School of Optometry & Vision Science (Life Sciences), University of Bradford, United Kingdom

PhD Studentship to explore the link between vision and elite sporting performance.

Closing date: 5pm, Wednesday, 10th July, 2013  {with interviews to be held on August 1st or 2nd, 2013}

The studentship value is set at RCUK rates, currently 13,726 UK-pounds per annum*, for three years (subject to satisfactory progress) + University of Bradford PhD registration fees

Following the award in 2013 of a UK Research Council (BBSRC) grant entitled “Linking Perception to Action in Sport: Does superior visual perception explain why good players make it look easy?” we wish to appoint a highly-motivated PhD student to our project team. There are many factors which contribute to elite sporting performance.  The aim of our project is to examine the extent to which excellent vision contributes to elite sporting performance. We will examine the link between vision and elite performance by testing vision and ball catching performance in elite and non-elite cricketers. We have links with the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) ‘National Cricket Performance Centre’ at Loughborough University. Further details are contained in the project summary below.

The successful applicant could have an undergraduate training in a wide variety of disciplines including Optometry, Psychology, Sports Science, Biomechanics, Medical Engineering, Motor Control or in another, related discipline. Please note that a first-class, upper second-class honours degree or Masters degree is required. There is scope for flexibility in the direction that the PhD research could take. For example, those with an Optometry (or another vision-related) background may choose to concentrate on the visual processing aspects while those with an interest or experience in movement science (e.g. Sport Science, Medical Engineering) could concentrate more on the kinematics of ball catching in elites versus non-elites.

Applicants should submit:

.  A covering letter outlining your interest in the proposed research and your suitability to undertake it

.  A University of Bradford MPhil/PhD application form at:
http://www.bradford.ac.uk/life-sciences/research/PhD-studentships/how-to-apply/
[Please click the "Online application" form link and then the "new user" button].

.  A curriculum vitae (2 pages max.)

.  A transcript of marks from previous degree(s)

.  Letters from 2 referees (these should be sent/e-mailed directly to the address shown below)

The closing date is 5pm, Wednesday, 10th July, 2013.

Interviews for the post will be held on August 1st or 2nd, 2013 and it is anticipated that the successful applicant will start in September/October, 2013.

Informal enquiries prior to application may be made to Dr. Brendan T.
Barrett (Principal Investigator, Reader in Vision Science) on (44-(0)1274-235589), or to:  b.t.barrett@bradford.ac.uk

School of Optometry & Vision Science, Richmond Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, United Kingdom.

Please note that we do not have sufficient funding available to be able to offer the studentship to non-UK/EU based students, so only students from the UK/EU should apply.

*Optometrist applicants who are GOC-registered may qualify for a slightly higher studentship award subject to carrying out some clinical teaching.

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Project summary follows….
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It seems obvious that good vision is a pre-requisite for the exceptional visuomotor skills needed in many sports. For example, to catch a cricket ball requires anticipation of the speed and direction of travel of the ball.
But do elite cricketers have superior vision than sub-elites? Does having ‘excellent’ vision go hand-in-hand with elite sporting ability? And if elites do have superior vision than non-elites, is this the cause or a consequence of their exceptional ability?  These are the questions that are of interest to us in this research project.

From a review of ‘popular’ sports literature, it appears that two beliefs are commonly held, first, that athletes have superior use of their vision than non-athletes and second that vision therapy improves sporting performance. Our research will establish whether elite sporting performance is linked to visual abilities determined by brain functioning in vision-specific brain areas, and, if the two are linked, to examine how they are linked. Previous research in another elite population (pilots) shows that some laboratory measures of vision are linked to flying performance whereas clinical visual measures do not.

We will assess vision and visuo-motor skills in elite- and club-level cricketers and in novices. We have selected cricket because of the complexity of its visual demands.  However, our results will generalise to other sports, particularly those with a fast-moving ball (e.g. tennis). We have established links with the England & Wales Cricket Board and with a centre of cricketing excellence and both will provide access to elite players for testing.

