(PRESS RELEASE) “Jean-Marie Parel’s dedication to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the field of ophthalmology was unparalleled,” said Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., director and chair of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. “Just a week before he passed, Jean-Marie was actively working alongside his research team, embodying the passion and commitment that defined his remarkable 60-year association with Bascom Palmer and the University. His legacy extends far beyond his scientific achievements – he was a mentor, collaborator, and dear friend who touched the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.”
Jean-Marie Parel, Ing., ETS-G, Ph.D.
Early Life and Education
Born in Switzerland in 1943 during the turmoil of World War II, Parel faced early adversity, including a childhood bout with polio. His mother, recognizing his physical limitations, nurtured his intellectual curiosity by teaching him to read, write, and speak French. A medical dictionary captured his young imagination, sparking a lifelong passion for science and healing. He pursued an exceptional academic path, earning degrees in physics, applied mathematics, and electronic engineering, followed by a master’s degree in biophysics from Bern University. His trajectory toward ophthalmology was shaped by Dr. Franz Fankhauser, who introduced him to the fascinating field of ophthalmic optics.
Career at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
In 1969, Parel was recruited to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute by Edward W.D. Norton, M.D., the Institute’s founding chair. The following year, they established the Ophthalmic Biophysics Center (OBC), creating a pioneering hub for translational research and innovation in ophthalmology. This collaboration with Norton and the physicians and scientists at Bascom Palmer launched Parel on a remarkable lifetime journey. “Dr. Norton had a view of the future so far-reaching it was unbelievable,” said Parel. “He recognized how biophysical engineering could make a huge difference in ophthalmology.”
Revolutionary Innovation in Retinal Surgery
A pivotal moment in Parel’s career occurred shortly before he arrived in Miami, when he met Robert Machemer, M.D., a retinal specialist practicing at Bascom Palmer. At the time, Parel was developing motorized ophthalmic microsurgical instruments with Dr. Gerard W. Crock at the University of Melbourne, Australia. This fortuitous meeting led Norton to recruit Parel to Bascom Palmer.
Their collaboration, along with Dr. Helmut Buettner, resulted in the vitreous infusion suction cutter (VISC), a groundbreaking device that could be introduced through the pars plana to aspirate, cut, and remove diseased vitreous while maintaining the eye’s shape through continuous saline infusion. “It provided the foundation for doing intraocular microsurgery while preventing the collapse of the eye,” Parel explained. This innovation became fundamental to modern retinal surgery, and Machemer would later become known as the “father of retinal surgery.”
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“Responding to the massive demand for the VISC and the vitrectomy instruments we designed, Bascom Palmer launched a global training program,” Parel said. “We knew every patient could not come to us for surgery, so we trained the top ophthalmologists around the world so they could do the procedures in their own countries.” Parel and Norton also made it clear that they would not restrict the use of the device, and encouraged manufacturers to build them so that those who were trained could have the best quality instruments to work with.
Expanding Innovation Through the Decades
Throughout the 1970s, biomedical research and development grew at Bascom Palmer under Parel’s leadership. Located in the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Vision Research Center, adjacent to Bascom Palmer’s flagship hospital in Miami, the Walter G. Ross Ophthalmic Biophysics Center (OBC) is a unique place. The OBC team of scientists, engineers, and technicians has a machine shop, electronic lab, chemistry lab, and optical lab to develop new lasers, and a fully equipped “operating room” to test the safety and efficacy of new instruments, implants, and surgical techniques before they are used for actual clinical or surgical care.
In the 1980s, Parel’s team designed the world’s smallest motorized scissors, used to cut retinal membranes that obscure vision. He also worked closely with John G. Clarkson, M.D., in developing a next-generation fluid control system that improved surgical precision in vitrectomies. Clarkson, dean emeritus of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and former chair of Bascom Palmer, said, “Jean-Marie was an inventor without peer and as dedicated to his work and Bascom Palmer as anyone who served our Institute. His tireless effort to develop instruments for saving and restoring sight is unparalleled. Jean-Marie was not only a brilliant inventor but also a generous collaborator. His work has touched millions, and his spirit of curiosity and compassion will live on in every device he helped create. He cannot be replaced.”
When asked early in his career about his extraordinary success, Parel humbly responded, “I simply did what three professors on three continents asked me to do: help clinicians improve patient care. It was logical to listen to their needs and to teach my team to do the same.” Working with scientists and engineers, he and his team solved challenges presented by physicians and surgeons, always with the same goal – to enhance the quality of life by improving sight.
