The distribution of light on the human retina

光线在人视网膜上的分布

• 批准号: 8016079
• 负责人: RICHARD A. BONE
• 金额: $ 7.18万
• 依托单位: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-01-01 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8016079
• 关键词: Address; Affect; Age related macular degeneration; Antioxidants; Area; Automobile Driving; Blindness; Computers; Data; Defense Mechanisms; Development; Diet; Disease; Environment; Environmental Risk Factor; Etiology; Exposure to; Eye; Genetic Risk; Goals; Human; Image; Image Analysis; Incidence; Intake; Intention; Investigation; Knowledge; Light; Macular degeneration; Measurement; Measures; Mentors; Methods; Modeling; Monitor; Oxygen; Peripheral; Photosensitizing Agents; Pigments; Play; Positioning Attribute; Prevention; Procedures; Pupil; Research; Retina; Risk; Risk Factors; Role; Spatial Distribution; Stress; Students; System; Techniques; Technology; Television; Time; United States National Institutes of Health; Visual attention; Work; Writing; Xanthophylls; base; cell type; dietary supplements; experience; falls; gaze; innovation; light effects; macula; modifiable risk; movie; novel; oxidative damage; research study; success; sunglasses

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease with multiple risk factors, underlying many of which appears to be oxidative damage. Because of the presence of photosensitizers in the retina, much of the oxidative damage may be owing to the relatively intense, short-wavelength, focused light to which the retina is subjected. Our long-term goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the opposing roles of light and the eye's defense mechanisms in the etiology of AMD. That the damage which AMD inflicts is quite localized raises the question of whether light, integrated over a lifetime, falls uniformly on the retina, or is more concentrated, like the disease, in the macula. Our objective is to develop a technology with which we will measure the cumulative light distribution on the human retina over extended periods of time. Our hypothesis is that the distribution will reach a maximum in the central macula. This hypothesis is based on the observation that bright objects in the environment tend to attract our visual attention and are thereby imaged in the center of the macula. Our specific aims are to develop an eye-tracking system with which to measure the cumulative light distribution on the retina under conditions in which subjects freely view still images, movies and, ultimately as we refine the method, the environment around them. At a given instant, the distribution of light on the retina is determined by the distribution of light in the scene being observed, the subject's gaze position in the scene, and the size of the eye's pupil. Preliminary studies have demonstrated the feasibility of our approach using an eye-tracking system. The relevance of, and rationale for, these studies is that knowledge of the distribution of light on the retina would provide us with an understanding of the association between excessive ambient light and the risk for AMD, and an explanation of why the eye has evolved mechanisms to limit damage by light in the central macula. In succeeding studies, it will be our intention to make a transition to a fully portable system so that the same measurements can be made under a variety of conditions, e.g., driving, sitting in front of a computer or television, or different outdoor activities. The successful completion of these studies will amplify our knowledge of the etiology of AMD and one of its modifiable risk factors - light. Relevance: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the USA, with the number of those afflicted estimated to rise from the current ~ 2 million to ~ 3 million by the year 2020. While the etiology of AMD is not well understood, excessive environmental light, which is a modifiable risk factor, appears to play a role. The current proposal seeks to advance our knowledge of AMD in this area and thereby highlight the importance of eye protection against the damaging effects of light, for example, through the use of sunglasses and appropriate dietary supplements.

描述(由申请人提供)：年龄相关性黄斑变性(AMD)是一种具有多种危险因素的疾病，其中许多潜在的危险因素似乎是氧化损伤。由于视网膜中存在光敏剂，许多氧化损伤可能是由于视网膜受到相对强烈的、短波长、聚焦的光造成的。我们的长期目标是更深入地了解光在AMD病因中的相反作用和眼睛的防御机制。AMD造成的损害是相当局部性的，这引发了一个问题：在一生中整合的光线是均匀地照射在视网膜上，还是像疾病一样集中在黄斑中。我们的目标是开发一种技术，用来测量人类视网膜在较长时间内的累积光线分布。我们的假设是，这种分布将在中央黄斑达到最大。这一假设是基于这样一种观察，即环境中明亮的物体往往会吸引我们的视觉注意力，因此会在黑斑的中心成像。我们的具体目标是开发一种眼球跟踪系统，用来测量受试者在自由观看静止图像、电影以及最终随着我们改进方法而观看他们周围环境的条件下视网膜上的累积光线分布。在给定的时刻，视网膜上的光线分布由被观察场景中的光线分布、受试者在场景中的凝视位置以及眼睛的瞳孔大小决定。初步研究已经证明了我们使用眼球跟踪系统的方法的可行性。这些研究的相关性和基本原理是，了解视网膜上的光分布将使我们了解过多的环境光与AMD风险之间的关系，并解释为什么眼睛进化出限制中央黄斑光损伤的机制。在接下来的研究中，我们打算过渡到完全便携的系统，以便在各种情况下都可以进行相同的测量，例如，驾驶、坐在电脑或电视前，或者不同的户外活动。这些研究的成功完成将扩大我们对AMD的病因学及其可改变的危险因素之一--轻度AMD的认识。相关性：老年性黄斑变性(AMD)是美国致盲的主要原因，据估计，到2020年，患有老年性黄斑变性的人数将从目前的约200万人增加到约300万人。虽然AMD的病因还不清楚，但过度的环境光照是一个可改变的危险因素，似乎起到了一定的作用。目前的建议旨在增进我们对AMD在这方面的了解，从而强调保护眼睛免受光线损害的重要性，例如通过使用太阳镜和适当的膳食补充剂。