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John Brabyn

Executive Director

Ph.D.

It has been my honor to serve as The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute’s Executive Director since 2011. Previously, I have also served as Director of our Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) and Principal Investigator of the Brabyn Lab. My research focused on addressing problems of blindness and visual impairment, particularly those that may be amenable to technological solutions. Projects in my laboratory have included the development and application of new tests for the assessment of functional vision, and studies of the problems and solutions of dual sensory loss. My research interests and approaches reflect my vision for the Institute, which combines multidisciplinary approaches and expertise across basic, clinical, and engineering/translational fields to address real-world challenges of those living with sensory loss, particularly vision.

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Contact Information:

Email: brabyn@ski.org

Office Phone: (415) 345-2110

The Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute 2318 Fillmore Street

San Francisco, CA 94115

Publications

Journal Articles
Conference Papers
Other Publications

Good, W. V., Family, J. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2021). Arthur Jampolsky, MD. Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, 25(6). 10.1016/j.jaapos.2021.11.003 (Original work published 2021)

Lott, L. ., Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Hewlett, S. ., Stepien-Bernabe, N. ., Gauer, B. ., … Brabyn, J. . (2020). Simple Vision Function Tests that Distinguish Eyes with Early to Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration. Ophthalmic Epidemiology, 10, 1-12. 10.1080/09286586.2020.1793371 (Original work published 2020)

Lott, L. ., Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Hewlett, S. ., Stepien-Bernabe, N. ., Gauer, B. M., … Brabyn, J. . (2020). Simple Vision Function Tests that Distinguish Eyes with Early to Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration. Ophthalmic Epidemiology. (Original work published 2020)

Lott, L. ., Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Hewlett, S. ., Gauer, B. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2018). Vision Function in Early to Intermediate AMD: Progression to Advanced AMD. Investigative Ophthalmology Vis. Sci., 59(9). (Original work published 2018)

Lott, L. ., Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Hewlett, S. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2017). Reading Performance in Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration: Context Effects. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 58(8), 4701. (Original work published 2017)

Schneck, M. ., Lott, L. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Gauer, B. ., Hewlett, S. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2017). Vision function differs with retinal characteristics in AMD: large drusen with and without pigment abnormalities. Investigative Ophthalmology Vis. Sci., 58(8), 4708. (Original work published 2017)

Reinkensmeyer, D. ., Blackstone, S. ., Bodine, C. ., Brabyn, J. ., & et, al . (2017). How a diverse research ecosystem has generated new rehabilitation technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers. Journal NeuroEngineering Rehab, 14, 109. (Original work published 2017)

Lott, L. ., Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Hewlett, S. ., Gauer, B. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2016). Longitudinal Assessment of Non-standard Vision Function in Early to Intermediate AMD: Baseline Update. Investigative Ophthalmology Vis. Sci., 57(12), 624. (Original work published 2016)

Lott, L. ., Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Hewlett, S. ., Gauer, B. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2015). Assessing Non-standard Vision Function in Early to Intermediate AMD. Investigative Ophthalmology Vis. Sci., 56. (Original work published 2015)

Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Schneck, M. ., Lott, L. ., Hewlett, S. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2014). Longitudinal Increase in Anisometropia in Older Adults. Optometry and Vision Science, 91(1), 60-67. (Original work published 2014)

Schneck, M. ., Haegerstrom-Portnoy, G. ., Lott, L. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2014). Comparison of Panel D-15 Tests in a large older population. Optometry and Vision Science, 91(3), 284-290. (Original work published 2014)

Simon, H. J., Gilden, D. ., Brabyn, J. ., & Lotze, A. . (2012). Acoustic cues used by blind travelers. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 131(4), 3516. (Original work published 2012)

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Brabyn, J. . (1995). Orientation and Navigation Systems for the Blind: An Overview of Different Approaches. International Conference As Navigation Technology for the Blind. Presented at the International Conference as Navigation Technology for the Blind. U.K.: Royal National Institute for the Blind. (Original work published 1995)

Brabyn, J. ., Crandall, W. ., & Gerrey, W. . (1993). Talking Signs®: A Remote Signage Solution for the Blind, visually Impaired and Reading Disabled. Conference: Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1993. Proceedings of the 15th Annual International Conference of the IEEE, 1309-1310. 10.1109/IEMBS.1993.979150 (Original work published 1993)

Brabyn, J. ., Crandall, W. ., & Gerrey, W. . (1992). Remote Reading Systems For The Blind: A Potential Application Of Virtual Presence. Conference: Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1992. Vol.14. Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE, Volume: 4, 1538-1539. 10.1109/IEMBS.1992.5761914 (Original work published 1992)

Gerrey, W. ., Brabyn, J. ., Fowle, T. ., & Alden, A. . (1992). The Smith-Kettlewell auditory breakout box. Conference: Computing Applications to Assist Persons With Disabilities, 1992., Proceedings of the Johns Hopkins National Search, 173-176. 10.1109/CAAPWD.1992.217376 (Original work published 1992)

Brabyn, J. ., Gerrey, W. ., Fowle, T. ., Alden, A. ., & Williams, J. . (1989). Some practical vocational aids for the blind. Conference: Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1989. Images of the Twenty-First Century., Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Conference, 5, 1502-1503. 10.1109/IEMBS.1989.96310 (Original work published 1989)

Pitcher-Cooper, C. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2021). The Unstoppable Utility of YouDescribe. Wireless RERC 2021 State of Technology Forum Proceedings. (Original work published 2021)

Brabyn, J. . (2010). Sensory Rehabilitation. In Sage Encyclopedia of Perception (pp. 881-883). Thousand Oaks, CA: Goldstein, B. (Ed) Sage Publications. (Original work published 2010)

Brabyn, J. . (2008). Vision. In Lange, M (Ed.) Fundamentals in Assistive Technology: An Introduction in Assistiave Technology Implementation in the Lives of People with Disabilities (4th ed., pp. 293-311). Arlington, VA: Resna Press. (Original work published 2008)

Brabyn, J. ., Seelman, K. ., & Panchang, S. . (2007). Aids for people who are blind or visually impaired. In Cooper, RA, Ohnabe H, Hobson D, (Eds.) An Introduction to Rehabilitation Engineering (pp. 287-313). New York: Taylor & Francis. (Original work published 2007)

Seelman, K. ., Brabyn, J. ., Ortmann, A. ., & Palmer, C. . , V. (2006). Sensory Aids. In Akay, M. (Ed), Wiley Encyclopedia of Biomedical Engineering. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. (Original work published 2006)

Arditi, A. ., & Brabyn, J. . (2000). Signage and wayfinding. In Silverstone, Lang, Rosenthal & Faye (Eds), The Lighthouse Handbook on Visual Impairment and Vision Rehabilitation (Vol. 1–2). New York: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 2000)

Heller, M. ., & Brabyn, J. . Visual Impairment: Ergonomic Considerations in Blind and Low Vision Rehabilitation. In Kumar, S. (Ed.), Perspectives in Rehabilitation Ergonomics (Vol. 1). London: Taylor & Francis. (Original work published 1997)

Projects

Completed
Talking Signs
Created by William Loughborough in 1979, Talking Lights was a system of infrared transmitters and receivers allowing blind and visually impaired travelers to quickly and easily “read signs” at a distance.

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Active
The 3 Ps of 3D: Perception, Pedagogy, and Practice for 3D Printing
3D printing is increasingly used in STEM education. How can it be made usable by students who are blind or visually impaired?

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Completed
The Smith-Kettlewell Haptics Symposium
The Smith-Kettlewell Haptics Symposium was held on March 29, 2018 to honor and remember Dr. Val Morash and her research.

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Inactive
Reading, Vision Function and Disease Progression in Early to Intermediate AMD
Most prior research on reading in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has focused on those with advanced disease. The first goal of this project is to examine the visual, motor, and cognitive factors that contribute to reading performance in people with early to intermediate(E/I) AMD. A second goal is to compare those with E/I AMD to age-matched groups with no AMD, and with advanced disease to determine which characteristics of the E/I AMD participants more closely match those with advanced AMD. The final goal is to assess our E/I AMD participants longitudinally to determine…

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Completed
Acoustic Cues for Wayfinding
This project aims to do a detailed analysis of the environmental acoustic cues that help some blind navigate successfully.

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Centers

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
The Center's research goal is to develop and apply new scientific knowledge and practical, cost-effective devices to better understand and address the real-world problems of blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind...
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