2015_Annual_Report

25 S U N Y R E S E A R C H T E AM TA R G E T S M Y O P I A M yopia—or nearsightedness—comes from the Greek myops, literally meaning “closing the eyes.” Myopic also has a metaphorical usage in English that connotes shortsightedness or lacking understanding—a definition that may describe the prevailing treatment of myopia. Fortunately, thanks to funding from the SUNY Brain Network of Excellence, a multidisciplinary team of SUNY researchers is working to help open our eyes to a new understanding of what drives myopia’s onset and progression, with a goal of uncovering new treatments for this widespread eye disease. The teamworking on this research is led by Dr. Stewart Bloomfield, SUNY Optometry’s associate dean for graduate studies and research. He is joined by fellow SUNY Optometry researchers, Dr. Jose-Manuel Alonso, a SUNY distinguished professor, and Dr. David Troilo, vice president and dean for academic affairs at the College. The other members of the research team include Dr. Eduardo Solessio, assistant professor of ophthalmology and neuroscience and physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Dr. Gary Matthews, professor of neurobiology and behavior at Stony Brook University. Myopia is a highly pervasive medical condition, affecting 42 percent of adults in the US and more than 80 percent of young adults in Asia. It’s also a disease that’s on the rise. Currently, 1.4 billion people globally suffer from myopia, and that number is projected to rise to 2.4 billion by 2050. Yet to date it has been managed only symptomatically with prescription glasses, contact lenses or laser surgery, which do not prevent myopia’s progression over time. Numerous studies suggest that the increased incidence of myopia may be due in part to lower exposure to natural light, a theory that is supported by higher myopia rates in North America and Asia than in South America and Africa, where people spend much more time outdoors on average. “We know that our eyes weren’t created to be indoors all the time,” says Dr. Bloomfield. “When we spend too much time indoors, we don’t get enough of the kind of light our eyes need.” Dr. Bloomfield cautions that myopia should not be viewed a harmless nuisance, but rather as a serious condition—because it increases a person’s risk of vision-threatening eye diseases like glaucoma and cataracts. Given myopia’s huge impact and potential implications, it may seem surprising that more effort hasn’t been put into better understanding myopia’s causes and potential treatments. R E S E A R H • • • continued on page 26