Alejandra Consejo
University Degree:
PhD in Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering; Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Physics.
Academic Position:
Associate Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Zaragoza (Spain).
Position at VISIONSAFE:
Principal Investigator.
Research Areas:
Data Science, Biomedical Imaging, Eye Research.
Email:
alejandra.consejo@unizar.es
Researcher’s ORCID ID:
0000-0001-5186-1837
I am a researcher specializing in Biomedical Engineering, particularly in the human eye and vision science. Currently, I’m an associate professor and researcher at the Applied Physics Department at the University of Zaragoza (Spain).
I graduated my PhD with the support of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie scholarship. In 2017, I was awarded the EYRA award as best PhD graduate in Europe. My research aims to develop new techniques and models to better understand the human eyes.
I have worked at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Poland), The University of Manchester (UK), and more recently, as a postdoc, at Antwerp University Hospital (Belgium) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland).
I’m currently leading the ERC StG project VISIONSAFE
2025
54. Rojas-Viñuela J, Wolffsohn JS, Consejo A, van der Worp E, Piñero DP. Ocular surface characteristics and its association with soft contact lens fitting. Opthalmic Physiol Opt. 2025 (in press).
53. Arizcuren AR, Consejo A. A method for visualizing corneal dynamics through pixel intensity tracking. Transl. Vis. Sci. Technol. 2025; 14(6):24.
52. Casado-Moreno J, Masia B, Lu N, Cui L, Consejo A. Deep learning-based keratoconus detection from Scheimpflug images. Biomed. Opt. Express. 2025 (in press).
51. Arizcuren AR, Remon L, Consejo A. Influence of brightness artefacts on corneal densitometry. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2025.
2024
50. Bartuzel MM, Consejo A, Stremplewski P, Sylwestrzak M, Szkulmowski M, Gorczynska I. In vivo identification of the retinal layer containing photopigments in OCT images through correlation with two‑photon psychophysics. Sci. Rep; 2024; 14, 15459.
49. Arizcuren AR, Jiménez-García M, Castro-Alonso F, Consejo A. Description of a new method to calculate the equator of the crystalline lens using AS-OCT images: accuracy in non-dilated measurements.Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2024; 44:1107–1113.
48. Alluyn L, Dequeker L, Dhaese S, Consejo A, De Zaeytijd J, Leroy BP, De Backer J, Kreps EO. Anterior scleral thickness in Marfan syndrome: a quantitative analysis. Acta Ophthalmol. 2024; 102: 1050–1056.
47. Jadnanansing A, Kreps EO, Claerhout I, Kestelyn PG, Consejo A. Quantifying the impact of uneventful LASIK on the cornea. Photonics. 2024; 11(4), 315.
46. Garaszczuk IK, Romanos-Ibanez M, Consejo A. Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Tear Osmolarity for Contact Lens Practice. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2024; 44(4):727-36.
45. Vercauteren L, Consejo A, De Vries MJ, Krolo I, Ní Dhubhghaill S, Koppen C. Comparison of Scheimpflug Corneal Tomography and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography measurements in Corneal Cystinosis – A case series. Eye & Contact Lens. 2024; 50(7): 321-328.
2023
44. Fadel D, Consejo A. Analysis of Corneo-scleral Measurements and Ocular Biometry as Predictors of Scleral Lens Parameters: A Review. Opotom & Contact Lens. 2023, 3(8):279-288
43. Fadel D, Consejo A. Scleral Shape and Its Correlation With Corneal Topographic Parameters: A Review. Opotom & Contact Lens. 2023, 3(8):268-278
42. Kreps EO, Epps S, Consejo A, Dick A, Guly C, Ramanan A. Infliximab in chronic non-infectious paediatric uveitis refractory to previous biologic therapy. Eye. 2023,17:1-6 .
41. Consejo A, Roman DM, Roll V, Remon L. Relationship between corneal tissue and shape in short-term soft contact lens wear. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2023; 43(6):1372–1378.
40. Miazdzyk MM, Consejo A, Iskander DR. OCT based corneal densitometry: the confounding effect of epithelial speckle. Biomed. Opt. Express. 2023; 14(8), 3871-3880.
39. Consejo A, Roll V, Roman DM, Remon L.The influence of soft contact lens material on the corneoscleral profile. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2023, 46(6):1364-1371.
38. Consejo A, Basabilbaso S, Remon L. Corneal Densitometry with Galilei Dual Scheimpflug Analyzer. Photonics, Special Issue Visual Optics. 2023, 10(4), 467.
