David Carmona González

October 27, 2022

"Scientific research is the only way to find definitive answers to questions that limit the progress of medicine and the well-being of the population."

Dr. David Carmona González graduated in Optics and Optometry in 1993 from the Complutense University of Madrid. From 1999 to 2006, he taught Optometry, Contactology, and Low Vision at the San Pablo CEU University, balancing teaching with clinical and research work at the La Zarzuela Hospital in Madrid. In 2018, he completed the official Master's in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics from the Open University of Catalonia - University of Barcelona.

In 2021, he obtained his Ph.D. in Optics, Optometry, and Vision Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid with his doctoral thesis titled "Implementation and Accuracy of a New Biometric Calculation Method Based on Artificial Intelligence Techniques."

For the past 16 years, Dr. Carmona has served as the head of the Optometry and Refractive Surgical Calculations Unit at the Quirónsalud University Hospital in Madrid. He has also been a collaborating professor at the European University of Madrid's Faculty of Medicine for the past 4 years. Over his 27 years of professional experience, he has published articles in high-impact journals, participated in numerous national and international conferences, and directed more than 15 undergraduate theses. He has also been involved as a faculty member in several master's programs at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Summary of the Project and Its Importance for Clinical Practice

Doctoral Thesis: Implementation and Accuracy of a New Biometric Calculation Method Based on Artificial Intelligence Techniques.

Currently, cataract surgery has become a multidisciplinary synergy in which three phases can be clearly differentiated. The first phase is pre-surgical, where an optometrist typically intervenes to take measurements and make biometric decisions regarding the patient's eye. This phase includes the selection of the most appropriate biometric formula based on the eye's type and the choice of the intraocular lens power to be implanted. In the second phase (intraoperative), the ophthalmologist performs the surgical technique, sometimes with the assistance of an optometrist. Lastly, in the post-surgical phase, both specialists monitor the patient to assess both medical and optical variables. It is in this final phase that residual refraction and associated visual acuity are analyzed, verifying whether the selected formula was correct.

To determine the intraocular lens power, a series of important biological variables that mathematically characterize the eye's anatomy are measured in the patient's eye using biometric techniques. These variables, including lengths and curvatures, are then entered into calculation formulas, producing a lens power value and predicting a postoperative residual refractive error. The way these biometric formulas predict the lens power and residual refractive error varies. In fact, not all formulas operate with the same biometric variables, and to date, there is no perfect formula for every case. Depending on the eye's anatomical characteristics, one formula may be selected over another, but none of the most commonly used formulas currently guarantee perfect prediction of lens power across all anatomical ranges.

Dr. David Carmona González's doctoral thesis aimed to create an unprecedented system, entirely based on artificial intelligence, to predict the power of the lens to be implanted in cataract surgery, as well as estimate the associated residual refractive error, with the goal of achieving a universal, stable, and robust formula. To accomplish this, complex mathematical models were implemented using advanced ensemble techniques in machine learning.

To make the resulting formula accessible and global, a freely accessible website (www.karmona-iol.com) was developed, hosting the artificial intelligence algorithm (Karmona® IOL Power Calculation), which allows for precise and reliable calculation of the intraocular lens power to be implanted in any cataract surgery worldwide, based on the patient's anatomical parameters.

Karmona® IOL Power Calculation is an artificial intelligence algorithm that improves predictive performance by expanding the data matrix. This will enable continuous updates and improved new versions, adapting to upcoming technologies in the clinical measurement field.

Additionally, Karmona® IOL Toric Power Calculation is currently in development, which will allow for calculations regarding the implantation of toric intraocular lenses for astigmatism correction, and it will be available in 2023.

Another addition to Karmona® IOL Power Calculation will be the ability to calculate intraocular lens power in eyes previously operated on for corneal refractive surgery before cataract surgery. This will form a robust, cutting-edge calculation suite on a global level.

According to Dr. Carmona González, "Karmona® IOL Power Calculation is the first formula to approach intraocular lens power calculation using a different mathematical approach to achieve optimal data performance through the combination of complex machine learning techniques. Furthermore, it is the first formula in the world that can simultaneously calculate up to 1,048,576 cases, resulting in significant time savings."