Students in the vision science graduate program specialize in one of the following areas:
Students will work with one or more faculty supervisors in their chosen area(s).
In addition to this page, several of the faculty and research groups have their own web sites: Research and Lab Groups.
Description of areas and faculty
Healthcare, education and delivery
Research in health and bioinformatics, medical education and service delivery, standards of care, service quality and delivery, distance education and innovative continuing education programs, professional communication, epidemiology and clinical research.
Faculty: B.R. Chou, J. Flanagan, N. Hutchings, E. Irving, L. Jones, S. Leat, B. Robinson, T. Simpson, L. Sorbara, M. Spafford, G. Strong
Neurosciences
The advancement of understanding of the normal and abnormal development, structure and function of the ocular and visual sensory and effector/motor nervous components and the impact of neural senescence.
Faculty: W. Bobier, V. Choh, J. Flanagan, J. Hovis, C. Hudson, N. Hutchings, E. Irving, S. Leat, T. Simpson
Ocular biology and pathophysiology
The advancement of understanding of the eye and adnexa structure, physiology, disease and toxicology using micro and macroscopic imaging and molecular & biological system techniques.
Faculty: V. Choh, B.R. Chou, J. Flanagan, C. Hudson, N. Hutchings, E. Irving, L. Jones, S. Leat, T. Simpson, L. Sorbara
Technology and optics
Basic and applied research in the areas of fundamental optics, visual correction, contact lenses and material science, ophthalmic and vision standards (including visual ergonomics), imaging, instrument development, assistive devices and soft metrology.
Faculty: W. Bobier, V. Choh, B.R. Chou, J. Flanagan, J. Hovis, C. Hudson, N. Hutchings, E. Irving, L. Jones, V. Lakshminarayayan, S. Leat, T. Simpson, L. Sorbara, G. Strong
Faculty research interests
¶ indicates an approved PhD supervisor
Please feel free to contact faculty directly for more information about their research or the equipment available in their lab. Note that faculty can not accept a student until a formal application has been made.
¶ Bobier, William R. , BSc (Queens University), OD, MSc (Waterloo), PhD (Cambridge), FAAO
Professor (Optometry & Physics)
Vision of infants and children. Basic research concerning the development of refractive, sensory and motor systems of vision. Clinical research concerning procedures, such as vision screening and instrumentation such as photorefraction to identify problems in the development of visual systems. Current projects are: accommodative and vergence functions in infants and children; design and analysis of preschool vision screening programs; photorefraction technology.
¶ Choh, Vivian, BSc (Toronto), MSc (Toronto), PhD (Waterloo)
Associate Professor
The optics, molecular structure and function of the crystalline lens during accommodation. Molecular and cellular changes mediating and following refractive error development and retinal ganglion cell death. Development of neuroprotective strategies following retinal ganglion cell death.
Chou, B. Ralph, BSc (Toronto), OD, MSc (Waterloo)
Associate Professor
Optical properties of ophthalmic lens materials and ocular media. Environment and industrial ocular hazards. Optical radiation effects on the eye. Impact resistance of spectacle lenses and frames. Eye protection standards.
¶ Flanagan, John G., BSc (Optom), PhD (Aston University, UK), FAAO, MCOptom
Professor (Optometry & Ophthalmology - U. of Toronto & U. of Manchester)
Clinical psychophysics and imaging with a particular interest in glaucoma and diabetes. Aspects of spatial and temporal vision processing. Peripheral vision. Vision and mobility.
¶ Hovis, Jeff K., Od, MSc (Ohio State), PhD (Indiana)
Associate Professor
Binocular color mixing; modeling normal and abnormal human color vision; testing for color vision deficiencies, and occupational vision standards.
