Anna Horwood is one of the few professors of Orthoptics in the UK. She is involved in the Expert Working Group refining the data and questionnaire items to be collected by the UKNEHS.
Orthoptists are Allied Health Professionals working as part of the specialist ophthalmology team; receiving referrals from community professionals such as optometrists and GPs. A core skill is working with patients to understand how their eye problems impact on their lives. Orthoptists’ unique expertise is with people suffering from problems related to using their eyes together, such as double vision, squint, “lazy eye” and eye strain; and the increasing ageing population means that we now see many more adult and often elderly people. Nearly all orthoptists undertake extended roles, so many patients attending hospital eye clinics will be investigated, monitored and treated by orthoptists in the glaucoma, macular degeneration, low vision and neuro-ophthalmology services. The Orthoptic profession has a strong record in ocular public health, such as children’s school-entry screening, special education needs, stroke and rehabilitation, falls prevention and low vision services.
Anna’s research is mainly in the field of how the eyes work together, from birth and throughout the lifespan.  She has published over 40 scientific papers and has attracted more than £1m in Research Council funding. Anna helped set up, and now runs the Infant Vision Laboratory at the University of Reading https://research.reading.ac.uk/childrens-vision/ .  She has won major awards from the International Orthoptics Association, the International Strabismological Association and the British Isles Paediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Association (BIPOSA). She is a National Institute of Health Research Senior Research Mentor, a Health & Social 
She is the Research and Innovation Director for the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) and sits on the BIOS Education and Professional Development Committee and main Council, so she represents the Orthoptics profession in the UKNEHS project.