Dr Colin Fowler

Career History

1968: BSc (2:1) University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology

1968-69: Pre-registration optician, Oxford Eye Hospital

1969: Fellow of the British Optical Association (Prize winner)

1969: Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers

1969: Private practice in Luton

1970-72: Research student, Aston University

1973-95: Lecturer in Optometry

1980: Foundation Fellow of the College of Optometrists

1985: PhD for thesis on ‘Aspheric single vision spectacle lenses for aphakia’

1990: Senior Tutor, Department of Vision Sciences, Aston University

1995: Senior Lecturer, Department of Vision Sciences, Aston University

2001-04: Director of Undergraduate Studies, Optometry, Aston University

2004-06: Director of Undergraduate Programmes, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University

Professional and Clinical activities

• Examiner for the British Optical Association 1973-1979, Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (1973-1979), British College of Optometrists 1980-present.
• Past chairman of BSI committee 'Ophthalmic Optics', and ISO/CEN working party on 'Ophthalmic Nomenclature'.
• Visiting optometrist, Birmingham and Midland Eye Hospital low vision clinic since 1974-1995
• Member of the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary medical Advisory Panel on Vision and Visual Disorders 2003-
• Chairman, Birmingham Low Vision Services Committee 2002-

Research Interests

Ophthalmic optics – progressive lens design, low vision

Selected Publications (Since 2001)

Fowler, C.W. Transverse chromatic aberration in progressive addition spectacle lenses, in Vision Science and Its Applications,OSA Technical Digest (Optical Society of America, WashingtonDC,2001), 132-135 (2001)

Fowler, C. and Latham Petre, K. Spectacle lenses theory and practice. Butterworth-Heinemann,Oxford. (2001)

Fowler,C..Thompson. A and Bartlam, E. A wearer trial of two rear surfaceprogressive addition spectacle lenses.Optometry in Practice Vol 3 51-53 (2002)

Eperjesi F, Fowler CW, Evans BJ. Do tinted lenses or filters improve visual performance in low vision? A review of the literature. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. Jan;22(1):68-77 (2002)

Eperjesi F, Fowler CW, Evans BJ. Effect of light filters on reading speed in normal and low vision due to age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. Jan;24(1):17-25. (2004)

Fowler C.W. Do aberrations of single vision lenses really matter? Clin. Exp.Optom. (in press)

Eperjesi F., Fowler C.W., Evans B.J. The effects of coloured light filter overlays on reading rates in age-related macular degeneration. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. Dec;82(6):695-700 (2004)

Fowler C.W. Technical note: apparatus for comparison of progressive addition spectacle lenses. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. Sep;26(5):502-6 (2006)

Peterson R.C., Wolffsohn J.S., Fowler C.W. Optimization of anterior eye fluorescein viewing. Am J Ophthalmol. Oct;142(4):572-5 (2006)