¶ Hudson, Christopher, BSc (Hons), PhD (Aston University), MCOptom, PgCUT (University of Ulster), FAAO
Professor (Optometry & U. of Toronto, Dept. of Ophthalmology)
(i) The development of non-invasive psychophysical and objective techniques to improve the clinical monitoring of retinal disease & the evaluation of new techniques in a clinical setting. (ii) The relationship between early visual function loss & morphological retinal disturbance. Diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, age-related macular degeneration, primary open-angle glaucoma. Clinical psychophysics; automated perimetry, colour vision, short-wavelength pathway sensitivity, frequency-of-seeing, cognitive function. Imaging techniques, scanning laser, tomography, laser Doppler, retinal oximetry angiography. Retinal blood flow, blood glucose, blood gas perturbation.
¶ Hutchings, Natalie, BSc (Hons), MCOptom, PhD (Aston University)
Assistant Professor, Graduate Officer
Retinal imaging, psychophysical assessment of visual function, statistical methods for clinical interpretation of psychophysical data, visual fields, continuing optometric education.
¶ Irving, Elizabeth L., BSc, MSc, PhD (Waterloo)
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Vision Science
Oculomotor development, fixation disparity, oculomotor dynamics in strabismus, refractive development, animal models of myopia, environmental adaptation of the eye & visual system.
¶ Jones, Lyndon W., BSc (Hons) (Wales), PhD (Aston University), FCOptom (Wales), DCLP, DOrth., FAAO
Professor (Optometry, Physics, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry)
Contact lens material development and testing, the impact of material composition on tear film deposition, the role of the tear film in contact lens wear, the impact of care systems on ocular comfort and in vivo wettability, the ocular response to daily and extended wear of contact lenses.
¶ Lakshminarayanan, Vasudevan, MSc (Madras), PhD (California at Berkeley), FOSA, FSPIE, F.Inst.P. FAAAS, FOSI, FAAO, C.Phys.
Professor (Optometry, Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Stiles Crawford effect, ophthalmic and visual optics, visual perceptual phenomena, mathematical modeling of vision, classical optics, optical system analysis, fiber optics, aberration theory.
¶ Leat, Susan J., BSc (Manchester), PhD (Cardiff), FAAO, FCOptom,
Professor
Psychophysics - visual acuity and contour interaction, reading and spatial frequency filtering. Low vision - image enhancement for low vision, the outcome of low vision services, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, reading performance, visual processing skills. Infant vision - stereoacuity in children, acuity testing, hyperopia. Special populations (multiply challenged) - accommodation, stereoacuity, vision assessment. Fixation disparity. Binocular fixation performance.
Robinson, Barbara, OD (Waterloo), MPH, PhD (University of Washington), FAAO
Associate Professor
Epidemiological research. Ocular diseases, anomalies and disorders. The study of the incidence, prevalence and risk factors associated with these problems.
¶ Simpson, Trefford, L., Dip.Optom (Tech. Wit., South Africa), MS, PhD (Houston)
Professor, Graduate Officer
Corneal sensitivity related especially to contact lens wear, binocular visual function, especially inhibitory binocular interactions. The psychophysics of parallel visual processing. Psychophysical and electrophysiological clinical visual tests.
Sorbara, Luigina, OD, MSc (Waterloo)
Associate Professor
Contact lens assessment, fitting and aftercare. Corneal topography-measurement and application. Contact lens Rigid Gas Permeable (GPC) designs and parameters using computers for speciality fitting as keratoconus, irregular corneal surfaces and in extended wear. Contact lens induced dry eye, GPC and other contact lens induced corneal complications, diagnosis and management. Contact lens world wide education: teaching educators how to teach, establishing curricula and setting up school based clinics.
¶ Spafford, Marlee, OD, MSc (Waterloo), PhD (Toronto), FAAO
Professor
Healthcare education, communication, socialization and equity. Service delivery. Professional gatekeeping.
¶ Strong, J. Graham, OD (College of Optometry of Ontario/Waterloo), MSc (Waterloo)
Professor, Director for the Centre for Sight Enhancement
Low vision service delivery models. Low vision assessment and therapy including the non-generic prescribing of high technology low vision aids. Research and development of new assistive device technology for people with low vision. Vision and shooting.
¶ indicates an approved PhD supervisor
