president of research and development for Sensory Technologies from 1994 to 1997. During this time Cornsweet continued to invent devices for measuring various properties of the eye and also to teach, first at the Baylor College of Medicine
and later at UC-Irvine. In 1999 Cornsweet retired from UC-Irvine and co-founded Visual Pathways, where he developed a highly-automated retinal imaging system
for diagnosing glaucoma
, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy
, and macular degeneration
.
Tom Cornsweet is currently (2011) Professor of Cognitive Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Ophthalmology, Emeritus University of California, Irvine, and Chief Scientist at Quantum Catch, a company developing low-cost ophthalmic instruments for detection and monitoring of disease.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
experimental psychologist, author, inventor, and entrepreneur known best for his pioneering work in visual perception
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
and in the development of ophthalmic
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
instrumentation.
Academic background and scientific research
Cornsweet graduated from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and enrolled in a graduate program at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, working in the vision research laboratory of Lorrin A. Riggs. During his graduate studies he was co-author of an early paper describing stabilized images
Stabilized images
Stabilized Images are images on the retina that are unaffected by microsaccade or ocular microtremor . Experiments by Riggs and Ratliff ) established the remarkable finding that stabilized images result in the fading and disappearance of the visual percept...
. His 1955 Ph.D. dissertation in experimental psychology involved small movements of the eye.
He was an assistant professor at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
from 1955–1959, and then became professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. His interest in psychophysics
Psychophysics
Psychophysics quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they effect. Psychophysics has been described as "the scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation" or, more completely, as "the analysis of perceptual...
led him to develop an widely-employed improvement in the staircase method. As an outgrowth of the courses he taught, Cornsweet published a frequently-cited textbook.
Inventor and entrepreneur
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Tom Cornsweet was a key member of the Bioinformation Systems Group at Stanford Research InstituteSRI International
SRI International , founded as Stanford Research Institute, is one of the world's largest contract research institutes. Based in Menlo Park, California, the trustees of Stanford University established it in 1946 as a center of innovation to support economic development in the region. It was later...
. While also teaching in the psychology department at Stanford, he designed or co-designed several innovative instruments for measuring properties of the eye, including eyetrackers, auto-refractors, and optical fundus
Fundus (eye)
The fundus of the eye is the interior surface of the eye, opposite the lens, and includes the retina, optic disc, macula and fovea, and posterior pole. The fundus can be viewed with an ophthalmoscope. The term may also be inclusive of Bruch's membrane and the choroid.The color of the fundus varies...
scanners. He left SRI to become Chief Scientist at Acuity Systems, where he developed the first commercial auto-refractor in 1973. He served as Vice-president of research and development for Sensory Technologies from 1994 to 1997. During this time Cornsweet continued to invent devices for measuring various properties of the eye and also to teach, first at the Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
and later at UC-Irvine. In 1999 Cornsweet retired from UC-Irvine and co-founded Visual Pathways, where he developed a highly-automated retinal imaging system
Fundus camera
A fundus camera or retinal camera is a specialized low power microscope with an attached camera designed to photograph the interior surface of the eye, including the retina, optic disc, macula, and posterior pole A fundus camera or retinal camera is a specialized low power microscope with an...
for diagnosing 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...
, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is retinopathy caused by complications of diabetes mellitus, which can eventually lead to blindness....
, and macular degeneration
Macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field because of damage to the retina. It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults...
.
Tom Cornsweet is currently (2011) Professor of Cognitive Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Ophthalmology, Emeritus University of California, Irvine, and Chief Scientist at Quantum Catch, a company developing low-cost ophthalmic instruments for detection and monitoring of disease.
Patents, publications, awards
- 35 patents, primarily in the area of optical and ophthalmic instrumentation
- 3 books
- more than 100 journal publications
- UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching award 1961 Psychology
- Charles F. Prentice Medal Award from the American Academy of OptometryAmerican Academy of OptometryThe American Academy of Optometry is an organization of optometrists. Its goal is to maintain and enhance excellence in optometric practice, by both promoting research and the dissemination of knowledge....
, 1984