Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences Represents at ARVO 2025

In May, representatives from the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences attended the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA.

From 4–9 May 2025, 14 representatives from the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences (DOVS) attended the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA.

This year’s ARVO conference was the largest to date, attracting over 11,000 attendees from 60 countries, including students, academics, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and industry exhibitors. With a diverse lineup of basic, preclinical, and clinical research, the DOVS delegation made a remarkable impression on the global stage.

Throughout the six-day conference, our researchers showcased groundbreaking work through oral and poster presentations while actively engaging in symposia, panel discussions, and paper sessions. They explored novel technologies, therapies, and emerging areas in vision science, enriching their expertise and forging new international collaborations.

For many of our researchers, ARVO is a familiar academic anchor and a highlight of the year - an opportunity to reconnect with global colleagues and contribute to the ongoing evolution of vision research. For others, it marked a first-time experience sharing their work with an international audience.

Congratulations to our ARVO 2025 presenters:

Oral presentations:

• Prof Laura Downie
  Functional in vivo confocal microscopy (Fun-IVCM): a window to human corneal immune cell morphodynamics
• Dr Phillip Bedggood
  The dark web: exploration of novel tubular structures in the living human retina
• Rajni Rajan
  Fun-IVCM reveals the dynamic in vivo responses of human corneal epithelial cells to an acute hyperosmolar stimulus in post-LASIK eyes: a randomised controlled trial

Poster presentations:

• A/Prof Andrew Anderson
  Exploring the "joy of seeing" for people with healthy vision & people with vision loss
• Dr Ceecee Britten-Jones
  Diagnostic genetic testing for Stickler Syndrome: Indications and genetic profiles
• Dr Ching Yi Wu
  Corneal nerves and immune cells are altered in individuals with multiple sclerosis
• Elise Cichello
  Retinal disease progression in Bietti's crystalline dystrophy: a longitudinal study of crystal morphology and retinal function
• Dr Katerina Kiburg
  The association between self-identified sexual orientation and visual impairment in US NHANES
• Prof Laura Downie
  Defining the in vivo migration patterns of human corneal T cells relative to sensory nerves
• Dr Mengliang Wu
  The impact of type 1 diabetes on human corneal immune cells: a pilot study
• Pooja Nandagopal
  Impact of healthy ageing on spatial suppression of motion and motion segmentation in central and peripheral vision
• Dr Sena Gocuk
  Assessing Cone Contrast Sensitivity Deficits in X-linked Retinal Diseases

We are proud of our DOVS researchers for their strong showing at ARVO 2025 and for their continued work in innovative and impactful research.