Lecturer

Email: veronica.odwyer@TUDublin.ie

Tel: (01) 220 5734

Current Position

Lecturer in Optometry, TU Dublin. (1991-present).

Short Biography

Veronica qualified in 1986 with a Diploma in Optometry (Hons.) from the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). She became a fellow of the Association of Optometrists. From 1986-1991 she worked as an optometrist, senior optometrist, and manager in various practice types in Ireland and France including small independent practices and large multiple practices. She also owned and ran an independent practice in Dublin. Veronica became a full-time lecturer in the DIT, Kevin St in 1991.

In 2003, Veronica was awarded a PhD for her thesis “The psychophysical evaluation of visual function in strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia” by the University of Bradford. This work supervised by Prof. Brendan Barrett and Prof. David Whitaker (University of Bradford) investigated aspects of visual function (e.g., contrast sensitivity, direction and motion detection, eccentric fixation, and the crowding effect) in the central and peripheral visual field of amblyopes. Veronica is currently actively involved in optometric research and has supervised 3 PhD and 5 MSc students in the field of optometry to completion.

 

Main Lecturing Interests

Modules Currently Teaching:

Clinical Optometry (Year 2)

Binocular Vision 2 (Year 3)

Primary Eyecare Clinic 1 (Year 3)

Final Year Project Supervisor (Year 4)

Final Year Optometric Practice Placement Supervisor (Year 4)

 

Clinic Supervision:

Clinical Optometry (Year 2)

Binocular Vision 2 (Year 3)

Primary Eyecare Clinic 1 (Year 3)

Main Research Interests

Paediatric vision.

Binocular vision.

The foveal avascular zone.

Dry eye disease.

Diet and macular pigment in the development of age-related macular degeneration.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

• Optical Registration Board, CORU, Ireland.
• Association of Optometrists Ireland
• European Academy of Optometry and Optics.

Qualifications

• Diploma in Optometry (Hons), DIT (1986).
• Fellowship of the Association of Optometrists Ireland (1986).
• ‘The psychophysical evaluation of visual function in strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia’ University of Bradford, U.K. (2003).

Other Work

• Assessor for Opticians board (dispensing register). 2014
• Paediatric screening and optometry student training. Mozambique. 2015
• Assessor for Coru (optometrist register). 2016
• Paediatric screening and eye examinations. Bulgaria. 2017

 

Publications

Harrington, S., & O'Dwyer, V. (2023). The association between time spent on screens and reading with myopia, premyopia and ocular biometric and anthropometric measures in 6‐to 7‐year‐old schoolchildren in Ireland. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 43(3), 505-516.

Doyle, M., O’Dwyer, V., & Harrington, S. (2023). Comparison of cycloplegia at 20-and 30-minutes following proxymetacaine and cyclopentolate instillation in white 12-13-year-olds. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 1-6.

Harrington, S., Kearney, J., & O’Dwyer, V. (2023). Visual factors associated with physical activity in schoolchildren. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 106(6), 645-655.

O'Shea, S. M., O’Dwyer, V. M., & Scanlon, G. (2022). Normative data on the foveal avascular zone in a young healthy Irish population using optical coherence tomography angiography. European Journal of Ophthalmology, 32(5), 2824-2832.

Harrington, S., Davison, P. A., & O'Dwyer, V. (2022). School performance and undetected and untreated visual problems in schoolchildren in Ireland; a population-based cross-sectional study. Irish Educational Studies, 41(2), 367-388.

Harrington, S., Davison, P. A., & O'Dwyer, V. (2021). Prevalence of colour vision deficiency in the Republic of Ireland schoolchildren and associated socio-demographic factors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 104(1), 48-55.

Harrington, S. C., & O'Dwyer, V. (2020). Ocular biometry, refraction and time spent outdoors during daylight in Irish schoolchildren. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 103(2), 167-176.

Murphy, O., O’Dwyer, V., & Lloyd-Mckernan, A. (2020). The efficacy of warm compresses in the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction and demodex folliculorum blepharitis. Current eye research, 45(5), 563-575.

Murphy, O., O'Dwyer, V., & Lloyd-McKernan, A. (2020). The clinical use of eyelash manipulation in the diagnosis of Demodex folliculorum blepharitis. Eye & contact lens, 46, S33-S38.

Murphy, O., O’Dwyer, V., & Lloyd-McKernan, A. (2020). The effect of lid hygiene on the tear film and ocular surface, and the prevalence of Demodex blepharitis in university students. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 43(2), 159-168.

Harrington, S. C., Stack, J., & O'Dwyer, V. (2019). Risk factors associated with myopia in schoolchildren in Ireland. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 103(12), 1803-1809.

Harrington, S. C., Stack, J., Saunders, K., & O’Dwyer, V. (2019). Refractive error and visual impairment in Ireland schoolchildren. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 103(8), 1112-1118.

Harrington, S., Breslin, K., O'Dwyer, V., & Saunders, K. (2019). Comparison of amblyopia in schoolchildren in Ireland and Northern Ireland: a population-based observational cross-sectional analysis of a treatable childhood visual deficit. BMJ open, 9(8), e031066.

Murphy, O., O’Dwyer, V., & Lloyd-McKernan, A. (2019). Ocular Demodex folliculorum: prevalence and associated symptoms in an Irish population. International ophthalmology, 39, 405-417.

Murphy, O., O’Dwyer, V., & Lloyd-McKernan, A. (2018). The efficacy of tea tree face wash, 1, 2-Octanediol and microblepharoexfoliation in treating Demodex folliculorum blepharitis. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 41(1), 77-82.

Murphy, O., Llyod-McKernan, A., & O’Dwyer, V. (2018). The prevalence of Demodex Folliculorum in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, and the efficacy of 1, 2-Octanediol at treating Demodex infestation. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 41, S10-S11.

Lloyd-McKernan, A., Mannion, L. S., & O’Dwyer, V. (2017). The effect of previous soft contact lens wear on corneal refractive surgery outcomes. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 40(5), 301-310.

Lloyd McKernan, A., Simo Mannion, L., & O'Dwyer, V. (2015). The effect of two weeks and twenty-four hours soft contact lens cessation times on corneal refractive surgery outcomes.

Ryan, S. E., Ryan, F., O’Dwyer, V., & Neylan, D. (2016). A real-time ARMS PCR/high-resolution melt curve assay for the detection of the three primary mitochondrial mutations in Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy. Molecular Vision, 22, 1169.

Eustace Ryan, S., Ryan, F., Barton, D., O’Dwyer, V., & Neylan, D. (2015). Development and validation of a novel PCR-RFLP based method for the detection of 3 primary mitochondrial mutations in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy patients. Eye and Vision, 2, 1-7.

McKernan, A. L., O’Dwyer, V., & Mannion, L. S. (2014). The influence of soft contact lens wear and two weeks cessation of lens wear on corneal curvature. Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 37(1), 31-37.

Loughman, J., Scanlon, G., Nolan, J. M., O’Dwyer, V., & Beatty, S. (2012). An evaluation of a novel instrument for measuring macular pigment optical density: the MPS 9000. Acta ophthalmologica, 90(2), e90-e97.

Loughman, J., Akkali, M. C., Beatty, S., Scanlon, G., Davison, P. A., O’Dwyer, V., ... & Nolan, J. M. (2010). The relationship between macular pigment and visual performance. Vision research, 50(13), 1249-1256.

Sheehan, M. T., Goncharov, A. V., O’Dwyer, V. M., Toal, V., & Dainty, C. (2007). Population study of the variation in monochromatic aberrations of the normal human eye over the central visual field. Optics Express, 15(12), 7367-7380.