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Aston University study reveals the illusion of ‘dazzle’ paint on World War I battleships
The Zealandia in wartime dazzle paint. Image: Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons Geometric ‘dazzle’ camouflage was used on ships in WWI to confuse enemy onlookers as to the direction and speed of the ship Timothy Meese and Samantha Strong reanalysed historic data from 1919 and found that the ‘horizon effect’ is more effective for confusion When viewing a ship at distance, it often appears to be travelling along the horizon, regardless of its actual direction of travel – this is the ‘horizon effect’. A new analysis of 105-year-old data on the effectiveness of ‘dazzle’ camouflage on battleships in World War I by Aston University researchers Professor Tim Meese and Dr Samantha Strong has found that while dazzle had some effect, the ‘horizon effect’ had far more influence when it came to confusing the enemy. During World War I, navies experimented with painting ships with ‘dazzle’ camouflage – geometric shapes and stripes – in an attempt to confuse U-boat captains as to the speed and direction of travel of the ships and make them harder to attack. The separate ‘horizon effect’ is when a person looks at a ship in the distance, and it appears to be travelling along the horizon, regardless of its actual direction of travel. Ships travelling at an angle of up to 25° relative to the horizon appear to be travelling directly along it. Even with those at a greater angle to the horizon, onlookers significantly underestimate the angle. Despite widespread use of dazzle camouflage, it was not until 1919 that a proper, quantitative study was carried out, by MIT naval architecture and marine engineering student Leo Blodgett for his degree thesis. He painted model ships in dazzle patterns and placed them in a mechanical test theatre with a periscope, like those used by U-boat captains, to measure how much onlookers’ estimations of the ships’ direction of travel deviated from their actual direction of travel. Professor Meese and Dr Strong realised that while the data collected by Blodgett was useful, his methods of experimental design fell short of modern standards. He’d found that dazzle camouflage worked, but the Aston University team suspected that dazzle alone was not responsible for the results seen, cleaned the data and designed new analysis to better understand what it really shows. Dr Strong, a senior lecturer at Aston University’s School of Optometry, said: “It's necessary to have a control condition to draw firm conclusions, and Blodgett's report of his own control was too vague to be useful. We ran our own version of the experiment using photographs from his thesis and compared the results across the original dazzle camouflage versions and versions with the camouflage edited out. Our experiment worked well. Both types of ships produced the horizon effect, but the dazzle imposed an additional twist.” If the errors made by the onlookers in the perceived direction of travel of the ship were entirely due to the ‘twist’ on perspective caused by dazzle paintwork, the bow, or front, of the ship, would always be seen to twist away from its true direction. However, Professor Meese and Dr Strong instead showed that when the true direction was pointing away from the observer, the bow was often perceived to twist towards the observer instead. Their detailed analysis showed a small effect of twist from the dazzle camouflage but a much larger one from the horizon effect. Sometimes these effects were in competition, sometimes in harmony. Professor Meese, a professor of vision science at the School of Optometry, said: “We knew already about the twist and horizon effects from contemporary computer-based work with colleagues at Abertay University. The remarkable finding here is that these same two effects, in similar proportions, are clearly evident in participants familiar with the art of camouflage deception, including a lieutenant in a European navy. This adds considerable credibility to our earlier conclusions by showing that the horizon effect – which has nothing to do with dazzle – was not overcome by those best placed to know better. “This is a clear case where visual perception is more powerful than knowledge. In fact, back in the dazzle days, the horizon effect was not identified at all, and Blodgett's measurements of perceptual bias were attributed entirely to the camouflage, deceiving the deceivers.” Professor Meese and Dr Strong say that more work is required to fully understand how dazzle might have increased perceptual uncertainty of direction and speed but also the geometry behind torpedo-aiming tactics that might have supported some countermeasures. Visit https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695241312316 to read the full paper in i-Perception.