Later in the decade, Parel worked with Norton and Francisco Fantes, M.D., who created the Fantes ordinal grading scale for assessing corneal hazing, on a study of the accommodative power of soft polymer lenses. Simultaneously, he began studying the biochemistry of the eye in hopes of finding a better approach to cases of advanced diabetic retinopathy, a condition that occurs when a retinal membrane grows back after surgical removal.
Collaborating with Richard K. Parrish II, M.D., Parel began developing a system to insert a controlled-release drug called 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) into the eye, which also provided more effective treatments for glaucoma.
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His team also developed the first modern programmable eye for a patient mannequin, complete with features like a sensor that would close the iris in response to light. “We were able to mimic conditions like retinopathy of prematurity,” Parel said. “A student could recreate an intravenous injection and use fluorescein angiography to see the changes in real-time.”
A Legacy of Innovation
Parel has been rightfully celebrated as a pillar of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute for his remarkable scientific achievements that helped Bascom Palmer to flourish among the ophthalmology departments in the U.S. and around the world.
“One thing that is unique about Jean-Marie is his ability to innovate across a very broad range of technologies and fields,” said Fabrice Manns, Ph.D., chair of the University of Miami College of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, and co-director of the Ophthalmic Biophysics Center.
Manns said, “It started with surgical instrumentation, then optical instruments, then lasers, then Dr. Parel moved to implants and drug delivery devices. Some people knew him as an expert on biomaterials for his work on vitreous substitutes and the 5-FU implant, others knew him as an expert on optics and lasers for his work on ophthalmic laser therapy, and then, of course, as an expert in microsurgical technologies with vitrectomy, and for developing the first motorized surgical microscope to facility eye surgery.”
In the mid-1980s and 90s, Parel developed several laser procedures for eye surgery, including an approach for laser cataract surgery (laser phaco), for corneal surgery (laser thermokeratoplasty), and was involved in a major project with General Electric to develop an approach for preparing corneal donor tissue for corneal transplantation using automated laser cutting.
He also ventured outside the eye, including collaborating with an oncologist to develop a minimally invasive approach for breast cancer treatment using small fiber-optic laser probes inserted into the tumor to kill tumor cells through heating.
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“For more than 20 years, Dr. Parel collaborated with Professor Brien Holden’s team in Sydney, Australia, on a major research program to develop a new approach to treat presbyopia, based upon phaco-ersatz, a concept that Dr. Parel proposed in the late seventies that is still considered to be the “holy grail” of vision correction surgery,” Manns added.
Dr. Parel was the quintessential medical engineer – deeply attuned to clinical needs by being immersed in both the patient and operating rooms, where he could observe and interact extensively with the clinical staff. This experience gave him a unique perspective focused on developing solutions designed with usability in mind. His deep clinical knowledge was combined with an extraordinary breadth of expertise across technologies, spanning surgical instrumentation, optical devices, laser systems, biomedical implants, and drug delivery technologies.
“Countless times,” said Manns, “our research meetings in his office would be interrupted by an ophthalmologist walking in from the clinic asking for help with a device or instrument. We would then hear, ‘Patients first!’ and the meeting would switch into a brainstorming session. A sketch would be ready within a few minutes, and a first usable prototype would follow, sometimes within just a few hours.”
“An important contribution and one of his scientific passions was to work on polymers that could be used to develop an artificial cornea,” said Alfonso. “I worked with him in the late 80s in collaboration with the world leaders in the field, including Dr. Claes Dohlman of Harvard University, and Dr. Joaquin Barraquer of Barcelona. Numerous students were exposed to this research and then continued the work in their institutions. Parel was one of the founders of the KPro Study Group in 1990, which brought together clinicians and scientists from around the world to foster clinical and basic research on keratoprosthesis, synthetic corneas, and artificial corneal implants.”
“It was with a sense of reverence that I entered his office about 25 years ago when I joined Bascom Palmer,” said Vittorio Porciatti, D.Sc., director of research. “Indeed, crossing his laboratory to get there was like walking in a museum of science; his office looked like a shrine with the walls full of plaques, diplomas, and pictures of remarkable scientists with dedications to Dr. Parel; all around, there were fancy instruments still under development. Behind the desk, Professor Parel stood up and invited me to sit. I still remember his words: “Welcome, how can I help?”
“Over the years, I learned that he meant what he said to me and everyone else,” said Porciatti. “He has been a true pillar of strength who has always supported the projects of everyone who crossed the door of his laboratory. He has always done it with all the insight his genius was capable of, and with great generosity and modesty. We became good friends and collaborated extensively. Only a few days ago we discussed a joint project. He left his office on tiptoes.”
