ocular surface - contact lenses - myopia control - tear film - biomarkers - ocular surface - contact lenses - myopia control - biomarkers

Cristina Arroyo del Arroyo

AREA RESEARCH GROUP INSTITUTE
Vision Sciences Ocular Surface Group Institute for Applied Ophthalmobiology (IOBA)
My research career

I obtained my PhD in Vision Sciences from the University of Valladolid in 2021. I obtained the Diploma in Optics and Optometry in 2012 from the University of Valladolid and later I did the Master in Clinical Optometry and Research at the University Camilo José Cela in 2013 and the Master in Research in Vision Sciences at the University of Valladolid in 2015. Since then, I have worked and collaborated in several research projects related to contact lenses, dry eye and ocular surface, in the Ocular Surface Group of the Institute of Applied Ophthalmobiology (IOBA), where I developed my thesis project related to contact lens discomfort. During my PhD, I extended my research training with a 3-month stay at Glasgow Caledonian University. I am currently a Margarita Salas postdoctoral researcher and I carry out my teaching and research work in the Department of Optometry and Vision at the Complutense University of Madrid (Pharmacological Biochemistry of the Eye Group).

My research

My research activity has been focused during my PhD years on the research lines of contact lens discomfort, dry eye and ocular surface. In addition, part of this research has been carried out in the controlled environment chamber (CERLab) where we evaluate patients and contact lens wearers in uniform environmental conditions or in the adverse environmental situations to which they are exposed on a daily basis: closed buildings with cold or hot air conditioning, inside air-conditioned (cars, trains) and pressurised (aeroplanes) vehicles, etc.

Currently, my research is focused on the control of myopia with contact lenses. The problem with this topic is that it has been estimated that by the year 2050 the prevalence of myopia will increase significantly, affecting 49.8% of the world's population. This prevalence has prompted research into the control of myopia with different optical treatments, based on the theory of peripheral defocus, including multifocal soft contact lenses and orthokeratology lenses.

My vision is to find answers to the growth of myopia and to be able to control the pathologies and complications that derive from it. It is very important to be aware of this epidemic and to put a stop to it as soon as possible.