37. Towler J, Consejo A, Zhou D, Romano V, Levis H, Boote C, Elsheikh A, Geraghty B, Abass A. Typical Localised Element-Specific Finite Element Anterior Eye Model. Heliyon. 2023, 9, e13944.
36. Consejo A, Rojas-Viñuela J, Sebastian-Carmona J, Ezpeleta J, Piñero DP. Corneoscleral junction angle in healthy eyes assessed objectively. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2023, 101815.
35. Consejo A, Trillo-Moreno I, Remon L. Corneal tissue changes following short-term soft contact lens wear of different materials. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2023; 43(1):35-45.
2022
34. Ballet B, Behaegel J, Reppe S, Consejo A, Aass HC, Utheim TP, Koppen C, Ní Dhubhghaill S. Ocular surface homeostasis after scleral lens usage. Eye Contact Lens. 2022;15:10-97.
33. Baraya M, Moore J, Lopes Bernardo T, Wu R, Bao F, Zheng X, Consejo A, Abass A. Limitations of reconstructing Pentacam rabbit corneal tomography by Zernike polynomials. Bioengineering. 2022; 10(1), 39.
32. Orduna-Hospital E, Arcas-Carbonell M, Sanchez-Cano A, Pinilla I, Consejo A. Contrast speckle as retinal tissue integrity biomarker in patients with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus with no retinopathy. J Pers Med. 2022; 12(11), 1807.
31. Miazdzyk MM, Consejo A, Iskander DR. Assessing and compensating for confounding factors in Scheimpflug-based corneal densitometry. Biomed. Opt. Express. 2022; 13(12): 6258-6272.
30. García-Jiménez A, Consejo A. Suspect glaucoma detection from corneal densitometry supported by machine learning. J. Optom. 2022; 15, S12-S21
29. Consejo A, Jiménez-García M, Rozema JJ, Abass A. Influence of eye tilt on corneal densitometry. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2022; 42:1032– 1037.
28. Jiménez-García M, Buruklar H, Consejo A, Dragnea DC, Fambuena I, Hershko S, Issarti I, Kreps EO, Van Acker SI, Ní Dhubhghaill S, Koppen C, Rozema JJ. Influence of Author’s Gender on the Peer-Review Process in Vision Science. AM J Ophthalmol 2022; 240:115-124
2021
27. Consejo A, Fathy A, Lopes BT, Ambrósio Jr R, Abass A. Effect of Corneal Tilt on the Determination of Asphericity. Sensors. 2021; 21(22), 7636
26. Consejo A, Jiménez-García M, Issarti I, Rozema JJ. Detection of subclinical keratoconus with a validated alternative method to corneal densitometry. Transl. Vis. Sci. Technol. 2021; 10(9):32
25. Tack M, Kreps EO, De Zaeytijd, Consejo A. Scheimpflug-based analysis of the reflectivity of the cornea in Marfan syndrome. Transl. Vis. Sci. Technol. 2021; 10(9):34
24. Behaegel J, Tassignon MJ, Lagali N, Consejo A, Koppen C, Ní Dhubhghaill S. Outcomes of HLA-matched allogeneic cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation in aniridia-associated keratopathy – A single-center retrospective analysis. Cornea. 2021. 41(1): 69–77
23. Consejo A, Jiménez-García M, Rozema JJ. Age-related corneal transparency changes evaluated with an alternative method to corneal densitometry. Cornea. 2021; 40(2):215-22
22. Jiménez-García M, Ní Dhubhghaill S, Consejo A, Hershko S, Koppen C, Rozema JJ. Scheimpflug densitometry in keratoconus: a new method of visualizing the cone. Cornea. 2021; 40(2):194-202
21. Van Nuffel S, Consejo A, Koppen C, Kreps EO. The corneoscleral shape in keratoconus patients with and without specialty lens wear. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021; 44(3):101343
20. Vanhonsebrouck E, Consejo A, Coucke PJ, Leroy BP, Kreps EO. The corneoscleral shape in Marfan syndrome. Acta Ophthalmol. 2021; 99: 405-410
19. Dhaese SE, Kreps EO, Consejo A. Scleral shape and its correlation with corneal parameters in keratoconus. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021; 44:101366
2020
18. Consejo A, Wu R, Abass A. Anterior scleral regional variation between Asian and Caucasian populations. J. Clin. Med. 2020; 9(11):3419.
