Dr. Debarun Dutta is a Clinical Scientist, Senior Lecturer and the Lead for Contact Lens Education at the School of Optometry, Aston University, UK. He holds the position of Academic Chair and President-elect of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) and serves as Vice-Chair of the British & Irish University and College Contact Lens Educators (BUCCLE). Dr. Dutta is actively involved in both didactic and hands-on training for undergraduate optometry students, supervises higher degree research students, and consults for ophthalmic industry partners.

Before joining Aston University, Dr. Dutta was a Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer at the School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS), University of New South Wales, Australia. He earned his PhD at the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) in Sydney, focusing on the development of antimicrobial contact lenses.

With over 18 years of experience in the field of contact lenses and ocular surface, Dr. Dutta specialises in areas such as contact lens compliance and aftercare, discomfort, related infections, and antimicrobial strategies. His research also delves into the ethology, treatment, and management of dry eye, tear film, and meibomian gland dysfunction. He leads a translational research lab that combines clinical trials and laboratory studies in these areas. Dr. Dutta has received funding from UKRI, charitable organisations, ophthalmic industry partners, and the European Commission. He currently mentors eight PhD and professional doctorate students and has successfully supervised six doctorate and postdoctoral students. Additionally, he serves as a grant reviewer for funding bodies such as UKRI and MRC of UK, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation), Health Research Council of NZ, ARC, and NHMRC of Australia.

Dr Dutta received the Outstanding Emerging Leader award from the American Academy of Optometry Foundation and the Frank Petticrew  Research Excellence award from The College of Optometrists in 2025. Earlier, he was honoured with the Ezell Fellowship from the American Academy of Optometry and the Brien Holden Vision Institute Award for Research Excellence from UNSW Australia.

An accomplished researcher, Dr. Dutta has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and three book chapters and has served as a guest editor for several journals. He is also an editor and author of more than 25 professional journal articles aimed at enhancing education for eye care practitioners in Australia, the UK, the United States, and Canada.

Dr. Dutta is a member of the College of Optometrists UK (MCOptom), a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association UK (FBCLA), a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry USA (FAAO), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy UK (FHEA), a Fellow of the International Association for Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE), a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), a member of the British Standards Institute (BSI), and a member of the International Society for Contact Lens Research (ISCLR)

• Contact lens: Compliance and aftercare, discomfort, patient journey, infiltrative events, novel antimicrobial agents. 
• Ocular surface disease: Dry eye disease - aetiology, diagnosis and management, tear film and its components, MGD and meibum components 
• Ophthalmic instrumentation: novel techniques for clinical diagnosis 

• Theme lead: Contact Lens and Biomaterial devices (CLB) across the Optometry Programme (MOptom)
• Tutor for theme: Systematic Disease (SyD)
• Supervisor for theme: Vision Sciences and evidence-based practice (VSE) Elective Studies

External examiner - Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) Contact Lens practical exams

External Examiner - PhD candidates - University of Waterloo, Canada; University of Manchester, and University of Wolverhampton UK

Current lab members and PhD Supervision:

• Andrew Coates: Frequency and feasibility of contact lens aftercare (Primary Supervisor)
• Justin Pettayil: Prevalence and treatment of dry eye disease in a tertiary ophthalmic setting (Primary Supervisor)
• Khang Huynh: Ocular surface disease and corneal hypoxia (Primary Supervisor)
• Nadia Yeasmin: In-office and home treatment for dry eye disease (Primary Supervisor)
• Saleel Jivraj: Dry eye treatment in a tertiary setting (Co-Supervisor)
• Carroll Éadaoin: Prescribing and practice patterns of scleral contact lenses in Ireland (Co-Supervisor)
• Saranya Balasubramaniam: Graduate employability of optometrists in India (Co-Supervisor)

Past lab members: 

• Dr. Rachel Casemore: Biomarkers for dry eye disease in young adults (Primary Supervisor)
• Dr. David Semp: Evidence-based dry eye practice (Primary Supervisor)
• Mr Srikanth Dumpati: Antimicrobial efficacy of novel UVC device 
• Dr. Parthasarathi Kalaiselvan: Safety and efficacy of antimicrobial contact lenses during extended wear (Co-Supervisor at the University of New South Wales, Australia)
• Dr. Yasir Mohammed: Mechanism of action of surface-bound antimicrobial contact lenses (Co-Supervisor at the University of New South Wales, Australia)

Available for Supervision: Potential areas for suitable applicants:

1. Contact lens: compliance and patient journey, novel technology, and infection
2. Dry eye treatment and management
3. Tear film and meibum components and impact on ocular surface 
4. Novel ophthalmic devices, assessment, and validation

• March 2019 – current: Senior Lecturer, Optometry School Health and Life Sciences, Aston University
• Jan 2019 – Senior Research Fellow, School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney
• 2014-2018 – Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney
• 2010 – 2014 – Casual Research Assistant and PhD candidate, Brien Holden Vision Institute, Sydney

• Member of College of Optometrists (MCOptom)
• Fellow of British Contact Lens Association (FBCLA)
• Fellow of Higher Education Academy UK (FHEA)
  
• Fellow of American Academy of Optometry (FAAO)
• Fellow of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE)
• Council member of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA)
• Member of British Standards Institution (BSI) - committee CH/172/9 'Contact lenses and contact lens care products'
• Member of International Association for Contact Lens Research (ISCLR)
• Member of British & Irish University and College Contact Lens Educators (BUCCLE)
• Member of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)

Tel: +44 (0) 121 204 4418

Email: [email protected]

Room: VS131

https://www.optometryadvisor.com/cornea-ocular-surface/dry-eye-management-practices-vary-among-clinicians/