Aston University optometrists take up global industry association roles
Professor Nicola Logan has been named a global myopia management ambassador by the World Council of Optometry Dr Debarun Dutta is the new academic chair of the British Contact Lens Association Aston University School of Optometry is ranked in the top 10 for research in the Complete University Guide 2024 Professor Nicola Logan and Dr Debarun Dutta from Aston University’s School of Optometry have both been appointed to major roles within optometry industry associations. The School of Optometry is regularly ranked highly by both leading national ranking publications and in annual student-led surveys. This includes a top 10 ranking for research and a top five ranking for graduate prospects in the Complete University Guide 2024, and first in the UK for student/staff ratio in health professions (optometry) in the Guardian University Guide 2024. Professor Logan, professor of optometry and physiological optics and deputy head of the School, has been named a global myopia management ambassador by the World Council of Optometry (WCO). She is one of four new ambassadors named by the WCO in collaboration with CooperVision, a leading myopia management company. WCO and CooperVision have developed a myopia management online tool which reflects WCO’s global standard of myopia care. In March 2024, Professor Logan presented her inaugural lecture at Aston University on her research into the nature of myopia, the growing evidence base on strategies to control eye growth in children and translation of these findings to clinical practice. She said about her appointment as an ambassador: “I am thrilled to be appointed as the global myopia management ambassador for the World Council of Optometry. This role provides me with a valuable platform to advance the recognition of myopia as a significant public health concern and to facilitate the translation of research into effective, evidence-based clinical practice strategies for children with myopia.” Dr Dutta, a lecturer in optometry, has been appointed the new academic chair of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA). He will lead the BCLA’s academic output, including offering guidance and advice to the BCLA council about scientific and academic elements of contact lenses. Dr Dutta will initially work alongside current academic chair, Professor James Wolffsohn, Aston University’s head of optometry, who is currently on sabbatical from the University, before taking over when Professor Wolffsohn steps down in 2025. Dr Dutta said: “I am hugely excited at the prospect of delivering academic provision of the British Contact Lens Association, with a specific focus on a highly prestigious conference programme as we grow our reputation as a global leader in contact lens and anterior eye education. This is a rare opportunity to work alongside our association members, fellows, trustees, global ambassadors and volunteers inspiring a new era for the BCLA, and to support our growth and development ambitions through delivery of educational activities within the contact lens and anterior eye specialism.”
Professor Leon Davies is interim head of the School of Optometry at Aston University He completes his two-year term as president of the College of Optometrists in April 2024 Professor Davies will formally take on his new role at the College of Optometrists’ annual general meeting on 29 April 2024. Professor Leon Davies, interim head of the School of Optometry at Aston University, has been appointed chair of the Board of Trustees at the College of Optometrists. The College of Optometrists is the UK’s professional body for optometry, and as well as representing its members, seeks to develop knowledge and skills in the field, define good optometric practice, support optical research and innovation and educate the public on eye health. Professor Davies has served as a council member and trustee at the College for nine years and began a two-year term as president in 2022. He will formally take on the role of chair at the College of Optometrists’ annual general meeting on 29 April 2024. His term as president will end at this time, and he will also become immediate past president. The Board of Trustees exists to ensure that the College of Optometrists meets its financial and legal responsibilities as a chartered body with charitable status and works with the chief executive to set the College’s strategy and policies. As chair, Professor Davies will help to guide the College’s strategic direction, foster collaboration and ensure effective governance. Professor Davies said: “I am delighted to have been appointed chair of the Board of Trustees at the College of Optometrists at an important time for the College, its members and the wider optometry profession. I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees and senior leaders at the College to define and achieve our strategic aims for the benefit of our members and the patients they serve.”
New research sheds light on how human vision perceives scale
Researchers from Aston University and the University of York have discovered new insights into how the human brain makes perceptual judgements of the external world. The study, published on 8 May in the journal PLOS One, explored the computational mechanisms used by the human brain to perceive the size of objects in the world around us. The research, led by Professor Tim Meese, in the School of Optometry at Aston University and Dr Daniel Baker in the Department of Psychology at University of York, tells us more about how our visual system can exploit ‘defocus blur’ to infer perceptual scale, but that it does so crudely. It is well known that to derive object size from retinal image size, our visual system needs to estimate the distance to the object. The retinal image contains many pictorial cues, such as linear perspective, which help the system derive the relative size of objects. However, to derive absolute size, the system needs to know about spatial scale. By taking account of defocus blur, like the blurry parts of an image outside the depth of focus of a camera, the visual system can achieve this. The maths behind this has been well worked out by others, but the study asked the question: does human vision exploit this maths? The research team presented participants with photographic pairs of full-scale railway scenes subject to various artificial blur treatments and small-scale models of railway scenes taken with a long exposure and small aperture to diminish defocus blur. The task was to detect which photograph in each pair was the real full-scale scene. When the artificial blur was appropriately oriented with the ground plane (the horizontal plane representing the ground on which the viewer is standing) in the full-scale scenes, participants were fooled and believed the small models to be the full-scale scenes. Remarkably, this did not require the application of realistic gradients of blur. Simple uniform bands of blur at the top and bottom of the photographs achieved almost equivalent miniaturisation effects. Tim Meese, professor of vision science at Aston University, said: "Our results indicate that human vision can exploit defocus blur to infer perceptual scale but that it does this crudely – more a heuristic than a metrical analysis. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the computational mechanisms used by the human brain in perceptual judgments about the relation between ourselves and the external world." Daniel Baker, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of York, said: "These findings demonstrate that our perception of size is not perfect and can be influenced by other properties of a scene. It also highlights the remarkable adaptability of the visual system. This might have relevance for understanding the computational principles underlying our perception of the world. For example, when judging the size and distance of hazards when driving.”
