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Spring 2011
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The Graduate Calendar
 

School of Optometry (Vision Science)

Research Areas

Faculty Research Interests
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W.R. Bobier: Vision of infants and children. Basic research concerning the development of refractive, sensory and motor systems of vision. Clinical research concerning procedures, such as vision screening and instrumentation such as photorefraction to identify problems in the development of visual systems. Current projects are: accommodative and vergence functions in infants and children; design and analysis of preschool vision screening programs; photorefraction technology.

V. Choh: The optics, molecular structure and function of the crystalline lens during accommodation. Molecular and cellular changes mediating and following refractive error development and retinal ganglion cell death. Development of neuroprotective strategies following retinal ganglion cell death.

B.R. Chou: Optical properties of ophthalmic lens materials and ocular media. Environment and industrial ocular hazards. Optical radiation effects on the eye. Impact resistance of spectacle lenses and frames. Eye protection standards.

J.G. Flanagan: Clinical psychophysics and imaging with a particular interest in glaucoma and diabetes. Aspects of spatial and temporal vision processing. Peripheral vision. Vision and mobility.

D. Fonn: The ocular response to daily and extended wear of contact lenses. Non invasive in vivo assessment of corneal function. Contact lens materials and designs. The role of the tear film in contact lens wear.

T.F. Freddo: Using magnetic resonance imaging and intravascular contrast agents in normal human volunteers, we have recently documented that the basic physiology of the normal blood-aqueous barrier differs from that depicted in present texts. We are continuing to explore the several clinical ramifications of our revised model of the blood-aqueous barrier. In our glaucoma studies we are using correlative aqueous humor perfusion and morphological methods to identify the site(s) of outflow resistance in both normal and glaucomatous eyes.

J.K. Hovis: Binocular colour mixing; modelling normal and abnormal human colour vision; testing for colour vision deficiencies and occupational vision standards.

C. Hudson: The development of non-invasive psychophysical and objective techniques to improve the clinical monitoring of retinal disease & the evaluation of new techniques in a clinical setting. (ii) The relationship between early visual function loss & morphological retinal disturbance. Diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema, age-related macular degeneration, primary open-angle glaucoma. Clinical psychophysics; automated perimetry, colour vision, short-wavelength pathway sensitivity, frequency-of-seeing, cognitive function. Imaging techniques, scanning laser, tomography, laser Doppler, retinal oximetry angiography. Retinal blood flow, blood glucose, blood gas perturbation.

N. Hutchings: Retinal imaging, psychophysical assessment of visual function, statistical methods for clinical interpretation of psychophysical data, visual fields, continuing optometric education.

E.L. Irving: Oculomotor development, fixation disparity, oculomotor dynamics in strabismus, refractive development, animal models of myopia, environmental adaptation of the eye and visual system.

L.W. Jones: Contact lens material development and testing, the impact of material composition on tear film deposition, the role of the tear film in contact lens wear, the impact of care systems on ocular comfort and in vivo wettability, the ocular response to daily and extended wear of contact lenses.

V. Lakshminarayanan: Works on both basic and applied aspects of physiological optics, specifically in the areas of visual and opthalmic optics, visual psychophysics as applied to basic mechanisms of vision and to specific clinical conditons. Also interested in the effects of aging on cerain visual functions (e.g., hyperacuity, motion, etc). Current areas of research include studies of visual attention and motion perception in the elderly. Other areas include photoreceptor optics (the Stiles Crawford effect), mathematical modeling of visual/perceptual phenomena (perceptual spaces, horopter and binocular vision, neural networks) and classical optical physics (waveguides, optical design and optimization, light propagation, operator methods in optics) and biomedical optics.

S.J. Leat: Psychophysics - visual acuity and contour interaction, reading and spatial frequency filtering. Low vision - digital image enhancement for low vision, the outcome of low vision services, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, reading performance, structural and functional changes in ARM. Infant vision - stereoacuity in children, acuity testing, hyperopia. Special populations (multiply challenged) - accommodation, stereoacuity, vision assessment.

K.M. Robertson: Binocular vision. Stereoacuity. Re-mapping of the visual cortex. Retinal correspondence. The relationship between perceptual and oculo-motor adaptation. Dynamic fixation disparity. Dynamic visual acuity. Vergence adaptation. Modelling of the accommodation/vergence system. Clinical evaluation of binocular vision and its relationship to visual performance during vocational and avocational activities.

B. Robinson: Epidemiological research. Ocular diseases, anomalies and disorders. The study of the incidence, prevalence and risk factors associated with these problems.

T.L. Simpson: Corneal sensitivity related especially to contact lens wear, binocular visual function, especially inhibitory binocular interactions. The psychophysics of parallel visual processing. Psychophysical and electrophysiological clinical visual tests.

J.G. Sivak: Comparative anatomy and physiology of the eye with emphasis on refractive components, refractive state and accommodative mechanisms. Chromatic and spherical aberration of the human eye and its application to refractive methodology. Biology of the crystalline lens and cataractogenesis. Ophthalmic toxicology.

T. Singer: Molecular physiology, structure and function of epithelia, regulation of gene expression.

M.M. Spafford: Optometric education. Sociology of education. Professional gatekeeping. Clinical competence evaluation. Ethical decision making. Continuing education.

P. Stolee: Geriatrics, rehabilitation, optometric practice, health information systems and databases, health services evaluation, health outcome measurement, and the integration and use of knowledge and information in practice.

J.G. Strong: Low Vision service delivery models. Low Vision assessment and therapy including the non-generic prescribing of high technology low vision aids. Research and development of new assistive device technology for people with low vision. Vision and shooting.


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