Accommodation and Defocus in the Infant Visual System

描述(由申请人提供)：人类屈光不正通常在出生后第一年内减少，而神经系统正在经历显著的发展。这两个过程的进展都严重依赖于视觉体验和视网膜图像的质量。然而，由于调节性不成熟，年轻婴儿的视网膜图像质量可能会受到影响。这项建议将检查婴儿的调节能力，并鉴定出生后第一年不成熟对视网膜图像质量的实时影响。这些数据将使我们能够更好地理解调节、神经分辨率和正视化在人类发育过程中的相互依存关系，并确定每种因素对明显视觉功能的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Human refractive error typically diminishes over the first postnatal year, while the neural system is undergoing significant development. Progression of both processes is critically dependent on visual experience and the quality of the retinal image. Retinal image quality, however, is likely to be compromised in young infants due to accommodative immaturities. This proposal will examine the accommodative abilities of infants and qualify the real-time impact of immaturities on retinal image quality during the first postnatal year. These data will enable a refined understanding of the interdependence of accommodation, neural resolution and emmetropization in human development, as well as determine the impact of each on manifest visual function.