Dr. Jean-Marie Parel: Six Decades of Ophthalmic Innovations
The Henri & Flore Lesieur Chair in Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute was a pioneering biomedical engineer and visionary inventor whose groundbreaking work transformed ophthalmic research that improved surgery and patient care.
Jean-Marie Parel, Ing., ETS-G, Ph.D., was a pioneering biomedical engineer and visionary inventor whose groundbreaking work transformed ophthalmic research that improved surgery and patient care. During his extraordinary 60-year career, he invented or improved more than 350 medical instruments as the Henri & Flore Lesieur Chair in Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He died on August 10 at the age of 82.
“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 Bascom Palmer. “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.”
A Biophysics Pioneer
Born in Switzerland in 1943, Dr. Parel earned degrees in physics, applied mathematics and electronic engineering. That was followed by a master’s degree in biophysics from Bern University, where a professor introduced him to ophthalmic optics, the use of devices to improve patients’ vision.
In 1969, Dr. Parel was recruited to Bascom Palmer by Edward W.D. Norton, M.D., its founding chair. Together, they established the Walter G. Ross Ophthalmic Biophysics Center (OBC), creating a pioneering hub for translational research and innovation in ophthalmology.
“Dr. Norton had a view of the future so far-reaching it was unbelievable,” said Dr. Parel in a later interview. “He recognized how biophysical engineering could make a huge difference in ophthalmology.”
A pivotal moment in Dr. Parel’s career occurred shortly after he arrived in Miami, when he met Robert Machemer, M.D., a retinal specialist practicing at Bascom Palmer. At the time, Dr. Parel was developing motorized microsurgical instruments in Melbourne, Australia. Their collaboration, along with Helmut Buettner, Ph.D., resulted in the vitreous infusion suction cutter (VISC), a groundbreaking device that could remove diseased vitreous fluid while maintaining the eye’s shape through continuous saline infusion. This innovation became the foundation for modern retinal surgery.
Leading Ophthalmic Research
Throughout the 1970s, Dr. Parel led the biomedical research and development team at the OBC, which included a machine shop, electronic lab, chemistry lab, optical lab and “operating room,” to test the safety and efficacy of new instruments, implants and surgical techniques.
In the 1980s, Dr. 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 fluid control system that improved surgical precision in vitrectomies.
Dr. Clarkson, dean emeritus of the Miller School 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. His work has touched millions, and his spirit of curiosity and compassion will live on in every device he helped create.”
Later in the decade, Dr. Parel worked with Dr. 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., Dr. 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. Dr. Parel’s team also developed the first modern programmable eye for a patient manikin, 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,” Dr. Parel said. “A student could recreate an intravenous injection and use fluorescein angiography to see the changes in real-time.”
A Cascade of Inventions
In the mid-1980s and 1990s, Dr. Parel developed several laser procedures for eye surgery, including an approach for laser cataract surgery (laser phaco) and corneal surgery (laser thermokeratoplasty). He also ventured outside the eye, 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.
“One thing that was unique about Jean-Marie was his ability to innovate across a very broad range of technologies and fields,” said Fabrice Manns, Ph.D., chair of the University of Miami’s College of Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering and co-director of the OBC. “It started with surgical instrumentation, then optical instruments, then lasers, then he moved to implants and drug delivery devices.”
Among Dr. Parel’s celebrated contributions to ophthalmology are the glaucoma micro-shunt, retinal tacks for reattaching the retina during surgical procedures, the silicone oil drug delivery system and an optical fiber laser for welding ocular tissues, reducing the need for sutures. In response to the COVID pandemic, Dr. 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.
An Extraordinary Career
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. His deep clinical knowledge was combined with an extraordinary breadth of scientific expertise across technologies.
His many honors include being named a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and a member of 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 UM’s Iron Arrow Honor Society.
When asked about his distinguished career, Dr. Parel 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.”