17. Consejo A, Alonso-Caneiro D, Wojtkowski M, Vincent SJ. Corneal tissue properties following scleral lens wear using Scheimpflug imaging. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2020; 40(5):595-606
16. Consejo A, Solarski J, Karnowski K, Rozema JJ, Wojtkowski M, Iskander DR. Keratoconus detection based on a single Scheimpflug image. Transl. Vis. Sci. Technol. 2020 9(7):36
15. Issarti I, Consejo A, Jiménez-García M, Kreps EO, Koppen C, Rozema JJ. Logistic index for keratoconus detection and severity scoring (Logik). Comput. Biol. Med. 2020; 122: 103809
14. Behaegel J, Consejo A, Wouters K, Koppen C, De Cock J, Ní Dhubhghaill S. Development and validation of an open-source grading tool for outcome assessment in limbal stem cell treatment. Cornea. 2020; 39(6):787-792
13. Consejo A, Rozema JJ. In vivo anterior scleral morphometry, axial length and myopia. Cont Lens Anterior Eye; special edition in Myopia Control with CLs. 2020; 43(1):21-25
2019
12. Consejo A, Gławdecka K, Karnowski K, Solarski J, Rozema JJ, Wojtkowski M, Iskander DR. Corneal properties of keratoconus based on Scheimpflug light intensity distribution. Investig. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2019; 60: 3197-3203
11. Issarti I, Consejo A, Jiménez-García M, Hershko S, Koppen C, Rozema JJ. Computer aided diagnosis for suspect keratoconus detection. Comput. Biol. Med. 2019; 109: 33-42
10. Consejo A, Llorens-Quintana C, Bartuzel MM, Iskander DR, Rozema JJ. Rotation asymmetry of the human sclera. Acta Ophthalmol. 2019; 97(2): 266-270
9. Consejo A, Melcer T, Rozema JJ. Introduction to machine learning for ophthalmologists. Semin Ophthalmol. 2019; 34(1): 19-41
8. Consejo A, Behaegel J, Van Hoey M, Wolffsohn JS, Rozema JJ, Iskander DR. Anterior eye surface changes following miniscleral contact lens wear. Cont Lens Anterior Eye; special edition in Scleral Lens. 2019; 42(1): 70-74
2018
7. Consejo A, Behaegel J, van Hoey M, Iskander DR, Rozema JJ. Scleral asymmetry as a potential predictor for scleral lens compression. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2018; 38(6): 609-616
6. Consejo A, Rozema JJ. Scleral shape and its correlations with corneal astigmatism. Cornea. 2018; 37(8): 1047-1052
2017
5. Consejo A, Bartuzel MM, Iskander DR. Corneo-scleral limbal changes following short-term soft contact lens wear . Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2017; 40(5): 293-300
4. Consejo A, Llorens-Quintana C, Radhakrishnan H, Iskander DR. Mean shape of the human limbus. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2017; 43(5): 667-672
3. Consejo A, Radhakrishnan H, Iskander DR. Scleral changes with accommodation. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt; special issue in Visual and Physiological Optics. 2017; 37(3): 263-274
2016
2. Consejo A, Iskander DR. Corneo-scleral limbus demarcation from 3D height data. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2016; 39(6): 450-457
1. Iskander DR, Wachel P, Simpson P, Consejo A, Jesus DA. Principles of operation, accuracy and precision of an Eye Surface Profiler. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt; special issue in Imaging the visual system: from the eye to the brain. 2016; 36(3): 266-278
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List of Education Publications:
[BOOK] Consejo A. Multidisciplinarity in vision science: doctoral student experiences (Original title (Spanish): Multidisciplinariedad en ciencias de la visión: experiencias de doctorandos). 2021. ISBN: 978-84-18602-68-9
[BOOK] Consejo A. STEM distance teaching at university level (Original title (Spanish) Docencia telepresencial universitaria en estudios científico-tecnológicos). 2021. ISBN: 978-84-18602-82-5
[BOOK] Consejo A. Teaching skills and motivation of STEM university students. (Original title (Spanish) Habilidades docentes y motivación del estudiante universitario en estudios científico-tecnológicos). 2021. ISBN: 978-84-18891-35-9
Peer-review educational research papers and conference proceedings:
E2. Consejo A. Divulgación científica y orientación laboral para fomentar el interés en la asignatura de Física en grados de ingeniería. IN-RED: VII Congreso de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red; 2021: 1327-1336
E1. Consejo A, Sevillano P. Evaluación continua de la labor docente universitaria. IN-RED: VII Congreso de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red; 2021: 724-735
Ongoing Research Grants
- Visual Impairment Screening using Images from Ophthalmology and Novel pathways for Structural Analysis and Fast Evaluation (VISIONSAFE). 2025-2030. European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Grant Agreement No. 101162733. 1,497,873 EUR. Role: Principal Investigator.
