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Bradford study explores effects of reduced vision on children’s literacy – Telegraph and Argus Article 10 July 2018

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The following article was published in the Telegraph and Argus on 10th July 2018. It concerns the important research findings of Dr Alison Bruce, regarding visual acuity and literacy levels in primary school children. She found a significant positive association between visual acuity (as measured in the Bradford School’ Vision Screening Programme) and literacy levels.

The research has been published in the British Medical Journal and is also featured in a blog by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In addition, Dr Bruce has been awarded the Council for Allied Health Professions Research Public Health Research award for this study.

Bradford study explores effects of reduced vision on children’s literacy

By Felicity Macnamara  @FelicityM_TandA Reporter

A BRADFORD study has highlighted the impact reduced vision can have on children’s literacy skills.

Dr Alison Bruce, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, based at the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR), investigated the eyesight of 11,186 four and five-year-olds from across 123 schools.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Head Orthoptist, Dr. Alison Bruce

They had their eyesight measured as part of the Bradford school vision screening programme and about 5,000 of them also had assessments of their early reading ability.

Research to compare and contrast the children’s eye test against their literacy levels during their reception year began in the city in November 2013 and also drew upon data from the Born in Bradford study.

Her work, which found that children who wear glasses see their vision improve at almost twice the rate of those who fail to wear their glasses at school, has been published in this month’s British Medical Journal.

Dr Bruce, Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Head Orthoptist, said: “Early literacy is associated with the level of visual acuity (VA); children who adhere to spectacle wear improve their VA also have the potential to improve literacy. Our results suggest failure to adhere to spectacle wear has implications for the child’s vision and education.

“It sounds straightforward but up until my research there was no concrete evidence to back up these statements.”

She has now been awarded the Council for Allied Health Professions Research Public Health Research award for the study.

The accolade recognises and rewards outstanding research and Dr Bruce will now present her findings to the country’s policy makers and NHS chiefs at Public Health England’s Annual Conference 2018 at the University of Warwick on September 11 and 12.

“I am delighted to have received this award – once again it puts Bradford Hospitals and Born in Bradford’s allied health professionals’ research on the national agenda,” Dr Bruce said.

“Presenting my research at the conference gives me a great opportunity to shout about what we are doing and the research coming out of the BIHR, and particularly public health research that nationally will have an effect on clinical practice and potentially future NHS policies in the years to come.”

It’s not the first time Dr Bruce has received an accolade for her work. In 2016, she was presented with the Royal Society of Medicine’s Squint Forum Prize for her ground-breaking research.

children’s sight problems on reading skills has scooped a top national award for her research work with the district’s youngsters.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Head Orthoptist, Dr Alison Bruce, has been awarded the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR) Public Health Research Award for her work exploring the effect of reduced vision on literacy.

The accolade recognises and rewards outstanding research and Dr Bruce will now present her findings to the country’s policy makers and NHS chiefs at Public Health England’s Annual Conference 2018 at the University of Warwick on 11 and 12 September.

Dr Bruce investigated the eyesight of 11,186 four and five-year-olds from across 123 schools.

They had their eyesight measured as part of the Bradford school vision screening programme and about 5,000 of them also had assessments of their early reading ability.

Research to compare and contrast the children’s eye test against their literacy levels during their reception year began in the city in November 2013 and also drew upon data from the Born in Bradford study.

Dr Bruce, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow based at the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR) in the grounds of Bradford Royal Infirmary, said she was thrilled at the news.

She continued: “I am delighted to have received this award – once again it puts Bradford Hospitals and Born in Bradford’s allied health professionals’ research on the national agenda.

“Presenting my research at the conference gives me a great opportunity to shout about what we are doing and the research coming out of the BIHR, and particularly public health research that nationally will have an effect on clinical practice and potentially future NHS policies in the years to come.”

Dr Bruce’s latest work has just been published in this month’s British Medical Journal (Open Access).

It found that children who wear glasses see their vision improve at almost twice the rate of those who fail to wear their glasses at school.

Dr Bruce added: “Early literacy is associated with the level of visual acuity (VA); children who adhere to spectacle wear improve their VA also have the potential to improve literacy. Our results suggest failure to adhere to spectacle wear has implications for the child’s vision and education.

“It sounds straightforward but up until my research there was no concrete evidence to back up these statements.”

It’s not the first time Dr Bruce has received an accolade for her work. In 2016, she was presented with the Royal Society of Medicine’s Squint Forum Prize for her ground-breaking research.

The Public Health England Annual Conference 2018 will bring together more than 1,500 participants, representing the wide range of organisations contributing to improving the health of the public.

Keynote speakers include Steve Brine MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care and Professor Dame Theresa Marteau, Director of the Health Behaviour and Health Research Unit, University of Cambridge.

The original article can be found at:

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/16343131.bradford-study-explores-effects-of-reduced-vision-on-childrens-literacy/

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