Dr Leon N. Davies PhD MCOptom FAAO FHEA

Member of the Optometry Teaching Programme
Member of the Ophthalmic Research Group
Member of ARCHA - Aston Research Centre for Healthy Ageing

Career history

• 2009-date: Senior Lecturer in Optometry, Aston University
• 2007-2010: Honorary Visiting Research Fellow, Bradford School of Optometry, University of  Bradford
• 2007-2008: Clinical Editor, Optometry Today
• 2006-2007: Honorary Clinical Research Fellow, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital NHS Trust
• 2005-2009: Lecturer in Optometry, Aston University 

Qualifications & education

• 2008: FHEA, Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
• 2008: PGCertHE, Aston University
• 2005: FAAO, Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry
• 2004: PhD in Ophthalmic Optics, Aston University
• 2001: General Optical Council registration
• 2000: BSc (Hons) Optometry with First Class Honours, Aston University 

Awards

• 2010: Neil Charman Medal for Research 
• 2008: College of Optometrists Research Fellowship Award

Teaching

• Module leader: Advanced Ophthalmic Examination (Ophthalmic Doctorate)
• Module leader: Ophthalmic Examination (MOptom)
• Supervisor: Elective Studies (BSc Optometry; third year)
• Module leader: Further Investigative Techniques (BSc Optometry: second year)
• Module leader: Basic Investigative Techniques (BSc Optometry: first year)

Research interests

• Presbyopia
• Ocular accommodation
• Intraocular lens (IOL) technology
• Ocular biometry
• Ophthalmic instrumentation
• Myopia
• Visual function following stroke

Research grants awarded

Over £1 million in research grants awarded from sources including: Abbott (Advanced) Medical Optics, Bausch and Lomb (USA), Birmingham City University, Birmingham Optical Group, College of Optometrists, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Hoya Corporation (Japan), Johnson & Johnson, Lenstec (USA), Technology Strategy Board, Ten Alps, Visioncare Research Ltd and the Visual Research Trust.

Current research funding

2012-2014: £54,168, College of Optometrists, Optical, structural and neural adaptation during incipient presbyopia

2011-2013: £260,775, EPSRC, Technology Strategy Board and Visioncare Research Ltd (KTP), Development of international intraocular-lens (IOL) clinical trial support services

2011-2012: £2,500, The Vision Care Institute, Johnson & Johnson, Unrestricted research donation

2010-2013: £62,000, EPSRC and Abbott Medical Optics (CASE), Biomechanical modelling of natural and artificial eye tissues 

2009-2012: £75,000, Lenstec, Optimising pseudophakic vision

Current research supervision

MSc (co-principal supervisor - external): Noelia Segui (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain; February 2012 to date). Project: Profiling biometric changes during disaccommodation in emmetropes and myopes.

PhD (principal supervisor): Deborah Laughton (January 2012 to date). Project: Optical, structural and neural adaptation during incipient presbyopia (funded by The College of Optometrists, UK).

DOptom (principal supervisor): Suzanne Yates (January 2012 to date). Project: Accommodative dynamics in an ageing population.

PhD (external supervisor): Khizar Choudhry (Birmingham City University; September 2011 to date). Project: A multimodal measurement approach using narratives and eye tracking to investigate visual behaviour in perceiving naturalistic and urban environments (funded by the EPSRC, UK)

PhD (co-supervisor): Ben Coldrick (July 2010 to date). Project: Biomechanical modelling of natural and artificial eye tissues (funded by the EPSRC and Abbott Medical Optics, UK).

DOptom (principal supervisor): Ian Beasley (October 2009 to date). Project: Susceptibility to pattern glare and the effect of spectral filters on rate of reading and visual search in stroke patients.

PhD (co-supervisor): Gurpreet Bhogal (October 2009 to date) Project: Visual function in pseudophakic patients (funded by Rayner, UK).

Previous research supervision

PhD (co-supervisor): Sarah Smith (April 2008 to January 2012; awaiting viva voce) Project: Service quality in optometric practice (funded by Birmingham Optical Group, UK).

PhD (external supervisor): Dr Alison Alderson (University of Bradford; October 2007 to August 2011). Project: Structural and functional aspects of myopia in young adults: an investigation of nearwork-induced transient myopia and accommodation in relation to refractive stability (funded by the College of Optometrists, UK).

PhD (co-supervisor): Dr Phillip Buckhurst (October 2007 to January 2011). Project: Evaluation of modern intraocular lenses (funded by Aston University).

PhD (principal supervisor): Dr Amy Louise Sheppard (October 2007 to September 2010). Project: In vivo analysis of ocular morphological changes during phakic accommodation (funded by Bausch & Lomb, USA).

