The latest in myopia research is being highlighted at a meeting held at the LV Prasad Eye Institute in India in November. The Vision CRC Myopia Meeting brings together groups from around the world to examine the causes and prevention of shortsightedness.
More and more people each year are affected by myopia, or short-sightedness. Research at the Vision CRC aims to tackle the growing myopia epidemic. It is estimated that the number of myopes in the world will grow from 1.6 billion now to a staggering 2.5 billion by 2020. Myopia currently affects one in five Australians.
“With growing numbers of children affected by myopia, finding ways to prevent it is very important”, says Dr Padmaja Sankaridurg.
"We know that genetics play a role in its development – myopic parents are likely to have myopic children. We also know that increased ’near work’, such as reading or computers, can cause myopia in susceptible people. Because our visual environment is changing so drastically we are becoming an ’up-close’ species, rather than a long range vision species.”
Research to be presented at the meeting include the Sydney Myopia Study which is looking at environmental risk factors of myopia; and studies looking at the genetic risk factors of myopia, including studies at LVPEI and the Twin Study of myopia from CERA, which is investigating the genetic basis and underlying mechanisms of myopia in an Australian population. This study is the largest twin study in the world to investigate refractive errors and ocular biometrics, and it will allow better definition of the role of genetic and non-genetic factors in the development of refractive errors, particularly myopia.
Vision CRC research is also looking at how to prevent the development of myopia, including the role of the modification of visual input being looked at in the University of Houston, and children’s contact lens studies being held in the UK and Australia.
Attendees at the meeting include Dr Padmaja Sankaridurg, Prof Deborah Sweeney, Prof Brien Holden, Dr Eric Papas, Dr Klaus Ehrmann, and Dr Serina Stretton, Vision CRC; Jennifer Choo, Institute for Eye Research; Prof Hugh Taylor and Dr Paul Baird, Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne; Dr Gullapalli Rao, Prof Ravi Thomas, of Manchester, Dr Subhabrata Chakrabarti and Dr Inderjeet Kaur, LV Prasad Eye Institute; Dr Hema Radhakrishnan, Anglia Polytechnic University, University; Prof Paul Mitchell, Westmead Millenium Eye Research Institute, University of Sydney; Prof Earl Smith and Ramkumar Ramamirtham, University of Houston; Dr Gregor Schmid, Pennsylvania College of Optometry; and Dr Katrina Schmid, Queensland University of Technology; Dr Patrick Caroline, Pacific University USA; and Dr Adrian Hunter, BioCure Inc.
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