Welcome to the homepage of the Department of Vision Sciences. For those who are unfamiliar with Vision Sciences, this interdisciplinary field draws from the wide range of scientific disciplines required for the study of visual processing and disease. It includes such disciplines as optics, biophysics, anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, cognitive science, microbiology, physiology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, imaging, genetics, immunology, computational neuroscience, and visual perception.
The faculty of the Department of Vision Sciences have an uncompromising commitment to their research. An abbreviated list of our major departmental research areas are listed below:
Basic Research
- Corneal Biochemistry
- Tear Biochemistry
- Retinal anatomy and physiology
- Eye movement control
- Central Visual Processing
- Animal Models of Myopia
- Visual Psychophysics
- Magnetic resonance imaging
| Translational Research
- Cataract formation
- Glaucoma
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Diabetic retinopathy
|
As evidence of the caliber of our research efforts, in 2007, the faculty received four million dollars in extramural funding.
In addition to research, faculty members in the Department of Vision Sciences provide instruction to optometry, medical and dental students, to graduate students in the Vision Science Graduate Program, and to other graduate and undergraduate programs. In 2006 and 2007, Vision Sciences Faculty members received the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In all, since its inception, six Vision Sciences Faculty members have received the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
As part of their service responsibilities, Vision Sciences faculty members serve nationally and internationally through professional organizations and collaborations, by presenting invited seminars, as members of study sections, and as grant and manuscript reviewers. They also serve locally and statewide by speaking to school groups and service organizations.
I hope you find the information at our website useful and informative. If there is any additional information that you would like to receive, please contact us.