Maria Nilsson

I am a senior lecturer and associate professor of optometry at the Division of Eye and Vision at Karolinska Institutet and Director of Undergraduate Education (GUA) at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (CNS), with overall responsibility and decision-making authority for educational issues at undergraduate and graduate level. My academic profile combines optometry, ophthalmology and visual neuroscience, with a particular focus on how the structure and function of the eye can be used to understand, diagnose and follow diseases of the visual system. I have been a licensed optometrist since 2003 after studies at Karolinska Institutet, where I also completed my doctoral studies in the borderland between optometry and ophthalmology and defended my thesis in 2008. I am part of the research group Brautaset and am the team leader for the group that researches the structure and function of the eye.

Selection of assignments

2025/09-    Representative in the reference group for interprofessional competence 

2023/01-     Director of Undergraduate Education GUA (CNS)

2023/01-     Chairman of the CNS Education Board

2019-2023  Assistant Program Director Optometry Program

2011-2019    Director of Studies in Master's Program in Clinical Optometry

2023-           Adjunct member of the FoUU Committee KI/S:t Erik's Eye Hospital

2019-            Member of the Education Council KI/S:t Erik's Eye Hospital

I lead the research team The Structure and Function of the Eye. My research focuses on the relationship between the retinal structure and visual function, especially how advanced retinal imaging can be used to detect, understand and follow diseases of the visual system. The research is conducted at Karolinska Institutet in close collaboration with St. Erik Eye Hospital, the Academic Specialist Centre and Karolinska University Hospital and includes neuroophthalmology, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis (MS), Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and vision development in premature infants. Through detailed OCT measurements of the retinal nerve layer, we develop objective markers for eye diseases and neurological diseases. By viewing the eye as a window to the nervous system, my team wants to contribute to earlier diagnosis, better prognostic tools and more individualized follow-up of patients with vision-threatening and neurological conditions.

I teach undergraduate, advanced and postgraduate levels. I have previously been responsible for the Master's Program in Clinical Optometry and the contract education Diagnostic Optometry, two educational initiatives that I was involved in starting in 2008 and 2011 respectively. These courses have been of great importance for the professional development of optometry in Sweden and have contributed to opticians' right to requisition and to the fact that KI's optometry education today is among the best in Europe. As part of this work, I have also been a driving force in the development of the clinical education collaboration with St. Erik Eye Hospital through the Clinical Education Clinic - Eyes.

I have also been responsible for the degree project course in optometry (15 credits) and for several commissioned courses with clear clinical relevance: Ophthalmology for Nurses (60 credits), Glaucoma, diagnosis and treatment (7.5 credits) and Diabetic Ophthalmology, Photographic Diagnostics (7.5 credits).

Strategic education engagement

On an overall level, I have worked to promote the long-term supply of clinical teaching competence in the medical program, where our department is responsible for semester 9, Clinical Medicine 4. By creating clear responsibility structures and appointing section coordinators and assistant section coordinators, in addition to the course leader and examiner, we have reduced vulnerability and laid a more stable foundation for future competence supply. I have also been involved in the issue of the qualification requirements for senior lecturers in the education track. The requirements for seniority in research need to be balanced with experience from extensive and leading educational assignments to ensure long-term supply and research links in education.