Aston University teams up with eye care provider to reduce NHS patient backlog
Aston University and Eye Docs Ltd enter Knowledge Transfer Partnership to establish new shared-care regimes for eye care patients The new model will help patients access Eye Docs surgeons It will help reduce NHS waiting lists, outpatient clinic backlogs, improve patient care and deliver profits of over £8.8 million Aston University has teamed up with private ophthalmic services clinic, Eye Docs, to undertake a 32-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), to help clear NHS surgery waiting-lists and outpatient backlogs. In the West Midlands, average NHS waiting times have increased to over 12 months due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with waiting list contracts ranging from 100 to 1,500 patients. A cross-disciplinary team from Aston University’s School of Optometry and Aston Business School will work with West Midlands-based company Eye Docs to create a ‘shared-care’ model as part of the KTP. A KTP is a three-way collaboration between a business, an academic partner and a highly qualified researcher, known as a KTP associate. The working model will encompass clinical optometry and management science expertise to identify which patient appointments could be undertaken in community practices and which need to be seen by Eye Docs surgeons. It is hoped this way of working will also help reduce pressure on the NHS - creating a more efficient and cost-effective model that will benefit all stakeholders from patients to clinicians. The Aston University team will be led by Professor Shehzad Naroo, professor of optometry, who brings expertise in leading multidisciplinary groups and managing projects that improve eye care service delivery. Professor Naroo has a long history of working with private clinics to improve delivery of eye care, increasing efficiency and widening the role of private clinics to support the NHS. He will be supported by Professor Prasanta Dey, professor in operations and information management, whose research interests are in project management, service operations management, supply chain management and applications of multi-criteria decision making in industry. Completing the team will be Dr Yang Zhao, senior lecturer in operations and information management, whose research interests are in business model design, digital business models, platform business models, digital innovation, digital healthcare and digitalisation in aging societies. Professor Shehzad Naroo, professor of optometry at Aston University, said: “It is a privilege to be involved in this KTP, which will enable Eye Docs to increase patient numbers to fully utilise theatre capacity by receiving more surgical referrals from local optometrists. “We’re thrilled to be able to help Eye Docs to offer community-based services to patients and help to reduce the burden on the NHS.” Professor Shah, consultant ophthalmic surgeon and co-owner of Eye Docs, said: “This partnership will allow us to adopt the latest research and expertise from a world-leading academic institute to develop new patient pathways and shared-care regimes, enabling us to grow our business and profitability, develop new services and improve patient care. “Working with a multidisciplinary team of clinical and business experts from Aston University will help us to achieve the aims of this project.”
Professor James Wolffsohn and Dr Sònia Travé Huarte in collaboration with NuVision won the Medilink Business Award 2023 for a Partnership between Academia and Business The optometry researchers were recognised with an award for their partnership with a company that develops treatments for ocular diseases The collaboration has directly benefitted patients and enhanced global research knowledge. Researchers in the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences at Aston University have been recognised with an award for their partnership work with NuVision, a company that develops treatments for ocular diseases Professor James Wolffsohn and Dr Sònia Travé Huarte recieved the Medilink Business Award 2023 for a Partnership between Academia and Business at a prestigious ceremony held on 16 March in the Great Hall at the University of Birmingham. Professor Wolffsohn, who is also the head of the School of Optometry at Aston University, said: “We are delighted to have won this Medilink award in partnership with NuVision. This collaboration has directly benefitted our patients with this common chronic, debilitating disease, has enhanced global research knowledge in dry eye management and enhanced the local economy. The team at NuVision are exceptional and it is a pleasure to continue to innovate with them.” NuVision has an expert team of scientific, clinical and industry professionals dedicated to building innovative ocular biotherapies. It was founded in 2015 based on 15 years of translational research at the University of Nottingham. The company develops ocular biotherapies through research and innovation. The Medilink Midlands Business Awards 2023 are sponsored by the University of Birmingham and the Precision Health Technologies Accelerator Ltd. The awards event saw 13 life science companies based in the East and West Midlands receive awards from Start-Up to Outstanding Achievement. A further six companies received Highly Commended certificates. For more information about the School of Optometry and the Vision Sciences Research Group please visit our website.
