Associate Professor
Areas of Interest
investigating intraocular pressure (IOP) and structural changes in the eye in relationship to age, race, and ocular diseases like glaucoma
As a mechanical engineer, Dr. Fazio has dedicated his career to developing customized methods and non-contact optical techniques to measure deformations in loaded materials to gain a deeper understanding of the biomechanical properties of ocular tissues. His work is currently focused on investigating how intraocular pressure (IOP) drives structural changes in the eye in relationship to age, race, and ocular diseases like glaucoma.
Through his multidisciplinary background in machine construction, experimental mechanics and the biomechanical characterization of soft tissues, Dr. Fazio is able to develop novel of imaging machines and techniques. For example, he has collaborated with colleagues at the University of Calabria to design and build the world’s first Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometer to measure dynamic deformations of the sclera in response to high-frequency IOP fluctuations. This work will help scientists further understand the causal relationship between the biomechanics of the eye and the development and progression of diseases like glaucoma, myopia and keratoconus.
Originally from Italy, Dr. Fazio earned his master’s of science in engineering as well as his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Calabria in Cosenza, Italy. He then completed further postdoctoral training in ocular biomechanics at the Devers Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Fazio is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Optical Society of America, and International Society for Eye Research.
Education & Training
M.S.E., Mechanical Engineering
University of Calabria
Calabria, Italy
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering
University of Calabria
Calabria, Italy
Postdoctoral Training
Devers Eye Institute
Portland, Oregon