Research Interests
From experimental studies, we know that eyes use visual information to adjust their growth and refractive state. My two main lines of research study myopia, in particular 1) cues involved in myopia development, and 2) the development of myopia-associated pathological conditions. The structural characteristics of a myopic eye include an elongated vitreous chamber, which in high myopia is related to a stretched and progressively thinned retina. The myopic elongation increases the risk of retinal changes and ocular diseases including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and choroiditis, among others. This is of significant clinical importance because degenerative myopia is a leading cause of blindness. Our lab has found that the timing and duration of imposed defocus across the retina is important and influences eye growth and refractive development. Brief daily interruption periods to negative defocus prevent myopia development, but once the eye starts to compensate, the same brief interruptions are not enough to slow myopia progression. In addition, interactions between the refractive asymmetry of the peripheral retina and the visual defocus experienced may be associated with eye growth, suggesting that peripheral refraction is a factor in the progression of myopia, and can offer a means to control it. In addition, we have evidence of inner retinal thinning, and an altered astrocyte, ganglion and vasculature cell template in moderate myopic eyes with no degeneration. We hypothesize that these early anatomical and functional changes in both experimental animal and human eyes may be early indicators of the development of posterior pole complications associated with myopia progression. The ultimate goal of my research is to identify the mechanisms that lead to myopia and its associated blinding consequences with the aim to develop preventive and interventional strategies and preserve sight.
Clinical Interests
Primary care
Myopia control
Glaucoma
Publications
- A Robust Microbead Occlusion Model of Glaucoma for the Common Marmoset, Transl Vis Sci Technol 11 (1): 14 14, 2022
- Myopia Alters the Structural Organization of the Retinal Vasculature, GFAP-Positive Glia, and Ganglion Cell Layer Thickness, International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23 (11): 6202 6202, 2022
- Temporal properties of positive and negative defocus on emmetropization, Nature Scientific Reports 12 3582 3582, 2022
- The choroid-sclera interface: an ultrastructural study, Heliyon 10(5) (8): e09408 e09408, 2022
- Optical mechanisms regulating emmetropization and refractive errors: evidence from animal models, Clin Exp Optom 103 (1): 55-67 55-67, 2019
- Short Interruptions of Imposed Hyperopic Defocus Earlier in Treatment are More Effective at Preventing Myopia Development, Nature Scientific Reports 9 (1): 11459 11459,
- International Myopia Institute (IMI) - Clinical Myopia Control Trials and Instrumentation report, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 60 (3): M132-M160 M132-M160,
- Gene expression in response to optical defocus of opposite signs reveals bidirectional mechanism of visually guided eye growth, PLOS Biology 16 (10): e2006021 e2006021, 2018
- Axial Eye Growth and Refractive Error Development Can Be Modified by Exposing the Peripheral Retina to Relative Myopic or Hyperopic Defocus, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 55 (10): 6765-73 6765-73, 2014
- Retinal vascular dysfunction relates to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer disease, Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 28 (4): 366 366,
- Primary open-angle glaucoma vs normal-tension glaucoma: the vascular perspective, JAMA Ophthalmol 131 (1): 36 36, 2013
- Coexistence of macro- and micro-vascular abnormalities in newly diagnosed normal tension glaucoma patients, Acta Ophthalmol 90 (7): e553 e553,
- The effect of simultaneous negative and positive defocus on eye growth and development of refractive state in marmosets., Investigative ophthalmology & visual science 53 (10): 6479-87 6479-87, 2012
- Ocular Blood Flow Measurements In Healthy Human Myopic Eyes, Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 248 (11): 1587-94 1587-94, 2010
- Ocular blood-flow hemodynamics before and after application of a laser in situ keratomileusis ring , J Cataract Refract Surg 36 (2): 268 268, 2010
- Reproducibility-Repeatability of Choroidal Thickness Calculation Using OCT, Optom Vis Sci 87 (11): 867-72 867-72, 2010
Presentations
- Multifocal Contact Lenses for Digital Eyestrain: A Double-Masked, Randomized, Crossover Clinical Trial, 2019
- Comparison of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) Parameters Derived from Two Different Methods of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Scan Alignment., 2016
