Head Orthoptist/ NIHR Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Alison is Head of Orthoptics and Low vision services at Bradford Teaching Hospitals. She joined Bradford Teaching Hospitals in 1988. Applying research into clinical practice has been a central aim throughout her career and she has been awarded two prestigious National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) fellowships. She completed her PhD, investigating the Structural Integrity of Eyes Diagnosed with Amblyopia in 2010 with the University of Bradford. The title of her PhD was “The structural integrity of the retina in amblyopia”.
In 2013 (Round 6) Alison was further awarded a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) post-doctoral research fellowship to support her investigation of “The impact of amblyopia on health and literacy.” She has linked clinical and epidemiological data from the Born in Bradford birth cohort study in order to perform a longitudinal observational study examining the association between vision and early developing literacy in young children. Her research programme has additionally focused on access to health care and adherence to treatment using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
She is Principle Investigator for three multi-centre studies in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the University of Leicester.
Publications
Bruce A. Visual Impairment and the Risk of Mortality: addressing complex associations. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 2016; doi:10.1136/jech-2016-207580
Bruce A and Santorelli G. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Strabismus in a UK Multi-ethnic Birth Cohort. Strabismus 2016;24(4):153-160
Bruce A, Fairley F, Chambers B, Wright J and Sheldon TA. The Impact of Visual Acuity on Developing Literacy at age 4-5 years: a cohort nested cross sectional study. BMJ Open 2016;6:e010434 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010434
Pilling RF, Outhwaite L and Bruce A. Assessing visual function in children with complex disabilities: the Bradford visual function box. Br J Ophthalmol 2015;0:1–4. doi:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2015-307558
Bruce A and Outhwaite L. Uptake, referral and attendance: Results from an inner city school based vision screening programme. Br Ir Orthopt J 2013; 10: 42-46
Bruce A, Pacey I, Bradbury JA, Scally A and Barrett BT. Bilateral Changes in Foveal Structure in Individuals with Amblyopia. Ophthalmology 2013 Feb;120(2):395-403.
Bruce A, Pacey I, Dharni P, Scally A and Barrett B. T. Repeatability and Reproducibility of Macular Thickness Measurements using Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography. Open Ophthalmol J. 2009;3:10-14
Bruce A and Sutcliffe M. British and Irish Orthoptic Society Competency Standards (2006) – Extended Role. Section 9 Low Vision Assessment and Low Vision Aids 2006. www.orthoptics.org.uk/standards
Mulley L and Bruce, A. Results of a new school-screening programme. Transactions of 28th meeting of European Strabismological Association 2003;3-5.
Bruce A. and Bradbury JA. Amblyopia & visual impairment, the effect on visual function. Transactions of 26th meeting of European Strabismological Association 2000;7-9.
Bruce, A., Hurst M.A., Abbott H., Harrison H. The incidence of refractive error and anomalies of binocular vision in infants. British Orthoptic Journal 1991;48, 32-35.
Correspondence:
Bruce A. Ref.: Correspondence (Letters/Replies) 2016-1192. Re: Holden et al.: Global Prevalence of Myopia. Ophthalmology 2017 Mar;124(3):e24-e5.