Ann E. Elsner is a Fellow and a Professor in Optometry at Indiana University, U.S. Her laboratory develops retinal imaging and visual function techniques to combat vision loss. She received her B.A. degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, U.S. and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, U.S. She left the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Carnegie-Mellon University in 1987 to start a laboratory at the Schepens Eye Research at Harvard University, which moved to Indiana University in 2005. Elsner founded Aeon Imaging, LLC, to lower costs in healthcare and education.

Elsner’s research revolutionized retinal imaging by introducing novel laser sources into instruments with scanning designs, confocal properties, solid state detectors, and specialized techniques for presenting visual stimuli. She produced the first images or biomedical application for a variety of lasers in under-utilized wavelength ranges, including Ti:Sapphire.  New image processing techniques, including analysis for multiply scattered light and polarization, revealed structures previously unseen in living eyes  This led to acceptance of near infrared imaging with a variety of modalities, now combatting eye disease and impacting research and healthcare worldwide.

In 2018, Elsner was awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal by the Society for her contribution of the fields of ophthalmic instrumentation and vision science with innovative imaging technologies, state-of-the-art psychophysical research and entrepreneurial ventures.