Raising the bar: vision science takes a trip to the pub

The latest developments in eye health research will be discussed at an unlikely establishment this week – the pub.

The Pint of Science festival (14-16 May) will involve experts sharing their research in a diverse range of fields at pubs across the UK.

Eye health research will be discussed at a London event run in partnership with research charity, Fight for Sight, on 16 May (7.30pm, The Angel).

Professor Bruce Evans will describe how the prevalence of short-sightedness has doubled in the UK over the past half-century in his presentation Why we must stop being short-sighted about the “global epidemic” of short-sightedness.

Professor Evans will be followed by Moorfields Eye Hospital’s Dr Adam Dubis, who will deliver his presentation Looking at the Brain, through the window of the eye.

Another Fight for Sight event will be held at Leamington Spa on 16 May (7.30pm, The Royal Pug).

University of Birmingham’s Professor Liam Grover will discuss new technologies to prevent blindness following damage to the eye, while fellow University of Birmingham academic, Dr Graham Wallace, will describe how sequencing the genome of Neanderthals gave new insight into Behcet’s Disease.

A third talk run by Fight for Sight in Southampton (17 May, 7pm, Stein Garten) will examine the role of inflammation in age-related vision loss, abnormal retinal development in those with albinism and the genetics of eye disease.

Speakers include consultant ophthalmologist, Jay Self, NIHR academic clinical lecturer, Helena Lee and University of Southampton Professor of Experimental Neuroimmunology, Jessica Teeling.