The passing of Prof. Dr. Maarten Kamermans

11 August 2026

Last week, we received the sad news that Prof. Dr. Maarten Kamermans, head of the Vision & Nystagmus research group, passed away on Tuesday, 11 August.

Prof. Kamermans had worked at the Interuniversity Ophthalmological Institute of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (IOI-KNAW) since 1996, where he conducted fundamental research into the functioning of the retina. From 2005 onwards, he continued this research at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN-KNAW).

For almost three decades, he conducted groundbreaking research into the functioning of the complex network of nerve cells in the retina. Among other things, he demonstrated that nerve cells in the retina influence one another not only through conventional synaptic connections, but also through local electric fields, a form of communication known as ephaptic transmission. This work contributed to a fundamentally new understanding of how cells in the retina coordinate their activity.

Building on these fundamental insights, he later turned his attention to the role of spontaneous eye movements. He showed that our eyes are constantly making very small, involuntary movements that are essential for proper visual perception; when these movements are suppressed, vision deteriorates significantly. When a disturbance causes these movements to become much larger, it can lead to severe visual problems and highly oscillatory eye movements, known as nystagmus.

For a long time, nystagmus was primarily regarded as a disorder originating in the brain. Prof. Kamermans, however, suspected that its cause could also lie in the retina. Drawing on his profound knowledge of the fundamental mechanisms underlying retinal function, he demonstrated in several models of congenital night blindness that abnormalities in certain proteins found at just one particular type of synapse in the retina can lead to nystagmus. For this work, he received the William W. Dawson Memorial Award from the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) in 2025.

His fundamental insights also led him to investigate a possible treatment for the nystagmus associated with night blindness. He discovered that dopamine can influence the oscillations in the retina and, potentially, nystagmus as well.

With Maarten’s passing, we lose an internationally recognized leading expert in retinal research, a driven scientist who was often ahead of developments in his field and knew how to translate them into clinically relevant theories. He conducted his work within his own department, but also regularly collaborated with colleagues in Amsterdam, across the Netherlands, and abroad. This resulted in numerous publications in international journals. These publications stood out for both their originality and their thoroughness, a combination that does not always go hand in hand.

He also mentored many young scientists at the beginning of their careers, during and/or after their PhD studies. We have lost a highly valued colleague and a warm and loyal friend with whom it was a pleasure to debate his original, and sometimes even unconventional, ideas.

We wish his wife, children, and grandchildren strength and comfort during this difficult time.

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience