My research to date has mainly centred on Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).   My PhD thesis conducted within the department was entitled “Macular Pigment (MP) and Visual Function in Ageing and Age-related Maculopathy” (2005).  It focused on changes in visual function during the early stages of AMD as well as identifying risk factors for progression to advanced disease.

Obtaining an Australian Bicentennial scholarship in 2006 enabled me to spend a year at the University of Melbourne where I worked mainly on a twin study investigating the extent to which genetics determines visual function later in life.  A two-year post-doc at the Department of Experimental Psychology in Cambridge followed, and provided the opportunity to take these concepts further as the PERGENIC project aimed to investigate the relationship between visual perception and genetics. 

My interests focus on the intersection between ocular aging and the development of age-related diseases such as Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Retinopathy and Glaucoma and also risk factors for progression of these diseases to their sight threatening forms. I have a particular interest in the relationship between diet and nutrition and age-related eye disease and the use of dietary intervention or supplementation to delay or stop progression.

I lead the Eye component of the NICOLA study

My lab is focused on the following themes:

1. The epidemiology of age-related eye diseases such as Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Retinopathy and Glaucoma.

2.Exploring the ultility of new technologies for measuring and monitoring visual function including both handheld devices and virtual reality headsets. Recently this has extended to handheld OCT and home based imaging devices.

3. Identifying structural, serological and functional biomarkers of Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Retinopathy that may enable early detection and more accurate prognoses.

4. Understanding the differences between normal ocular ageing and the earliest stages of AMD, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

5. Clarifying the relationship between diet and nutrition and age-related eye disease and explore the use of dietary intervention or supplementation to delay or stop progression. 

Undergraduate:

First Year SSC MED1021 overall co-ordinator

Personal tutor and Portfolio adviser to 12 undergraduate Medical students

SSC module co-ordinator (1st Year Medicine)- “The eye as the window to the body” 

2 BSc (Hons) Project supervision each year

Postgraduate

• MPH project supervision

PhD Supervision

Primary:

Miguel Gedtal

Hanan Mofty

Sarah-Louise Watson

Alexander Baine

Secondary:

Jamie Mitchell