Optometry professor recognised for excellence in research at awards ceremony
Professor James Wolffsohn recognised for research excellence at London awards ceremony Professor Wolffsohn specialises in myopia management, dry eye disease and contact lenses research Excellence in eye care event is hosted by the Association of Optometrists. A world leading optometrist from Aston University has been recognised for his research excellence in the field of optometry specialising in myopia management, dry eye disease and contact lenses research. Professor James Wolffsohn was the recipient of the Recognising Research Excellence award on Sunday (26 February) at the Excellence in eye care event in London - hosted by the Association of Optometrists. Professor Wolffsohn, who is also the head of the School of Optometry said: “I was very surprised and truly honoured. It is lovely to have my research recognised.” “I have always been driven by wanting to know more. I think research is important because you want healthcare professionals to be working at the cutting edge and using techniques that are proven to work without bias.” James’s first experience of research occurred during his pre-reg placement at Moorfields Eye Hospital. He said: “They had a project on automatic teller machines – bank machines were fairly new and we were working for a major bank on the optimum colour combinations for people with visual impairment.” James went on to complete his doctorate in ocular motor research at Cardiff University, before travelling to Australia to work as a researcher at the University of Melbourne. During this time, Professor Wolffsohn continued to work in practice and would fly into the outback to provide low vision services to remote communities. Since returning to Aston University in 2000, he has worked in a variety of different academic roles – including as head of department across three different disciplines. “I will rarely turn down a collaborative proposal if there is an opportunity to make a difference to evidence-based clinical practice,” Wolffsohn said. James is also passionate about ensuring that scientific discoveries result in tangible change for patients. Three spin-out companies have been developed on the basis of research he has contributed to at Aston University. Alongside research and academic roles, Professor Wolffsohn continues to work a half-day in clinic each week. He has also played an influential role in spearheading consensus among the profession on evolving scientific fields, from myopia management to dry eye disease. James led the diagnostic committee for the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society DEWS II report and chaired the Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic reports of the British Contact Lens Association. For more information about the School of Optometry and the Vision Sciences Research Group please visit our website.
Specsavers hearing clinic officially opened at Aston University on World Hearing Day
• Hearing clinic celebrates official opening to students, staff and NHS referrals on Friday 3 March • Training of audiology students is supported by on-site clinic • Free hearing tests made available in partnership with Specsavers. A new hearing clinic in partnership with Specsavers at Aston University celebrated World Hearing Day (Friday 3 March) with an official opening and drinks reception at its new clinic. Staff from both Specsavers and Aston University’s audiology department met to officially open the clinic and look around the facilities based in the School of Optometry. Both parties discussed the benefits of having a hearing clinic on campus and reflected on the positive impact the clinic is having on students and patients. The clinic, which is situated on the ground floor in the Optometry building on the University campus in Birmingham city centre, is run in partnership with Specsavers and offers hearing tests for free to students, staff and members of the public, while supporting the training of Aston University audiology students. As well as providing hearing tests, the clinic can dispense hearing aids and offer counselling and advice alongside a full aftercare package. The team also advises people on personalised noise protection and ear plugs for swimming. Specsavers is a key partner of Aston University, with graduates from both audiology and optometry going on to work for them. Last year, 62% of students who were placed in Specsavers clinics for support and training applied for jobs on graduation and got to interview. Of those interviewed, 61% are now employed by Specsavers. Claire Wilkes, audiology programme director at Aston University, said: “We cannot wait to see what comes next in this wonderful journey. So far the clinic has had a lot of interest and uptake of hearing appointments. We are delighted to be working alongside Specsavers. “Many of our students undertake work placements with the company, so we are very happy we’ve been able to grow our partnership further by opening this clinic on campus.” Humah Zaheer, Specsavers audiology director, who runs the clinic added: “I’m delighted to be involved in this initiative. As an Aston University audiology graduate from 2014 it feels like I’ve come full circle. Being able to offer students an insight into the ‘real’ world of audiology, as well as Specsavers, is a fantastic experience for their career development. “We’ve also been bowled over with the response from the public and are looking to expand the number of days we open the clinic from next year.” The hearing clinic on campus enables students to practice their clinical and communication skills in preparation for long term work placements off campus. The skills lab equipment mimics equipment in the NHS, helping students better prepare for placements. To find out more or book an appointment visit our website.
