The Low Vision Lab

Nicole Ross, OD, MSc, FAAO, DAAO(LV) is an attending optometrist at NECO Center for Eye Care, Commonwealth, the Perkins School for the Blind and the Carroll Center for the Blind, teaches Low Vision Rehabilitation and Advanced Ocular Disease classes at NECO and is currently a PhD candidate at Northeastern University. Her research interests include ocular structure-function relationships, epidemiology of vision impairment, evidence-based clinical practice and translational research in vision testing and enhancement technologies.

Alexis G. Malkin, OD, FAAO practices at NECO Commonwealth, BU Eye Associates and Boston Medical Center. She is the Director of low vision residency and concentration programs, teaches in the Low Vision Rehabilitation course and contributes on various research projects at the lab. She is particularly interested in clinical research to better understand outcome measures and improved access to low vision care.

Jeffrey Ho, OD, FAAO practices at NECO Commonwealth, South Boston Community Health Center and North End Waterfront Health. He teaches in the Low Vision Rehabilitation and Ocular Disease Principles, Advanced Surgical & Laser Procedures and Virtual Interactive Case Studies courses. Dr. Ho’s research interests are focused on low vision and the effects of technology on quality of life outcomes.

Micaela Gobeille, OD, MS, FAAO is an attending optometrist at NECO Center for Eye Care, Commonwealth, the Carroll Center, BMC and Lynn and Holyoke Community Health Centers. She teaches Low Vision Rehabilitation and Ocular Disease Principles. Dr. Gobeille has published on low vision outcome measures and lectures nationally and internationally on topics pertaining to low vision care.

Jem Martin, OD practices at NECO Center for Eye Care, Commonwealth and Perkins School for the Blind. They are part of the teaching team for the Low Vision Rehabilitation class and they are interested in outcome measures and establishing evidence-based practices in caring for individuals with cerebral vision impairment.

Cecilia Idman-Rait, MPH joined the low vision lab in 2020 as a clinical research project coordinator. She is particularly interested in looking into the effects of loneliness in the visually-impaired population.

Allison Hyttinen, OD is the Low Vision Rehabilitation Resident for 2023/2024. She is particularly interested in how patients are affected emotionally by their visual impairment and how providers can best give patients the support they need to thrive.

Bethany Arabic, OD/MS Candidate 2025, has contributed to the CARE project. She is interested in researching how older adults with low vision perceive visual assistive smartphone applications.

Meghan Knizak, OD Candidate 2024, has been part of the lab team since 2021 and has worked on both the PRL and the CARE studies. She is interested in how patients are affected mentally by their vision impairment and how the use of technology may aid the low vision and blind population.

Erika Pacheco, OD Candidate 2026, has contributed to the CARE project. Her interests include researching tools to aid the visually impaired population to improve their quality of life.

Priyanshi Patel, OD Candidate 2026, joined the lab in 2022 and has been working on the CARE study. She is interested in the impact of low vision impairment on patients’ quality of life. She is also keen to explore projects focusing on innovations in low vision technology.

Bridget Peterson, OD Candidate 2024, has contributed to the CARE study and will present at the upcoming AAO meeting in San Diego on “The Psychosocial Impact of Visual Assistive Apps in Seniors with Low Vision”. Bridget is interested in researching new tools to help individuals with visual impairments adapt to activities of daily living.

Maria Riaz, OD/MS Candidate 2024, has been working on a systematic review of Pediatric Perimetry. Her research interests include pediatric vision, diagnosis and management of vision impairment and visual field testing.

Olivia Wynn, OD Candidate 2026, has been contributing in the PRL study and upcoming CVI study. Her interests are in the vision development of patients with systemic and neurological disorders.

Chris Yeung, OD Candidate 2026, has joined the lab during his first year and has worked on the CARE study. He has a particular interest in technology and how it could be implemented to increase access to eye care as well as to improve the experience of low vision patients.

Researcher: Micaela Gobeille OD/MS

Research Question: How do patient outcomes compare between mobile and private clinic low vision rehabilitation delivery models?

Research Description: This study utilizes the activity inventory, a visual function questionnaire, to explore patient outcomes of low vision rehabilitation. We compare outcomes of a novel mobile clinic model vs. traditional in-office patient care delivery models.

Researchers: Ava K. Bittner, OD, PhD, NOVA; John D. Shepherd, MD, UNMC; Nicole Ross, OD, MS; and Angie Bowers, MOT, OTR/L

Research Description: Pilot study developed to explore the potential of the internet as a means to deliver low vision services to patients using an established commercially available videoconference platform

Pilot Study Goals:

• Develop infrastructure for internet-based videoconference portal that allows low vision service provider to communicate with patients and assess their use of an optical magnification device and provide feedback training.
• Evaluate feasibility and acceptability of using the videoconference portal to communicate with 10 patients in their home/local venue with internet access.
• Determine the ability of the low vision service provider to assess a low vision patient’s use of an optical magnifier and reading fluency during the tele-rehabilitation encounter using various hardware devices.

Researchers: Rebecca Deffler, OD; Ali Hanley, OD; Barry Kran, OD, Professor, New England College of Optometry

Research Description: As clinical presentation can vary widely, there is need to review ocular findings and systemic comorbidities in patients with a diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome.

Researchers: Kayla Andrade, T-35 Recipient, OD Candidate 2019; Ian Bailey, MS OD, University California, Berkeley

Research Questions: How does blur tolerance vary amongst individuals particularly in the low vision community?  How does blur tolerance vary in the presence of varying ocular diagnosis, scotomas, and contrast sensitivity?