Ben Backus

CURIOUS MIND, AMBITIOUS HEART. Ben Backus has always been driven by a curious mind and an ambition to understand the complexities of how humans experience the world. “Young Ben was overconfident in a good way,” he reflects. “I thought I could do absolutely anything and was going to figure out how the brain works when I grew up.” He loved taking things apart and putting them back together in new ways, a practice that laid the foundation for his future in science and innovation.

Today, Ben is the Chief Science Officer at Vivid Vision, a company at the forefront of vision therapy using VR. Vivid Vision’s software is designed to help patients with binocular vision dysfunctions, such as convergence insufficiency and amblyopia, under treatment by licensed eye care professionals. The software provides powerful vision training tools, assessment capabilities, and data tracking to improve patient outcomes.

Ben’s fascination with the brain and human perception began early. Growing up in La Jolla, California, he benefited from excellent public schools and a supportive environment that allowed him to explore the physical world. In high school, Ben was deeply involved in social activities and leadership roles, mixing introverted and people-oriented activities.

Ben pursued a BA in Mathematics at Swarthmore College, believing that a strong foundation in math was essential to understanding complex systems. During his graduate studies, he came to terms with his sexuality as a gay man and moved to the Bay Area to explore his identity. “It was incredibly liberating to say, ‘I don’t need to sit square in my chair and convince people how strong and macho I am,’” he shares. This period of self-discovery was also when Ben met his husband Carl, marrying him in 1990.

After initially considering a career in medicine, Ben chose to focus on the brain and perception. He earned a PhD in Vision Science from UC Berkeley, integrating neuroscience, computer science, experimental psychology, and optometry to explore how the brain constructs visual experiences. This led to a postdoctoral study at Stanford, where he used fMRI to study brain activity in response to stereoscopic stimuli.

Ben’s academic journey continued with a professorship at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a professorship at SUNY College of Optometry. Here, he conducted NIH-funded research on how the brain stays calibrated and learns to interpret visual cues. His work led to a groundbreaking idea for treating amblyopia, a vision condition where one eye is weaker than the other. “That was the best idea I ever had for translating basic science into a real-world solution, but I couldn’t convince NIH to fund it,” Ben explains.

A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. This challenge spurred him to consider commercializing his research. In 2015, Ben joined Vivid Vision, a company that had just started building VR-based vision treatments. “I talked with the CEO, James Blaha, for about three hours the first time we met. I knew I’d be able to provide a deep theoretical foundation for their products.”

With Ben’s help, James and CTO Manish Gupta raised $7 million and navigated the company through difficult times, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Their commitment kept them going. “In July, we negotiated our first multi-million dollar contract with a major pharmaceutical company, to provide VR vision testing in a Phase III clinical trial for their new therapeutic,” Ben reports.

Ben’s LGBTQIA+ identity has played a significant role in his journey. Growing up as an outsider gave him a keen ability to observe and assess the world accurately, a skill that has been invaluable in both his personal and professional life.

To LGBTQIA+ founders starting their journey, Ben offers this advice: “Really think it through yourself. From your business plan to your product, make sure you can see how it’s going to work. The odds of converting hype into a product with real value, that people are willing to pay for, are way too low. Don’t sell yourself on your own hype.”