Using Virtual and Augmented Reality-based tests of functional vision to understand patients’ real-world difficulties

I’ve joined the Crabb Lab at City, University of London under the supervision of Prof David Crabb and Dr Pete Jones. 

Personal Background and Interest:

I was born and raised in Chennai, India. I am an optometrist by qualification and have a deep interest in working with ocular diagnostics and human-based research. I completed my bachelor’s in optometry from Elite School of Optometry following which I’ve worked as a research associate at the Cornea Research lab, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai for a year. Soon after that I did my master’s in Optometry from the Elite School of Optometry and became a fellow of the American academy of Optometry. Besides research, I enjoy playing chess, cooking, quizzing, and making mandala drawings.

Aim of the project:

The aim of my project is to understand the issues that visual impairments cause in activities of daily living (ADL). The focus has been put on glaucoma home monitoring devices for measuring visual function, the understanding of public perception of diseases and the value that the general public give their senses. The objectives are to 1) investigate the link between socio-economic status (SES) and the late presentation of glaucoma and its progression using a large dataset of visual field reports from English Hospital eye services; 2) collect normative data using home-monitoring devices to monitor visual field and contrast sensitivity in normally sighted individuals between the ages 18-30 in a simulated home-like environment and 3) investigate the value placed on the ‘senses’ by the public using a questionnaire-based survey.

Current activities:

To date, I have found that large-scale visual field data from English glaucoma clinics support the claim that SES is associated with glaucoma severity at presentation to hospital eye services in England. However, no evidence was found that suggests that SES is associated with a greater likelihood of having rapid VF progression during follow-up. The latter hints at the equity of glaucoma care once patients are in hospital eye services in England. The study has been published in a peer-reviewed journal, Eye in May 2023.

I am currently also exploring the robustness of a head-mounted visual field device in glaucoma patients and normally sighted young individuals. Data has been collected. 

Future directions:

In the future I want to perform a questionnaire-based survey to investigate the value placed on the ‘senses’ by the public.