Optometry researchers to improve understanding of short sightedness management strategies in kids
• Optometry researchers funded to assess the impact of myopia interventions on vision and visual behaviour in children • Research partnership will improve understanding of myopia management strategies in children • Two-year collaboration between Aston University and industry Researchers at Aston University specialising in myopia - or short sightedness - are starting work on a project with industry partners to better understand how myopia management strategies affect children. The research team based in the College of Health and Life Sciences has secured a £500,000 grant to determine the impact of myopia management interventions on vision and visual behaviour in children, for example, looking at how their vision responds to an intervention such as spectacles when they view objects at different distances. The new grant builds upon the team’s portfolio of research in the field of myopia, where clinical studies are underway with children between the ages of six and 15 years old. The researchers are working on slowing the progression of myopia in children. The interventions under trial include low dose atropine eye drops, contact lenses and spectacle lenses. Myopia is an eye condition where distant objects appear blurry. It typically occurs in childhood and progresses through the teenage years. It can lead to eye disease in later life, as the eye grows longer with myopia, it causes stretching in parts of the eye. Myopia is becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the world and it has been predicted to affect approximately 50 per cent of the world's population by 2050, based on trending myopia prevalence figures. Myopia is an overlooked but leading cause of blindness, particularly among the working age population. The two-year programme of research is being led by an internationally recognised team of academics from the School of Optometry, including Professor Leon Davies, Professor Nicola Logan, Dr Amy Sheppard, and Professor James Wolffsohn. The research grant will also support the appointment of two clinical research optometrists. Professor Leon Davies, professor of optometry and physiological optics at Aston University and president of the College of Optometrists said: “As Aston University has an established, internationally recognised track record in myopia research, we are pleased to be able to continue our work in this area to further our understanding of myopia management strategies for the benefit of patients.” Professor Nicola Logan, professor of optometry and physiological optics, at Aston University added: “As an advocate for evidence-based advancements, this research collaboration will further our scientific understanding of myopia progression. The work will increase our knowledge and better facilitate translation to clinical practice to manage young children more actively with myopia.”
Hearing clinic in partnership with Specsavers opens at Aston University
Hearing clinic opens to students, staff and NHS referrals Training of audiology students is supported by on-site clinic Free hearing tests made available in partnership with Specsavers. A new hearing clinic opened in the School of Optometry at Aston University is providing clinical care to students, staff and members of the public while supporting the training of Aston University audiology students. The clinic, which is situated on the ground floor in the Optometry building on the University campus in Birmingham city centre, is run in partnership with Specsavers and offers hearing tests for free. Aston University's audiology team is working with Specsavers to provide hearing tests, dispense hearing aids and also offer counselling and advice alongside a full aftercare package. The clinic can also advise people on personalised noise protection and ear plugs for swimming. It is open to members of the public and accepts NHS referrals. Claire Wilkes, audiology programme director at Aston University said: “So far the clinic has had a lot of interest and uptake of hearing appointments. We are delighted to be working alongside Specsavers. Many of our students undertake work placements with the company, so we are very happy we’ve been able to grow our partnership further by opening this clinic on campus.” Specsavers is a key partner of Aston University, with graduates from both audiology and optometry going on to work for them. Last year, 62% of students who were placed in Specsavers clinics for support and training applied for jobs on graduation and got to interview. Of those interviewed, 61% are now employed by Specsavers. Humah Zaheer, Specsavers audiology director, who runs the clinic added: “I’m delighted to be involved in this initiative. As an Aston University audiology graduate from 2014 it feels like I’ve come full circle. Being able to offer students an insight into the ‘real’ world of audiology, as well as Specsavers, is a fantastic experience for their career development. “We’ve also been bowled over with the response from the public and are looking to expand the number of days we open the clinic from next year.” The hearing clinic on campus will enable students to practice their clinical and communication skills in preparation for long term work placements off campus. The skills lab equipment mimics equipment in the NHS, helping students better prepare for placements. The hearing clinic is open from 9am until 5pm every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with plans to increase to five days a week in the new year. To find out more or book an appointment visit our website. You can also call 0121 270 7072.