Visual Neuroscience and Function Theme

Prior to March 2020, this theme was known as the Visual Function and Integrative Epidemiology Theme.

Seeing, understanding and delivering

Theme Leads

• Professor Andrew Stockman

• Professor Paul Foster

Visual Function

We are finding new ways to measure vision so that clinical assessment is more accurate. We do this by:

1. Improving visual function tests so they are more sensitive
2. Finding new ways to enable patients to report changes in their own vision
3. Developing  ways to measure the impact of vision loss on everyday activities such as reading, navigation or recognising faces
4. Basic visual neuroscience that helps us understand the contributions of rod and cone photoreceptors to visual function, and developmental changes in visual perception and vision integration
5. The effectiveness of specific interventions for preventing or delaying vision loss

Integrative Epidemiology

With an expanding, ageing population and limited healthcare resources, modern approaches to healthcare must adapt and evolve. To drive this change, our work combines the established fields of epidemiology, genetics and imaging with the emerging discipline of data science to:

1. Produce evidence to inform UK and global policy on the detection, control and prevention of sight loss
2. Improve the quality of life of people with eye diseases and to develop methods to provide individually-targeted care
3. Develop more efficient, user-friendly systems for managing chronic eye disease
4. Build research capacity and expertise across the UK and worldwide

Our principal investigators in this theme are:

• Matteo Carandini
• Chris Dainty
• Paul Foster
• David (Ted) Garway-Heath
• Gus Gazzard
• Graham Holder
• Pearse Keane
• Ian Murdoch
• Jugnoo Rahi
• Andrew Stockman