Our Team

Dr. Neal has spent his career working to advance sensing and metrology and treatment of the human eye and other complex optical systems. He is a serial entrepreneur, an OSA Fellow, David Richardson Medal recipient and Research Fellow at Abbott Labs and Johnson & Johnson Vision. After completing his doctorate degree at Stanford University in Aerospace Engineering and Applied Physics, Dr. Neal worked for 13 years at Sandia National Laboratories as the lead optical scientist in the Lasers, Optic and Remote Sensing department. During that time, he developed multiple lasers and sensors and was one of the early innovators of micro-optics technology. He realized that one of these applications – the wavefront sensor – had the potential for several government and commercial applications (Wavefront sensors are devices used to measure the quality of optical systems). In 1996, he and his business partner, Tim Turner, founded WaveFront Sciences, Inc.

At WaveFront Sciences, Dr. Neal led the research and development of new products and directed corporate technical development. He created several unique wavefront sensors to be used in specific applications, as well as general-purpose wavefront measuring devices. He was also the principal developer of the Complete Ophthalmic Analysis System (COAS). In addition, Dr. Neal has discovered a wide variety of applications for wavefront sensors, including measurement of aero-optic phenomena, large telescope mirrors, silicon wafer metrology, the human eye, intra-ocular and contact lenses. 

Since the acquisition of WaveFront by Advanced Medical Optics in 2007, Dr. Neal has led a technical team to develop a new combined aberrometer and topographer (iDesign). While at AMO, Abbott Labs and Johnson & Johnson Vision, he continued to develop technologies for advancing wavefront guided treatment of the eye.

He continues to conduct scientific research, publishing clinical research in accommodation and instrument design while participating in various standards and conference organizations. Currently, he has more than 100 publications and holds 63 patents.

Ron holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of New Mexico with a background in Experimental Psychology and Computer Science. He has 38 years of experience developing software for the Defense, Aerospace, Laser and Optics metrology, and Medical industries, and 20+ years experience in the ophthalmic industry alone. He is an expert in SW, design control and project management and was the first employee and lead developer for Wavefront Sciences Inc prior to its acquisition by AMO.