Historical Background

Although the Laboratory of Vision and Optics (LVO) was only recently established, it actually started operating in 1987 under the name EMMO (Laboratory of Transplants and Eye Microsurgery). Following a donation by Theodore Vardinoyiannis in 1989, EMMO purchases its initial equipment and is renamed into VEIC (Vardinoyiannion Eye Institute of Crete). During the last decade VEIC had developed highly important research activities, especially in the fields of refractive surgery and eye vision, which attracted the interest of the international ophthalmologic and optometric community. VEIC today is one of the Laboratories of LVO, University if Crete School of Medicine.

The Institute education activities commence at VEIC in 1989 with the organization of the Aegean Retina and Aegean Cornea international conferences. In 1999 the specialization seminars (Mini Fellowships) in refractive surgery commence and the International Ophthalmology Training Centre (IOTC) is founded. In 2003 the operation of the intradepartmental postgraduate program of studies entitled “OPTICS AND VISION” commences, with the participation of the University of Crete Departments of Medicine, Physics and Mathematics.

The selection of Athens as the city to host the 2004 Olympic Games, resulted in the need for a specialized centre of diagnosis/treatment/research as regards the athletes’ vision. The establishment of the National Sports Vision Centre (NSVC) was proposed in 2002.

In 2005, the University of Crete Senate, expresses its will and strong interest for the establishmnet of an Institute of Optics and Vision which will coordinate the aforementioned activities. Some of the support departments that were proposed included laboratories of electrophysiology, vision ergonomics, histology, eye imaging, as well as a laboratory of micro-engineering as well as administration department.

The Laboratory of Vision and Optics Arts (LVO) in its current stucture and legal status was established by the Government Gazette 1797 / 20-8-2015, No. 8860. The LVO operates as an independent Laboratory of the Medical School of the University of Crete. In our future plans, the transformation of the Laboratory into an independent Institute and the further development of its activities with its transfer to independent and more suitable spaces is still a priority. Plans on the new housing space have been completed.