Sensory sciences facilities

At ARU, our sensory science students work in high-standard clinical facilities, and gain essential hands-on experience which benefit them in the real words of optics and audiology.

Our air-conditioned facilities offer students the opportunity to explore their interests and hone their skills in a supportive and collaborative environment, under the direction of our team of academics and clinical tutors.

Optometry Teaching Labs

Based at Compass House, Cambridge, our Optometry Teaching Labs were updated in 2023 and feature state of the art Thomson vision testing charts in 32 cubicles, two 80-inch high-definition screens which can each be linked to one of four video-slit lamps. There are Keeler LED slit lamps allowing students an excellent learning tool to get familiar with observing the eye. Every cubicle also features an LED Ophthalmoscope and Retinoscope – with options by a range of manufacturers including Heine and Keeler. The labs will also allow students to hone their contact lens assessment skills, by using Keratometers which can measure the corneal curvature and tear quality.

Ophthalmic Dispensing Teaching Labs

Used by both our optometry and ophthalmic dispensing students, these labs enable students to develop the necessary techniques with Focimeters to determine lens power. The space also provides students the opportunity to learn about taking facial measurements to ensure the most comfortable pair of spectacles are selected for their patients. We have a fully equipped repairs and adjustments zone so our learners can become fully trained members of the practice team in their future career.

Audiology Teaching Labs

Our purpose-built audiology labs meet both the requirements for audiological testing spaces and interactive, team-based learning environments. In addition to equipment for conducting essential audiological procedures (otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, real ear measurements), students are also able to practice electrophysiological measures of auditory and vestibular function (such as auditory brainstem responses and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials).

University Eye Clinic

Second, third and fourth year optometry students will spend time in our public-facing University Eye Clinic in Cambridge.

The Clinic features 16 fully equipped test rooms with a variety of combi units, slit lamps and vision charts to simulate the wide variety of testing equipment students are likely to encounter within the workplace. This includes non-contact, rebound and contact tonometers, visual field screeners, phoropters, Oculus trial frames and specialist paediatric vision tests.

Students, staff and patients benefit from a state-of-the-art 3D Retina scanning machine, known as an Optical Coherence Tomographer (OCT). The OCT is a non-invasive test which uses light waves to take cross-sectional images through the depth of the retina (and beyond). Our machine can also undertake Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) scans, which takes pictures of the blood vessels in and under the retina. OCTA is like fluorescein angiography, but it is a much quicker test and doesn’t use a dye injection. We also offer suitable patients an OptoMap image, on our Optos machine to capture a 200° ultra-widefield retinal image. OptoMap images are created by non-invasive, low-intensity scanning lasers.

Vision and Hearing Research Centre Labs

The Vision and Hearing Research Centre has dedicated, purpose-built laboratory space in Compass House, Cambridge. The vision research labs include specialist space and equipment for anterior eye research (including Antares Plus corneal topographer and video slit lamp), psychophysical research (including an EyeLink 1000 eye tracker, a ViSaGe stimulus generator and calibrated monitors), and general optometric research facilities (including refractive equipment, HFA3 perimeter, and colourimeter). The audiology research lab holds an audiometric test booth constructed to meet audiological test requirements (including wall and roof panel, structurally isolated floors, acoustic doors and acoustic windows). This space is used for both behavioural and electrophysiological experiments, but also has space to conduct qualitative research (eg participant interviews).