Kristine Dalton

Kristine Dalton is an Associate Professor at the School of Optometry & Vision Science, an optometrist, and a leader in the field of sports vision and concussion rehabilitation.  After establishing and directing the Vision & Motor Performance Lab in 2013, Kristine went onto found the Sports Vision Clinic at the University of Waterloo in 2014. Under her leadership, the Sports Vision Clinic expanded its services to include the Brain Injury Clinic in 2019. In her clinical work, Kristine provides performance vision enhancement and vision rehabilitation services for athletes and individuals with traumatic brain injury (concussion).

Kristine has published over 20 papers and 80 conference presentations and supervised over 40 undergraduate and graduate students. Kristine’s research interests include sports performance, traumatic brain injury rehabilitation in able-bodied and Para sport, and Paralympic classification for athletes with vision impairment. Her work is helping to develop one of the first sport-specific classification systems for Para athletes with vision impairment as well as national and international guidelines on concussion management for Para athletes and in optometric clinical practice. 

Kristine is a member of the Concussion in Para Sport group, a Fellow of the American Academic of Optometry, a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association, and a recipient of the Excellence in Science Teaching Award (2018) from the University of Waterloo.

Kristine Dalton's research in the news

Shedding new light on concussion-related vision disorders (September 2020)

UWaterloo Optometry Clinic to host international Paralympic classification event 

A champion for Paralympic athletes (November 2019)

Kristine Dalton on children's vision and sports (October 2018)

Research interests

• Sports related concussion and vision rehabilitation
• Paralympic classification for athletes with vision impairment
• Understanding how vision is involved in sports performance
• Development of a novel test of vision function to assess vision for sports performance
• Clinical aspects of optometric practices including vision training to enhance athletic performance and vision rehabilitation

Selected publications

1. Stalin A, Creese M, Dalton K. Do impairments in contrast sensitivity affect skiing performance? Front. Neurosci. (13 May 2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.648648
2. Weiler R, Blauwet C, Clarke D, Dalton K, Derman W, Fagher K, Gouttebarge V, Kissick J, Lee K, Lexell J, Van de Vliet P, Verhagen E, Webborn N, Hassan Ahmed O. Concussion in Para Sport: the 1st Position Statement of the Concussion in Para Sport (CIPS) Group. British Journal of Sports Medicine (Apr 9 2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-103696
3. Stalin A, Dalton K. Exploration of the minimum visual disability criteria for Para nordic and Para alpine skiing using simulated vision impairments.  Journal of Sports Sciences (21 April 2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1903685
4. Roberts J, Thompson B, Leat S, Dalton K. Development of a low vision motion perception task for Paralympic classification: examining the effects of simulated visual impairments on global motion perception.  Scientific Reports, 2020; 10, Article number 8482 (2020).  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65202-x
5. Stalin A, Dalton K. Relationship of contrast sensitivity measured using qCSF with other visual functions in a low vision population.  Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2020, 61(21). DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.61.6.21
6. Alnawmasi MM, Chakraborty A, Dalton K, Quaid P, Dunkley BT, Thompson B. The effect of mild traumatic brain injury on the visual processing of global form and motion. Brain Injury, 2019, 33(10): 1354-1363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2019.1641842
7. Labreche T, Wild B, Dalton K, Leat S. Post-stroke visual midline shift syndrome. Clinical & Experimental Optometry, 2020; 103(3): 290-295; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12944
8. Ho R, Thompson B, Babu R, Dalton K. Sighting ocular dominance magnitude varies with test distance. Clinical & Experimental Optometry, 2018; 101(2): 276-280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12627
9. Hirano M, Hutchings N, Simpson T, and Dalton K. Validity and repeatability of a novel dynamic VA system. Optometry and Vision Science, 2017; 94(5): 616-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/opx.0000000000001065
10. Dalton, K, Guillon M, and Naroo SA.  Ocular dominance and handedness in golf putting. Optometry and Vision Science, 2015; 92(10): 968-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/opx.0000000000000690