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	Dr. Penny J D’Ath PhD MCOptom BSc (Hons) FBDO Lecturer  C236 Tel: 020 7040 4301 Email: P.J.D'Ath@city.ac.uk Expert witness optician Expert witness optometry Expert witness optometrist Expert witness eyes Expert witness vision Expert witness optics Expert witness optical Expert witness visual acuity Medico-legal
Link to Teal’s personal home page Link to Penny’s professional home page Background Having been struck down in her prime with a sero-negative spondyloarthopathy, Penny was forced to concede that her original career path with the Corps de Ballet had reached an abrupt end and so has made an alternative career for herself in Optometry to allow more flexibility in her working schedule.  Prior to this, Penny’s first degree was in Psychology and she spent a number of years working as a Research Psychologist in the NHS.  Penny piquéd and pirouetted her way through her pre-registration training at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London passing all ten Professional Qualifying Examinations at the first sitting before initially accepting a research position with Professor David Thomson in the Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Vision Sciences, Applied Vision Research Centre at City University, London. Penny works closely with her assistance dog, Teal and can still be seen in her tutu performing the occasional plié during Clinical Skills labs with the second years.
Teaching Penny is responsible for the Clinical Skills course in second year.  Other teaching experience includes:
Expert witness optician Expert witness optometry Expert witness optometrist			01 Clinical Skills tutor 02 Clinical Skills module co-ordinator 02 Clinical Skills tutor Routine Investigative Techniques 03 Paediatric Optometry supervisor 03 Primary Care Clinic supervisor 03 Visual Impairment cover 03 Final Year Project and Dissertation supervisor Selected workshops for the taught Non-EEA course Contact Lenses Routine Selected workshops for the taught MSc course Glaucoma module Binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy Diabetes module Binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy Examiner for OSCE in the taught MSc Therapeutics module Selected workshops for open days in Optometry Slit lamp Ophthalmoscopy Stereopsis testing Optical illusions
Clinical Work Penny works as a: · Visiting Clinician in the VDU clinic, general clinic and contact lens clinic at the Fight For Sight Clinics, City University · An optometrist in private practice
Professional Activities outside the University · Expert witness (both civil and criminal) optician optometrist eyes vision driving standards murder visual eye test visual acuity optometry opt medico-legal Ics IPenny has been involved in cases ranging from causation and duty (civil) to death by dangerous driving as well as several murder trials (criminal). She has worked for both prosecution and defence.
Research Interests
		Investigation into the legibility of fonts for VDU user Investigation of the potential value of colour for low vision patients Development of a series of visual performance tests to quantify the visual efficiency or patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa when using coloured filters Development of a series of visual performance tests to quantify the visual efficiency of computer users Development of efficient and reliable algorithms for determining the optimum colour of computer screens Development of questionnaires for VDU users Investigation of the proportion of computer users who are likely to gain a significant benefit from screen colour optimisation Investigation of the benefits of customised screen colour for Meares-Irlen Syndrome Investigation of the limits of memory for the hue of coloured illumination Psychiatric morbidity in people undergoing cataract surgery