PhD (principal supervisor): Dr George Anthony Gibson (October 2005 to November 2008). Project: Theoretical and empirical evaluation of ocular accommodation in phakic and pseudophakic eyes (funded by the EPSRC and Bausch & Lomb, UK).

Post Doctoral Research Fellow (co-supervisor): Dr Hannah Bartlett (2005 to 2007). Project: Ocular biometric correlates (funded by the Hoya corporation, Japan).

Refereed publications

(35) Beasley, I. G. and Davies, L. N. (2012). Visual stress symptoms secondary to stroke alleviated with spectral filters and precision tinted ophthalmic lenses: a case report. Clinical and Experimental Optometry (under review).

(34) Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S., Naroo, S. A., Davies, L. N., Bhogal, G., Kipuloti, A. and Shah, S. (2012). Multifocal intraocular lens differentiation using defocus curves. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (under review).

(33) Shah, S., Sheppard, A. L., Castle, J., Baker, D., Buckhurst, P. J., Naroo, S. A., Davies, L. N. and Wolffsohn, J. S. (2012). Refractive outcomes of laser epithelial keratomileusis for myopia, hyperopia and stigmatism using a 213 nm wavelength solid-state laser. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (in press).

(32) Alderson, A., Davies, L. N., Mallen E. A. H. and Sheppard, A. L. (2012). Profiling biometric changes during disaccommodation. Optometry and Vision Science (in press).

(31) Beasley, I. G. and Davies, L. N. (2012). Susceptibility to pattern glare following stroke. Journal of Neurology Jan 31. [Epub ahead of print]

(30) Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S., Gupta, N., Naroo, S. A., Davies, L. N. and Shah, S. (2012). Development of a Questionnaire to assess the relative subjective benefits of presbyopia correction. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 38, 74-79.

(29) Wolffsohn, J.S., Sheppard, A. L., Vakani, S. and Davies, L.N. (2011). Accommodative amplitude required for sustained near work. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 31, 480-486.

(28) Sheppard, A. L., Evans, C. J., Singh, K. D., Wolffsohn, J. S., Dunne, M. C. M. and Davies, L. N. (2011). Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of the phakic crystalline lens during accommodation. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 52, 3689-3697.

(27) Sheppard, A. L. and Davies, L. N. (2011). The effect of ageing on in vivo human ciliary muscle morphology and contractility. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 52, 1809-1816.

(26) Wolffsohn, J. S., Buckhurst, P. J., Davies, L. N., Naroo, S. A., Gibson, G. A., Gupta, N., Craig, J. and Shah, S. (2011). Evaluation of an open-field autorefractor’s potential to assess objective accommodation in pseudophakes. British Journal of Ophthalmology 95, 498-501.

(25) Armstrong, R. A., Davies, L. N., Dunne, M. C. M. and Gilmartin, B. (2011). Statistical guidelines for clinical studies of human vision. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 31, 123-136.

(24) Sheppard, A. L. and Davies, L. N. (2010). In vivo analysis of ciliary muscle morphological changes with accommodation and axial ametropia. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 51, 6882-6889.

(23) Wolffsohn, J. S., Davies, L. N., Gupta, N., Naroo S. A., Gibson G. A., Mihashi, T. and Shah S. (2010). Mechanism of action of the Tetraflex KH3500 ‘accommodative’ intraocular lens. Journal of Refractive Surgery 26, 858-62.

(22) Sheppard, A. L., Bashir, A., Wolffsohn, J. S. and Davies, L. N. (2010). Accommodating intraocular lenses: a review of design concepts, usage and assessment methods. Clinical and Experimental Optometry 93, 441-452.

(21) Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S., Davies, L. N. and Naroo, S. A. (2010). Surgical correction of astigmatism during cataract surgery. Clinical and Experimental Optometry 93, 409-418.

(20) Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S., Naroo, S. A. and Davies, L. N. (2010). Rotational and centration stability of an aspheric intraocular lens with a simulated toric design. Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 36, 1523-1528.

(19) Davies, L. N., Dunne, M. C. M., Gibson, G. A. and Wolffsohn, J. S. (2010). Vergence analysis reveals the influence of axial distances on accommodation with age and ametropia. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 30, 371-378.

(18) Sheppard, A. L. and Davies, L. N. (2010). Clinical evaluation of the Grand Seiko Auto Ref/ Keratometer WAM-550. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 30, 143-151.

(17) Davies, L. N. and Mallen, E. A. H. (2009). Influence of accommodation and refractive status on the peripheral refractive profile. British Journal of Ophthalmology 93, 1186-90.

(16) Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S. Shah, S., Naroo, S. A., Davies L. N. and Berrow, E. (2009). A new optical low coherence reflectometry device for ocular biometry in cataract patients. British Journal of Ophthalmology 93, 949-53.

