Centre for Vision across the Life Span

About the Centre

CVLS, a new research centre in the School of Applied Sciences, has a total of 12 academic staff and 4 doctoral students as researchers supported by 2 technical staff. We have over 100 m2 dedicated laboratory space housing 6 lab spaces. Besides well-equipped clinical rooms, research equipment for visual psychophysical assessment includes: Cambridge Research Systems (CRS) Metropsis system, self-calibrating Display++ and other independently programmable psychophysical systems.  For macular assessment we have MAIA (microperimeter), MPSII (pigment screener); for refractive error assessment, a Shin Nippon natural vision autorefkeratometer and Plenoptika Quicksee; for colour vision assessment, Oculus Anomaloskop and Cambridge Colour Test.  We recently had major infrastructural investment including state of the art anterior/posterior OCT equipment and the latest Luminex multiplex device to analyse a wide range of blood and other tissue samples. For assessing ocular vasculature we can conduct OCTa analyses, real-time retinal vessel imaging and retinal vessel oxygen saturation measures. 

Our Departmental clinical facilities include 16 fully equipped consulting rooms, 17 clinical practice bays and access to Heidelberg Spectralis OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), Henson and Humphrey visual field analyzers and Shin Nippon corneal topography as well as equipment used for myopia control. 

We have a number of PhD projects available but other topics are invited through discussion with prospective supervisors.

If you are looking for a volunteering opportunity to engage in research or to sit as a volunteer patient to help our students practice their clinical skills please click on the PPI tile to find out more. We are also seeking volunteers to help us make our research fit for purpose and to give research participants a voice through our participant and patient involvement (PPI) panel.

Our People

Staff members involved with the Centre for Vision across the Lifespan:

Centre lead(s):

Sarah Waugh | view Pure profile

Rebekka Heitmar | view Pure profile

Centre members:

Baskar Pitty Theagarayan | view Pure profile

Corrine Fulcher | view Pure profile

Emma Martindale | view Pure profile

John Siderov | view Pure Profile

Kate Doorduyn | view Pure profile

Lauren Coetzee | view Pure profile

Nas Hinglotwala | view Pure profile

Niall Hynes | view Pure profile

Robin Clayton | view Pure profile

Romana Mughal | view Pure profile

Our Projects

We collaborate with a number of researchers locally and internationally. If you would like to visit our centre please get in touch (cvls@hud.ac.uk)

Ongoing projects:

• Vision and crowding in children and its impact on learning to read
• Vision and crowding in amblyopia
• Stereopsis and the significance of crossed and uncrossed disparity
• Impact of physical activity on ocular circulatory parameters
• Impact of screen filters on ocular comfort
• Macular Pigment, Morphology and Central Visual Function in Healthy Individuals of all ages
• Ocular haemodynamics in individuals with high myopia
• Improving healthy life expectancy in Diabetes
• Impact of simulation tools in teaching optometric skills on student confidence
• Understanding blue light exposure and its effects on the circadian rhythm in children
• Measurement, assessment and treatment for myopia

You can find current PhD projects in the University's course directory. To discuss other ideas please get in touch with prospective supervisors.