KENT captain David Fulton will consult with eye specialists this winter before deciding on his long-term future in the game.

Following a disappointing end to a season in which Fulton’s form has tailed off in parallel with the performances of his side, Kent's club captain faces a winter of soul searching.

Fulton announced on Tuesday his decision to step down as club captain, having already handed over the one-day captaincy to Matthew Walker.

Though he has been granted a county benefit for 2006, Fulton, who is 34 in November, is acutely aware that his batting form has diminished since injuring his right eye in an horrendous pre-season training accident just 18 months ago.

The legacy is that many of Fulton's trademark shots have been resigned to the memory bank and he is no longer able to field in the slips, which only serves to highlight his other limitations when in the field.

In a bid to determine whether his vision has worsened, Fulton has scheduled close-season meetings with the eye consultant who helped him overcome the initial injury and an alternative therapist to determine if any remedial work can be done to improve his sight.

Fulton said: "I will be going to see the retinal specialist in Harley Street, Alistair Laidlaw, who helped me after my accident last year.

"His initial prognosis then was that I may never play the game again, but he’s been very happy with my progress since.

"The problem lies with my depth perception which, in cricketing terms, means I sometimes struggle to pick up the length of the ball which in turn helps to explain why I’ve dropped a couple of catches of late and why my cross-bat shots, like the hook, pull and cut, aren’t maybe what they used to be.

"I’ll also go to see a chap called Ken West who is into alterative therapies. He was the man responsible for helping me get my iris back into some form of working order again.

"His treatments are best described as East meets West, but he’s had success with me and when working with Matt Prior, Darren Stevens and James Kirtley."

Though unable to predict what his future holds, Fulton is certain of one thing, he will fight to sustain his county career.

He added: "I know I’ve only averaged 30 this year and that’s not great, but it’s far from being a disaster either.

"Of course I want what’s best for the club, but I also like a challenge and when people start writing my career off then I tend to fight even harder to defy the odds.

"I want to keep playing the game I love for the club I love and I am confident I can bounce back.

"But I am not so thick skinned as some people imagine and, if my powers as a batsman are on the wane because of my eye, then I would have to bow out gracefully."