Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kristin McCallum
248.444.9899
kmccallum@black-otter.com
THE EYE AND THE AUTO 2005 FOCUSES ON LIGHT
AN
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS TO DISCUSS THE INTERPLAY OF DRIVER’S VISION,
AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING, HEADLAMP TECHNOLOGY AND THE MILIEU IN WHICH
THE OPERATOR AND VEHICLE PERFORM
Detroit, Mich. (April 6, 2005)—In June, a third biennial world congress, The Eye and The Auto will bring together more that 35 of the world’s leading authorities from a variety of fields to discuss the relationship between vision, light and the safe operation of a motorized vehicle. This year, The Eye and The Auto theme is Light. The invited faculty provide expert insight from engineering, automotive design and manufacturing, societal organizations, academia, ophthalmology, medicine and governmental research centers. They will explore advances in the automotive industry in relation to light and determine potential applications to improve automotive safety. Such studies relate to the safe operation of a motorized vehicle in three key research areas; the vehicle operator, the vehicle and environmental factors. The 3-day forum will be held from June 23 to 25, 2005, at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan.
The Eye and The Auto is co-organized by Cynthia Owsley, PhD., Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Philip C. Hessburg, MD, Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. The Eye and The Auto will focus on three general areas of study:
Day 1—Vehicle Operator Factors: Driver visual assessment, licensing, vision impairment and needs, visual fields. Various conditions which affect drivers such as cataract and macular degeneration will be discussed.
Day 2—Vehicle Factors: headlamp technology, blind spot elimination, crash avoidance, glare, ergonomics and auto design. Advanced technologies and active safety systems which compensate for blind spots and warn drivers in risky situations such as lane changes will also be discussed.
Day 3—Environmental Factors: Safer highways, road signs, distraction, roadway illumination, socio-economics of driving; the environment in which the driver performs will be a central discussion.
“Over 43,000 Americans die each year on our highways,” said Philip C. Hessburg, MD, co-organizer of The Eye and The Auto Congress. “Many of these crashes have a visual component related to the driver, the vehicle or the milieu in which they perform. We realize that there is a significant public health problem related to highway safety, vision and aging. This is the major reason that the DIO sponsors this unique congress.”
The Eye and The
Auto will be a centralized source to discussion on advances in automotive
lighting technology and crash avoidance. The Eye and The Auto can assist in
developing state-of-the-art lighting and crash avoidance devices, evolving
automotive design and advancing automotive engineering that can enhance vision,
reduce blind spots, render vehicle instrument panels more visually appropriate.
This will reduce the vehicle crash rate in the United States.
“The Eye and The Auto will provide a unique opportunity to interact
with leaders in fields that can assist in the advancement of automotive design
as it relates to lighting,” Joseph Borruso, president and CEO, Hella
North America. “We are proud to be a supporter and sponsor of the event.
By introducing new technology advancements, The Eye and The Auto can be a
major contributor to lighting solutions that will reduce the highway-related
deaths in the U.S.
“We are enthusiast about the knowledge gained through this program and hope to apply it in future product development within our industry,” added Dan Robusto, President and COO, North American Lighting, Inc. and chairman of the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council. “Innovations in this area could plan a major role in helping to solve highway-safety-related problems.”
The Eye and The Auto is a major ophthalmic research initiative the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO). Since 2000, The Eye and The Auto has developed a network of professionals striving to advance technologies which might improve vision and automotive design and reduce roadway carnage.
At the conclusion of The Eye and The Auto World Congress, participants are welcome to attend the internationally acclaimed auto show, EyesOn Design 2005, which will be hosted on June 26th at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. For more information about The Eye and The Auto 2005 World Congress or EyesOn Design, contact the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology at 313-824-4710 or visit www.eyeson.org. For more information about supporting the DIO and its programs through volunteerism, donations or sponsorship contact Judi Dara the DIO at 313-824-4710.
The Eye and The Auto World Congress is an international congress of diverse professionals meeting to discuss advancements in the relationship between vision and the safe operation of a motorized vehicle. The 2005 theme for The Eye and The Auto is Light. The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology programs relate to education and research in the field of ophthalmology and to support for the visually-impaired.
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