The Visual Function and Physiology Research Group represents a group of experienced, research active optometrists and dispensing opticians from the Department of Vision & Hearing Sciences, whose research is concerned with a wide range of areas influencing optometric and optical practice.

Our interests include myopia, accommodative function, visual stress and reading difficulties, spectacle dispensing, contact lenses, colour vision, sports vision, optics of the eye, low vision, visual function and visual assessment.

We work closely with the facilities of the Vision & Eye Research Unit (VERU), and with collaborators locally (University of Cambridge, CamSight), nationally (Universities of Essex, Bradford, Surrey, Glasgow, Birmingham and UCL) and internationally (including links with colleagues in Australia, Holland, Germany, and the USA).

Our research group is successful in obtaining research funding, with grants in recent years from the College of Optometrists, Vision CRC myopia project, Wellcome Trust, Nuffield Foundation, and National Health Service. Our research results are published in relevant high impact journals such as "Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science", "Vision Research", "Optometry and Vision Science" and "Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics". In addition, we regularly contribute to clinical continuing education, in publications such as "Optician", "Optometry Today", "Optometry in Practice" and "Optometric Quarterly".

We have a growing body of postgraduate students, often qualified optometrists, who are funded by external grants or are employed as Graduate Teaching Assistants whilst undertaking their research studies. Please contact us if you are interested in postgraduate study.

Staff members

Dr Peter Allen
Matilda Biba
Dr Richard Calver
Dr Keziah Latham
Rupal Lovell-Patel
Liam Kite
Paul McCarthy
Dr Holly Price
Dr Sheila Rae

Postgraduate students

Richard Hollingsworth
Colm McGonigle
Laura Monger