Dr Rufai speaks from a podium with a large screen behind him showing slides.

Congratulations, team Leicester

Leicester research team awarded prestigious prize from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists

Image credit: Royal College of Ophthalmologists

A team of specialist eye doctors at the University of Leicester have received a national award for their work, which will improve diagnosis and management for children with nystagmus. The study was jointly funded by the Nystagmus Network and Fight for Sight.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has awarded the prestigious Ulverscroft David Owen prize to Dr Sohaib Rufai, NIHR Doctoral Fellow in Ophthalmology and his colleagues at the University of Leicester Ulverscroft Eye Unit.

Dr Rufai’s team were the first in the world to use handheld OCT to predict successfully the future vision of young children with congenital nystagmus.

On receiving the prize, Dr Rufai said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this award on behalf of my team. I’m grateful to my mentors and colleagues at Leicester: Professor Irene Gottlob, Dr Mervyn Thomas and Dr Frank Proudlock. … We dedicate this prize to the wonderful children and families who supported this research.”

Read the full story on the University of Leicester website

Barry Smith head shot

How your eyes help with balance

People living with nystagmus often experience dizziness and problems with balance. In his radio programme ‘The Uncommon Senses’, Barry Smith explores the senses involved in balance and why our vision is so important.

A journey into the human multi-sensory experience, with philosopher Barry Smith and sound artist Nick Ryan. In this episode, we look at the intricacies involved in standing up. For thousands of years people thought we had 5 senses, now it’s believed we have up to 33. In this new series, philosopher Barry Smith and sound artist Nick Ryan take us into the extraordinary world of sensory perception. Barry Smith explores how ballet dancers can whirl around like spinning tops, and why the classic ‘drunk driver’ test works. And we examine the strange workings of the 3 senses involved in the simple task of getting to our feet: vision, vestibular, and proprioception, and ask what happens when they go wrong.

Listen to the programme on BBC Sounds here