Advanced microscopy via optical interferometric reflectometry. 2025-2026. Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), IMPULSO. 10,000 EUR. Role: co-Principal Investigator
- Artificial intelligence in contactology as a boost to the ecological and digital transition of the sector (CLAI). 2022-2024. Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain, Proyectos Transición Ecológica y Digital 2021. TED2021-130723A-I00. 93,840 EUR. Role: Principal Investigator. CLAI (Contact Lens + Artificial Intelligence) aims to predict contact lens outcomes with the help of machine learning. CLAI is a 2-year project during which we’ll introduce artificial intelligence to contact lens wear with the support of international partners from Portugal, Poland, and Belgium.
Past Research Grants
- Myopia control in young adults. 2023-2024. Vicerrectorado de Política Científica Unizar y Fundación Ibercaja (Spain), Proyectos de investigación, desarrollo e innovación para jóvenes investigadores. JIUZ2022-CIE-03. 6,000 EUR. Role: Principal Investigator.
- Artificial Intelligence for corneal Diagnosis (AID). 2023-2024. Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), IMPULSO. 10,000 EUR. Role: co-Principal Investigator.
- Study and development of deformation models of contact lenses and corneal surface. 2021-2025. Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain. Proyectos I+D+i 2020. (PID2020-114311RA-I00). 84,700 EUR. Role: Member of the research team.
- Macro- and microscopic Corneal ectasia Research for Ophthalmology supported by Artificial Intelligence (MAiCRO), National Science Centre (Poland), OPUS 19 (2020/37/B/ST7/00559). 30,000 EUR. Role: Principal Investigator. The main goal of this project was to investigate the corneal microstructure using unorthodox image-based methods and to combine it with well-known measures of corneal macrostructure for advancing knowledge on corneal ectasia and for subsequent early keratoconus detection and severity grading.
- IMaging-based CUSTOMised EYE diagnostics eye (IMCUSTOMEYE), European Commission, Horizon 2020 – 779960. Role: postdoc researcher. From 2018 to 2020 I worked as a postdoctoral researcher for the Physical Optics and Biophotonics Group (POB) at the Institute of Physical Chemistry (Warsaw, Poland). The main objective of IMCUSTOMEYE project was to develop a novel, non-invasive, imaging-based diagnostic tool for diagnosing and treating vision-threatening conditions.
- Estimating keratoconus progression using biometric and biomechanical parameters to adjust treatment protocols for corneal crosslinking Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (Belgium), FWO-TBM – T000416N /Applied Biomedical Research. Role: postdoctoral researcher for the VOLANTIS research group. Right after finishing writing my PhD thesis I moved to Belgium as a fresh postdoc to help to develop a new diagnostic tool based on artificial intelligence for the early detection of keratoconus at the Antwerp University Hospital (Antwerp, Belgium).
- Investigating changes in corneo-scleral topography as a consequence of contact lens wear. PRELUDIUM 11 (2016/21/N/ST7/02298), National Science Centre (Poland). Role: Principal Investigator. This grant gave me my first opportunity to be the principal investigator of a multidisciplinary research project conducted in Poland (Wroclaw University of Science and Technology), Belgium (Antwerp University Hospital), and the UK (Aston University) to better understand how our eyes are affected by contact lens wear.
- Aging Eye (AGEYE). Mathematical models for describing the shape of the anterior eye. Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions – Innovative Training Network (ITN) – 608049, European Commission. Role: Early Stage Researcher/PhD candidate. During three hard but very intensive years (2014-2017), I was an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Wroclaw, Poland). I got awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship to do my PhD within the AGEYE project. Even though I spent most of my time in Wroclaw, I had the chance to do a secondment at the University of Manchester (UK). My PhD thesis in Bio-cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering entitled ‘The anterior eye surface: age, accommodation and contact lens wear’ was supervised by Dr D Robert Iskander (Wroclaw, Poland) and Dr Hema Radhakrishnan (Manchester, UK). I felt grateful and honored when I was awarded by EuroScience with the EYRA award as the best PhD graduate in Europe in 2017.
- Thin-film CIGS photovoltaic technology. Department of Applied Physics. University of Zaragoza (Spain). Role: Research assistant. Before I decided to devote my research life to eye and vision science I spent two years (2012-2014) in the PhotonicTechnologies Group investigating more efficient solar cells.