We will develop and run behavioural tests designed specifically to measure visual brain function. Studies of brain imaging tell us about brain functioning and connections between processing networks, but it is only feasible to study a small number of elite athletes using this approach. Our proposed behavioural studies thus offer a more practical approach to studying visual and fine-motor control abilities in elite athletes.

We will measure visual abilities in situations that mimic the sporting environment; for example, we will test the ability to see and discriminate motion and depth, and test the ability to anticipate the future location of a moving object. We will relate these vision measures to performance on a cricket task (catching) and to a more general hand-eye co-ordination task (pointing). We have infra-red motion-capture camera systems that allow limb and body movements to be carefully measured and monitored when a real-world task (e.g. catching a ball ejected from a machine) is undertaken. Thus, in addition to measuring visuo-motor task success (e.g. proportion of balls
caught) we will establish the movement control parameters for individual sportspeople as they perform these tasks.

To ensure that we fully reveal the extent of the links between visual ability and the fine-motor control required in sport we will examine individual differences in vision between good and poor ball catchers under optimal visual conditions and when vision is degraded (e.g. low light
levels) because it is here where the impact of vision-related differences may emerge or be exaggerated.

Although the focus here is to understand the link between visual and motor abilities in high-performance sport our results will hold direct relevance to everyday scenarios where visual perceptual skills limit motor control as we interact with the environment around us. Thus we aim to identify the nature of the relationship between visual and motor capabilities using elite sport as a vehicle for understanding how perception and action are linked in more everyday tasks.

 

Vision and Learning Course (OVT3)

To take place over three days:

Saturday, Sunday & Monday   22^nd – 24^th June 2013

At The Quality Hotel, St Albans

For optometrists and therapists who have attended the OVT1A&B and OVT2 courses

Lead Speaker: Owen Leigh BSc, FCOptom, FBABO

This course is ideally suited to any practitioner with an interest in learning difficulties and who has some experience of behavioural optometry. The lead speaker, Owen Leigh, has enormous experience in this field and his practice in Hampshire has an international reputation for its work.

Prior attendance at OVT1 and OVT2 courses is essential, and attendance for all three days of this course is mandatory.  CET points applied for, and the course will attract BABO points.

The course will be a mix of didactic content, covering the basic theories of learning difficulties, the impact of visual problems on learning, and testing with vision therapy and practice management. It has been re-formatted to fit in with the guidelines for CET points and to suit a new speaker. This makes it ideal for those who have taken OVT3 in the past to revisit the topics covered.

A comprehensive manual and CD Rom will be provided within the course fee.

The course will be interactive and because of this numbers will be limited.  The course fee is £695 for BABO members and £745 for non-members, inclusive of lunch and tea / coffee. For those taking the course for the second time the fee will be £525. No evening meals are included in the course fee. Accommodation can be booked directly with the hotel on 01727 857858 and also a list of local accommodation (hotels and B&B) will be provided with confirmation of your place on the course. A late booking fee of £25 will be charged if booking received after June 8^th, 2013.

Each day will commence at 9.00am and finish at 5.30pm (final day 4.30pm)

The OVT1 course has been divided into two parts (a) and (b) to allow for practise of the skills learned. The combined course will cover assessment and treatment of accommodation, convergence, fusional problems and near point retinoscopy; eye movement and tracking or scanning problems as well as near point stress, are also covered. The behavioural philosophy and skeffingtons four circles will be introduced.

Plenty of time will be devoted to trying out treatment techniques and for discussions. Each delegate will receive a free starter kit of equipment for the activities taught on the course.

This course will help you understand and be able to help that patient with lots of symptoms who may have a low Rx, does not easily achieve a crisp VA 6/6 and it does not quite add up, plus many other patients you will recognise.

Members who want to become BABO accredited will need to attend OVT1A and 1B, OVT2 and OVT3 as a minimum.

