The Optimisation of Visual Performance in Athletes Using Custom-Made Lenses

About the Project

Details of the Project

Visual performance is increasingly recognised as a critical determinant of athletic success, particularly in fast-ball sports where millisecond decisions determine competitive outcomes (Laby & Kirschen, 2021). Marginal gains by elite athletes can make the difference between winning and losing, with both psychological and physical benefits. Despite professional athletes demonstrating superior baseline visual capabilities compared to the general population, many compete with suboptimal optical correction, potentially limiting their performance ceiling (Laby et al., 1996; Erickson, 2020).

The project aims to work in three areas:

1. Perform vision screening of professional athletes to identify visual defects, especially refractive correction and anisometropia (unequal refractive error between eyes), which may particularly impact depth perception and binocular coordination.
2. Offer the most suitable visual correction to the athlete; often this will be standard soft contact lenses but may include specialist lenses that manage higher order visual aberrations.
3. Train athletes to improve reaction times and hand-eye or foot-eye coordination using specialised vision testing, including time-release visual acuity, dynamic acuity, contrast sensitivity, eye-tracking, and ocular dominance assessment (Dalton et al., 2015). Improvements in these visual abilities will be monitored alongside sport-specific performance metrics.

This research will generate effect size estimates to inform future larger-scale studies and develop evidence-based guidelines for implementing vision correction protocols in elite sport.

Overseas Applicants

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you will provide this additional funding. Please indicate this on the application form in the funding section.

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Person Specification

Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:

a] a First or Upper Second Class award in their Undergraduate Degree (Bachelors or UG Masters) from a UK institution, in a subject judged by Aston to be relevant to the proposed research.

OR

b] a Merit (or above)* in a Postgraduate Masters degree in a relevant subject AND an Undergraduate Degree (Bachelors or UG Masters), both from UK institutions.

*where appropriate.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be also considered but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project contact Professor Shehzad Naroo at s.a.naroo@aston.ac.uk

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Interviews

Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Apply for this position here

Please select “Research - Health Sciences” from the application form options.

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This project covers the Home tuition fees. Candidates who do not have Home status will be responsible for the difference in tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7.

References

Dalton K, Guillon M, Naroo SA. Ocular Dominance and Handedness in Golf Putting. Optom Vis Sci. 2015 Oct;92(10):968-75.
Erickson, G. B. (2020). Sports Vision: Vision Care for the Enhancement of Sports Performance (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Laby, D. M., & Kirschen, D. G. (2021). The visual function of baseball players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(15), 1675-1686.
Laby, D. M., Rosenbaum, A. L., Kirschen, D. G., et al. (1996). The visual function of professional baseball players. American Journal of Ophthalmology, 122(4), 476-485.