(15) Davies, L. N., Wolffsohn, J. S. and Gilmartin, B. (2009). Autonomic correlates of ocular accommodation and cardiovascular function. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 29, 427-435.

(14) Sheppard, A. L., Dunne, M. C. M., Wolffsohn, J. S. and Davies, L. N. (2008). Theoretical evaluation of the cataract extraction-refraction-implantation techniques for intraocular lens power calculation. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 28, 568-576.

(13) Chisholm, C., Rauscher, F., Crabb, D., Davies, L. N., Dunne, M., Edgar, D., Harlow, A., James-Galton, M., Petzold, A., Phelps, N., Plant, G., Underwood, G., Viswanathan, A. and Barbur, J. (2008). Assessing Visual Fields for Driving in Patients with Paracentral Scotomata. British Journal of Ophthalmology 92, 225-230.

(12) Dunne, M. C. M., Davies, L. N. and Wolffsohn, J.S. (2007). Accuracy of cornea and lens biometry using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography. Journal of Biomedical Optics 12(6): 064023.

(11) Wolffsohn, J. S. and Davies, L. N. (2007). Recent advances in ocular imaging. Expert Review of Ophthalmology 2, 755-767.

(10) Gupta, N., Wolffsohn, J. S., Naroo, S. A., Davies, L. N., Gibson, G. A. and Shah, S. (2007). Development of a near activity visual questionnaire to assess accommodating intraocular lenses. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye 30, 134-143.

(9) Wolffsohn, J. S. and Davies, L. N. (2007). Advances in anterior segment imaging. Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 18, 32-38.

(8) Davies, L. N., Bartlett, H., Mallen, E. A. H. and Wolffsohn, J. S. (2006). Clinical evaluation of rebound tonometer. Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica 84, 206-209.

(7) Bartlett, H., Davies, L. N. and Eperjesi, F. (2005). The macular mapping test: a reliability study. BMC Ophthalmology 5, 18.

(6) Davies, L. N., Wolffsohn, J. S. and Gilmartin, B. (2005). Cognition, ocular accommodation, and cardiovascular function in emmetropes and late-onset myopes. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 46, 1791-1796.

(5) Logan, N. S., Davies, L. N., Mallen, E. A. H. and Gilmartin, B. (2005). Ametropia and ocular biometry in a United Kingdom university student population. Optometry and Vision Science 82, 261-266.

(4) Dunne, M. C. M., Davies, L. N., Mallen, E. A. H., Kirschkamp, T. and Barry, J. C. (2005). Non-invasive phakometric measurement of corneal and crystalline lens alignment in human eyes. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 25, 143-152.

(3) Bartlett, H., Davies, L. N. and Eperjesi, F. (2004). Reliability, normative data, and the effect of age-related macular disease on the Eger Macular Stressometer. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 24, 594-599.

(2) Davies, L. N., Bartlett, H. E. and Dunne, M. C. M. (2004). Cling film as a barrier against CJD in Goldmann-type applanation tonometry. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 24, 27-34.

(1) Davies, L. N., Mallen, E. A. H., Wolffsohn, J. S. and Gilmartin, B. (2003). Clinical evaluation of the Shin-Nippon NVision-K 5001/Grand Seiko 5100-K autorefractor. Optometry and Vision Science 80, 320-324.

Abstracts (2011-)

Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S., Shah, S., Naroo, S. A. and Davies, L. N. (2011). Evaluation of Dysphotopsia with Multifocal Intraocular Lenses. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. E-Abstract 6185.  

Wolffsohn, J. S., Buckhurst, P. J., Shah, S., Naroo, S. A. and Davies, L. N. (2011). Evaluation of Multifocal Intraocular Lens Defocus Curves. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. E-Abstract 4772.    

Shah, S., Buckhurst, P. J., Wolffsohn, J. S., Naroo, S. A. and Davies, L. N. (2011). Evaluation Of Reading Ability And Near Vision Satisfaction. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. E-Abstract 5564.    

Sheppard, A. L., Alderson, A., Davies, L. N. and Mallen, E. A. (2011). Application Of High Resolution Low Coherence Reflectometry To Track Ocular Biometric Changes During Disaccommodation. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. E-Abstract 819.   

Sheppard, A. L., Evans, C. J., Singh, K. D. and Davies, L. N. (2011). In vivo 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging of the human crystaline lens during accommodation. Proceedings of the College of Optometrists Research Symposium, Liverpool, UK. 

Murphy, P. J., Cochrane, A. J. S., Davies, L. N., O’Donnell, C., Pearce, E. I. and Fletcher, E. (2011). Why optometry?  An investigation of motivating factors in student choice of optometry as a career. Proceedings of the College of Optometrists Research Symposium, Liverpool, UK.