OVT1A - Introduction to Behavioural Optometry (2 days) -  Sunday 29th – Monday 30th September 2013

Venue Quality Hotel, St Albans, Herts

OVT1B – Further Concepts in Behavioural Optometry (2 days) – Sunday 1st and Monday 2rd December, 2012

Venue Quality Hotel, St. Albans, Herts

Course lead by Paul Adler

Course Fees: £395 members, £420 nonmembers, if both courses are paid and booked together £740

OVT3: 22^nd – 24^th June 2013

Venue: St Albans – flyers to be sent out soon

Annual Meeting and AGM: Sunday 8^th September 2013

Venue: Warwick Conferences

OVT4: Strabismus and Amblyopia: 9^th – 11^th September 2013

Venue: Warwick Conferences

OVT1A:  Introduction to behavioural Optometry 29th/30th September 2013

Venue: St Albans

OVT1B:  Further Concepts in Behavioural Optometry 1st/2nd December 2013

Venue: St Albans

Speakers: Paul Adler and Owen Leigh

Was run on Sunday 28^th and Monday 29^th April 2013

Radcliffe House Warwick Conferences

Paul Adler lead what was a lively day debating and discussing what we mean by tracking and how it should be assessed. Day One started with a peer group discussion leading to a vote. ‘Does this house believe that the DEM test should be a mandatory part of the initial assessment of our patients?’ is the theme. Is the DEM test good? What does it do well? How is it defective? Do we all agree?

We explored the pros and cons of this widely used test. Should BABO recommend it as a mandatory part of the BO assessment?

We all have a lot of patients presenting with ‘tracking’ problems. We can provide tracking treatment and get great results but often teachers are convinced that the tracking is still poor.  This talk presents one view of what good reading involves. The talk will lead directly into the second day of the weekend where we will explore perceptual analysis tools.

The afternoon will discuss the pros and cons of using the Visagraph or Readalyser with a chance to learn how to use one in a skills workshop. Great tool or toys for the boys? Learn, discuss and decide.

Owen Leigh has designed Day Two to challenge the participating optometrist to re-organise his/her thinking in visuo-spatial skills.  He will remind the audience of the purposes of testing, review development and reassess optometric and psychological terminology.  The day involves two hours of small group work.

This day will allow optometrists to rationalise their assessment, to choose tests that are more likely to assist in their patient care (group specific tests) and to provide clearer indications of patient progress.

GOC CET points have been approved for this course, 7 points per day covering the competencies:- Communication, Binocular Vision, Assessment of Visual Function and Ocular Disease. There are 15 BABO Gold points available for this course.

Course Costs: Members – £ 295 per delegate; non-members £ 370 per delegate; Vision Therapists £250 per delegate.

Accommodation may be booked at Radcliffe House Warwick Conferences from £70 per night bed and breakfast.  Address: Radcliffe House, Warwick Conferences, University of Warwick, Coventry, Benefactors Building, Gibbet Hill Road, CV4 7AL

Tel. 024 7652 3222; Fax 024 7657 2661 ; Email: conferences@warwick.ac.uk

WANTED!

Optometrists

- who want to help in learning difficulties, brain injury etc.  

Have patients who have a visual problem and specs have not been the answer?  Looking for a way to stand out from the High Street? Want to change the way you work? Want a fee based income?

An introduction to behavioural optometry.

Warwick University, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL

4.00-4.30 Introduction

4.30 – 6.00 Lecture and Demonstrations

6.00 – 6.30 How to structure in your Practice

6.30  Networking

To register interest contact Penny at admin@babo.co.uk

or call on 01256 862547

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22245620

Hess, R. F. A binocular approach to amblyopia therapy. World Congress of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Sept 8th 2012 Milan Italy

http://newsfromaoa.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/optmd1100034.pdf

September 11th to 14th 2014

Venue to be confirmed – details as soon as announced.