Event Report: Sir Colin Blakemore challenges audience perceptions at Optometry Tomorrow

Our perception of the world is not only determined by what passes through our eyes, stressed premier research scientist Professor Sir Colin Blakemore during his Charter Lecture at Optometry Tomorrow in Birmingham last month.

‘Although you spend your lives making sure people have healthy eyes and clear retinal images, that is not enough for vision and visual perception,’ he told delegates.

The University of London professor of neuroscience and philosophy took optometrists on a visual journey through time, drawing inspiration from artists Michelangelo, Salvador Dalí and leading visual scientists.

Knighted in 2014, Prof Blakemore said he enjoyed a long friendship with the optometry profession, having started his research career in the School of Optometry in Berkeley, California.