Two Waterloo professors have been awarded funding from the foundation Velux Stiftung. Founded in 1980 by Villum Kann Rasmussen, the grant-making foundation Velux Stiftung supports cutting-edge research in the area of daylight research, healthy aging, and ophthalmology. The Velux Stiftung focuses on projects with a high potential to initiate change and impact in order to contribute to sustainable improvement and the benefit of society.
Ben Thompson, professor, and his collaborators within the School of Optometry and Vision Science, was awarded $269,000 to collaborate with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to determine if neuro-modulation improves vision and reading in macular degeneration, and if it enhances peripheral-reading training. This novel project has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of patients with central vision loss caused by diseases, such as juvenile or age-related macular degeneration. Professor Thompson also hopes to broaden the way clinicians treat central vision loss, as current treatments focus entirely on the eye rather than the possibility of modifying brain function to improve processing of residual visual information.
Professor Mark Oremus, School of Public Health and Health Systems, was awarded $206,000 to collaborate with researchers from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Calgary to determine if social support availability affects cognitive function in middle and older aged adults. They will also analyze data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) and use spatial analysis to identify geographical areas that could benefit from targeted social support innovations.