NEW YORK, N.Y. — Two SUNY College of Optometry students, Will Doan Nguyen, ‘25, and Melinda Morvai, ‘26, received a $5,000 grant for their work in artificial intelligence (AI). The pair developed IrisAI, an AI-powered assistant that transforms low vision care. The award was announced at SUNY Optometry’s 10th Annual Student Innovator Award Ceremony.
The $5,000 award, which is sponsored by the Rick Bay Foundation, is designed to recognize and reward an original concept developed by SUNY Optometry students that is impactful and feasible in today’s optometric practice. While the inaugural program was held at SUNY Optometry, the concept currently spans seven optometry schools across the country.
“All SUNY Optometry students come to this school with the same goal in mind: to transform eye care for the better,” said Dr. David Troilo, PhD, President of SUNY Optometry. “For the tenth year in a row, our Innovator Awards have shown us that they are well on their way. I extend my sincerest congratulations to all our finalists, but I would especially like to congratulate Will and Melinda for their outstanding work developing IrisAI. This revolutionary concept has the potential to improve eye care services for patients around the world for generations to come, and I hope to see it come to fruition one day.”
In the Fall of 2024, SUNY Optometry students were invited to submit abstracts related to innovations or improvements in clinical eye care, optometric education, community education, technology, and more. After an initial review, four finalists were chosen to develop their ideas further and create a presentation. Presentations during the program were judged by the award committee, which consisted of three SUNY Optometry faculty, Dr. Michael Sullivan-Mee, Dr. Alexandra Benavente-Perez, Dr. Arathy Kartha and Marc Ferrara representing Jobson Medical Information.
The winning concept, IrisAI, was chosen for its originality and its contemporary relevance. Today, 285 million people suffer from low vision or blindness, and that number is growing daily. As it stands, there is a lack of comprehensive, personalized care for low vision patients, and few technological solutions target the low vision market holistically. With the assistive technology market projected to reach $12 billion by 2026, IrisAI comes at a time when AI-powered eye care technology is especially valuable.
“IrisAI was developed with four major pillars in mind: personalized support, community connection, seamless integration, and empowerment through technology,” said SUNY Optometry students Will Doan Nguyen, ‘25, and Melinda Morvai, ‘26. “We share a passion for improving care for low vision patients, and we are gratified to see our passion transformed into a solution like IrisAI. We are proud to have been recognized with this prestigious award, and we look forward to continuing to improve and refine the IrisAI concept in the months to come.”
IrisAI would allow its users to share experiences, rate and review low vision aids, recommend trusted optometrists and much more. The technology would also provide health care professionals with real-time data on eye care device usage, which helps clinicians refine recommendations and inform clinicians about evolving patient needs.
In addition to IrisAI, there were three other finalists at this year’s Innovator Awards. The Multifunctional Vision Training Device (MVTD), designed by Theresa Tai, ‘28, is a mobile app that projects therapeutic targets. David Wang, ‘26, and Zi Rui (Jerry) Li, ‘25, designed a novel chemical meibomian gland expressor that reimagines the treatment of chronic dry eye. Gabriella Reale, ‘27, designed a waterproof scanner device to scan the contents of a shower and describe them to a patient who may be experiencing vision loss.
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