Gait and activities of daily living

Person walking in test environment

We investigate differences in everyday task performance between individuals with low vision compared to those with normal vision.

Visual information is of utmost importance when performing everyday tasks such as walking in complex environments and manual prehension of objects. When vision is impaired, the planning and executing of such tasks get worse. For example, individuals with low vision have more difficulty avoiding hazards in the environment and grasping an object to move it to a new location.

Our facilities allow us to capture movements with an infrared camera system (VICON), to measure gaze behaviour using an eye tracker, and to examine balance using a force plate.

Combining these three measures provides insight in the problems that people with low vision encounter in daily life. These problems can then be addressed through targeted interventions to enhance the performance of everyday tasks.

This research is supported by the International Glaucoma Association and the Newton Fund.

Principal Investigator: Professor Shahina Pardhan
Dr Mat Timmis
Dr Tjerk Zult
Dr Keziah Latham
Dr Mohammad Baranian

Recent publications

Zult, T., Allsop, J., Tabernero, J., Pardhan, S., 2019. A low-cost 2-D video system can accurately and reliably assess adaptive gait kinematics in healthy and low vision subjects. Scientific Reports, 9(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-54913-5

Timmis, M. A., Allsop, J., Baranian, M., Baker, J., Basevitch, I., Latham, K., Pardhan, S., van Paridon, K. N., 2017. Visual search behavior in individuals with retinitis pigmentosa during level walking and obstacle crossing. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 58(11), pp. 4737-4746. doi: 10.1167/iovs.17-21573

Timmis, M. A., Scarfe, A. C., Pardhan, S., 2016. How does the extent of central visual field loss affect adaptive gait? Gait and Posture, 44, pp. 55-60. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.11.008

Pardhan, S., Latham, K., Tabrett, D., Timmis, M. A., 2015. Objective Analysis of Performance of Activities of Daily Living in People With Central Field Loss. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 56(12), pp. 7169-7178. doi: 10.1167/iovs.15-16556

Timmis, M. A., Turner, K., Latham, K., 2015. The effect of trial frames on adaptive gait. Gait and Posture, 41(1), pp. 332-334. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2014.10.021

Timmis, M. A., Scarfe, A. C., Tabrett, D. R., Pardhan, S., 2014. Kinematic analysis of step ascent among patients with central visual field loss. Gait and Posture, 39(1), pp. 252-257. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.07.115

Kolarik, A., Timmis, M., Cirstea, S., Pardhan, S., 2014. Sensory substitution information informs locomotor adjustments when walking through apertures. Experimental Brain Research, 232(3), pp. 975-984. doi: 10.1007/s00221-013-3809-5

Timmis, M. A., Pardhan, S., 2012. Patients with central visual field loss adopt a cautious gait strategy during tasks that present a high risk of falling. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 53(7), pp. 4120-4129. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-9897