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WHAT
CAN YOUR BABY SEE?
The Visual Development Unit
has been running for over 20 years, first in the University of Cambridge, and since 1993 at
University
College London. We now have a second Unit at the University of Oxford.
We devise new methods for testing how children use the vision they need for
everyday tasks - recognising objects and people, reaching for toys, crossing
the road, finding their way around. These tests help us to find out more
about how the eye-brain systems develop normally, and why this development
sometimes goes wrong.
 The
London Unit is situated at 26 Bedford Way, on the fourth floor (with our
own automatic door and lift). We have feeding and changing facilities here,
as well as toys and books for both babies and older brothers and sisters. We
can reimburse volunteer families for short taxi journeys or for other travel
expenses, including parking which is available nearby.
The Oxford Unit has similar facilities. It is on the ground
floor of the University's department of Experimental Psychology, on the
corner of South Parks Road and St. Cross Road, near the University Parks. |
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If you would like to volunteer your child and have a baby any age between birth and 5 years, please find out how you can help us.
As many of our tests are for
children in the first three months of life, it is especially helpful to hear
from parents as soon as possible after birth. Once we have received your form, we
will contact you to arrange an appointment. We will also be able to offer a vision screening check
during your visit.
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The Visual Development Unit
has been supported since its beginning in 1975 by grants from the Medical
Research Council (MRC).
Babies’ hand movements for different sized objects reveal how they
can use visual information to guide their actions. (a) ‘grasp
and close’ action; (b) non ‘grasp & close’ action.
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 fMRI – normal adults
(Braddick et al, Current Biology, 2000).
Independent networks for coherent form and coherent motion.
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We have a wide programme of research and assessment in both
normal and abnormal visual development in infants and young children.
 The
post-box test assesses visually based planning of actions. This is
often a problem in Williams
Syndrome
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We
liaise with a number of academic departments and hospital-based research and
assessment groups in London and Oxford, including University College
Hospital,
Hammersmith Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Institute of Ophthalmology and
Moorfields Eye Hospital.
We recruit our volunteer families with normal infants mainly from the UCH, Royal Free,
Chelsea & Westminster and
Whittington hospitals.
We have also carried out
the follow-up of 300 children selected from our second video refraction
Screening Programme in Cambridge.
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- For an overview of the work we
do, take a look at the Introduction page
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More comprehensive information is available on
our Research page
- For a list of the papers we have published,
see the Publications page
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- If you are willing to help us
and have a baby any age between birth and two years, find out how you can
help us.
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Contact details, and information about the
People who work here.
- Links to visual
development and related resources.
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