Joseph Carroll

Joseph Carroll is the Richard O. Schultz, MD / Ruth Works Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Biophysics, and Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). He directs the Advanced Ocular Imaging Program (AOIP), a resource for high-resolution retinal imaging technologies like adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography. His research focuses on structural-functional relationships in the visual system, with emphasis on retinal degeneration mechanisms, comparative color vision, and foveal development. Dr. Carroll received his BS in Human Biology from UW-Green Bay and PhD in Cell & Developmental Biology from MCW, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in adaptive optics imaging at the University of Rochester.

Key research areas include applying advanced imaging to study human retinal structure-function correlations, analyzing inherited retinal diseases (e.g., achromatopsia, Usher syndrome), and developing translational imaging tools. Current projects involve longitudinal studies of cone photoreceptor mosaic integrity in genetic retinal disorders and assessment of adaptive optics-based visual acuity metrics. Funding comes from NIH grants, research foundations, and private donors through AOIP collaborations.

His lab’s work bridges basic science and clinical application, with recent studies examining retinal structure-visual function relationships in macular diseases, rodent models of cone-dominant vision, and evaluating novel imaging technologies for disease monitoring. Dr. Carroll also contributes to peer review standards in ophthalmic journals and has pioneered FAZ analysis tools for OCT angiography.