Among Parel’s celebrated contributions to ophthalmology are the glaucoma micro-shunt, half the size of an eyelash, and designed to relieve intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients; retinal tacks for reattaching the retina during surgical procedures; the silicone oil drug delivery system, a novel method for delivering anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin directly into the eye using silicone oil as a carrier; and an optical fiber laser for welding ocular tissues, which improved healing by reducing the need for sutures.
He also developed the coulomb-controlled iontophoresis system, a non-invasive drug delivery system using electrical currents to transport medication across ocular tissues; and a spectrally adjustable ocular photosensitivity analyzer, a diagnostic tool used to measure and analyze light sensitivity across different wavelengths, useful in conditions like retinitis pigmentosa.
In response to the COVID pandemic, Parel and the OBC team developed a web-controlled robotized slit-lamp useful for remote patient examinations from anywhere in the world, and now especially valuable in underserved regions globally. They also developed photodynamic antimicrobial therapy, an approach to treat corneal infections using green light and rose bengal, a photosensitive dye. This project, in conjunction with Guillermo Amescua, M.D., has now been used on more than 500 patients, with the National Institutes of Health trial data presented at the 2025 World Cornea Congress. The University of Miami has recently finalized a license agreement with a pharmaceutical company in order to continue the FDA approval towards a commercially available device to use rose bengal to treat complex ulcers. Parel and Amescua also worked to develop synthetic corneas, a visionary project creating polymeric implants that mimic the natural cornea, addressing the global shortage of donor tissue.
The OBC, under the leadership of Alex Gonzalez, Ph.D., will continue to advance Parel’s mission by developing additional innovative diagnostic tools, surgical devices, and treatment methods for eye diseases. In addition to the development of synthetic corneas, current projects include a remotely operated imaging system to expand access to high-quality eye care in underserved regions and next-generation imaging technologies.
Mentorship and Influence
Parel’s reputation as an innovator and mentor attracted clinicians, scientists, and engineers from around the world who came to Bascom Palmer to train at the Ophthalmic Biophysics Center. In return, these gifted young people helped the OBC by sharing their knowledge and practical expertise that ultimately benefited patient care. As a beloved mentor to many, from high school students to postdoctoral researchers, he always emphasized the principle instilled by Dr. Norton: “Patient first, your family second, and you last.” Parel once said, “It makes me happy to see young students and clinicians with a big smile on their faces when they solve a patient’s problem. That is a wonderful gift.”
“Dr. Parel’s biggest gift to the world is how he gave many of us the tools, ideas, and mentorship to take our projects to the next level,” said Amescua. “He always put the patients first. Even after more than 60 years of hard work, he would get so excited when you brought him an idea to improve a device or something that could help a patient avoid vision loss or improve vision. His love and loyalty for Bascom Palmer is something I will always respect and try my best to imitate.”
“Dr. Parel’s profound impact continues to resonate through the lives he influenced. His unwavering encouragement and passionate championing of our clinical research were pivotal for countless individuals,” said Mariela C. Aguilar, Ph.D., the OBC’s director of research operations. “His tireless dedication to mentoring, innovation, and patient care was truly inspirational, shaping many of us into the vision scientists we are today.”
Another Parel mentee and co-director of the OBC, Marco Ruggeri, Ph.D., worked closely with Parel and clinicians, and will continue to develop imaging technology and applications that can have a direct impact on patient eye care. This includes developing new instrumentation and imaging techniques for diagnostic and surgical applications in all fields of ophthalmology, including corneal, cataract, glaucoma, pediatric, and retinal diseases.
Honors and Recognition
Parel received numerous accolades from national and international organizations, including the American Society of Retina Specialists, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, and the Association for Research and Vision and Ophthalmology. He was a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
His numerous awards include the Gold Medal from the International Congress of Ophthalmology, the Prince Philip Prize for Australian Scientific Design, the Relja Award from the European Vitreoretinal Society, and membership in the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest attainable award from the University of Miami. He was president of the Accommodation Club and a longtime member of the Phi Beta Delta International Scholars Honor Society, the Retina Society, and Club Jules Gonin.
Personal Life and Legacy
Jean-Marie is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years, Marilyn Parel, and his son, Serge Parel. Marilyn was a constant presence and supporter throughout her husband’s remarkable career. Jean-Marie Parel’s extraordinary legacy lives on through the countless patients around the world whose sight was saved or restored by the instruments and techniques he developed, through the generations of ophthalmologists who continue to restore vision using methods he pioneered, and in the fundamental transformation of ophthalmic care that his innovations made possible. Jean-Marie Parel’s inventions reflect his deep commitment to translational research and his ability to bridge engineering with clinical needs, forever changing the landscape of ophthalmic care and touching millions of lives worldwide.