Selected Publications (16) Memory for the Color of Non-Monochromatic Lights. Penny J D’Ath , David Thomson and Arnold Wilkins Color Research and Application, Feb 2007, Vol 32(1), pp11-15 [pdf 1.27Mb) (15) Pre-operative psychiatric morbidity in people undergoing cataract surgery. Penny J D’Ath, Ramanathan Kirthivasan, Cornelius LE Katona, Alison L Finlay Psychogeriatria Polskay, March 2004, Vol 1(2), pp73-84 [pdf 472Kb] (14) Attitudes to depression in hospital inpatients: a comparison between older and younger subjects. Ruth L Allen, Zuzana Walker, Suki S Shergill, Penny D’Ath and Cornelius Katona Aging and Mental Health 1998, Vol 2, No 1, pp36-39 [ pdf 127Kb] (13) A pilot study of needs assessment in acute psychiatric inpatients. Stephen Stansfeld, Martin Orrell, Russell Mason, D Nicholls and Penny D'Ath Social Psychiatry Epidemiology 1998, Vol 33, pp136-139 [ pdf 109Kb] (12) The symptomatology of depression in the elderly. Cornelius Katona, Gill Livingston, M Manela, Catherine Leek, Eleanor Mullan, Martin Orrell, Penny D’Ath and Deborah Zeitlin. International Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, December 1997, Vol 12 Suppl 7, pp S19-23 [pdf 1.2M] (11) Screening for alcohol misuse in older people. Steve Luttrell, V Watkin, Gill Livingston, Zuzana Walker, Penny D'Ath, P Patel, Suki Shergill, Alice Dain, C Bielawski and Cornelius Katona. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, December 1997, Vol 12 (12), pp1151-1154 (10) Screening for excessive alcohol consumption in older people Luttrell, S., Watkin, V., Livingston, G., D'Ath, P., Walker, Z., Patel, P., Shergill, S., Dain, A., Bielawska, C. and Katona, C. International Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 1997, p1151 (9)  Attitudes to depression in primary care attenders: effects of age and depressive symptoms. Deborah Zeitlin, Cornelius Katona, Penny D'Ath and Philippa Katona Primary Care Psychiatry 1997, Vol 3, pp17-20 [pdf 1.2M] (8)  The Natural History of Depressive Symptoms in Elderly Primary Care Attenders. P D'Ath, E Mullan, P Katona and C Katona. Accepted by Family Practice November 1995 (7) Risperidone for psychotic and behavioural symptoms in Lewy Body Dementia. Ruth L Allen, Zuzana Walker, Penny D'Ath and Cornelius Katona The Lancet, 15 July 1995, Vol 316, p185 [pdf 153Kb] (6)  Psychiatric Morbidity in Elderly Attenders at an Accident & Emergency department. Z Walker, C A Leek, P J D'Ath and C L E Katona. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 1995, Vol 10, pp951-957 [pdf 568 Kb] (5)  What is the Clinical Prevalence of Lewy Body Dementia? Sukhwinder Shergill, Eleanor Mullan, Penny D'Ath and Cornelius Katona. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 1994, Vol 9, pp907-912 [pdf 1.4M] (4)  The Development of Short Screening Instruments for Detecting Depression in Elderly Primary Care Patients Katona CLE, Evans S, D’Ath P, Mullan E and Katona P Submitted for publication (1994) (3)  Compliance in Depressed Elderly Day-patients and Out-patients. Nadir Siabi, D Brown, Eleanor Mullan, Penny D'Ath and Cornelius Katona In preparation (2)  Screening, Detection and Management of Depression in Elderly Primary Care Attenders. II:  Detection and Fitness for Treatment:  a Case Record Study. Eleanor Mullan, Philippa Katona, Penny D'Ath and Cornelius Katona. Family Practice 1994, Vol 11, No 3, pp 267-270 [pdf 301 Kb] (1)  Screening, Detection and Management of Depression in Elderly Primary Care Attenders. I: The Acceptability and Performance of the 15 Item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS15) and the Development of Short Versions. Penny D'Ath , Philippa Katona, Eleanor Mullan, Sandra Evans and Cornelius Katona. Family Practice 1994, Vol 11, No 3, pp 260-266 [pdf 481Kb]
Other Publications (3) Feature as part of an article on pre-registration placements “Suits you, Sir! Employment options for today’s optometrists” Penny J D’Ath Optometry Today – 6th September 2002, Vol 42:17, pp40-41 [pdf 172Kb] (2) “Tut, Tut, Tut … Armani?” Eyecare in the Land of the Eagles Penny J D’Ath Optometry Today, 16th August 2002, Vol 42:16, pp37-38 [pdf 105Kb] (1) Watch out for the shooting specs! Penny J D’Ath Optician, July 13th 2001, No. 5809, Vol 222, p16 [pdf 86Kb]