Vertebrate Visual Optics --Ontogeny Phylogeny and Function of the Lens

脊椎动物的眼睛由两个屈光成分组成，晶状体和角膜。晶状体是一种细胞结构，在整个生命过程中不断发育。透镜的光学(聚焦)功能由透镜的形状和折射率分布决定。它还受到调节(调节焦距的能力)是否由晶状体(有时是角膜)形状变化或通过晶状体运动所带来的影响。当眼睛在水中时，角膜基本上是不屈光的。此外，眼睛的光学发育可以通过实验改变，方法是剥夺眼睛的清晰视力，特别是在眼睛生长期间。*项目将探索：1)前硬骨鱼与硬骨鱼晶状体的光学功能虽然典型的(硬骨鱼)鱼的晶状体得到了一些实验关注，但代表早期进化发展的物种还没有。申请人开发的激光扫描仪将用于研究各种现代和具有代表性的原始鱼的晶状体光学功能。2)蛇眼的光学发育眼镜是一种覆盖在眼睛前面的透明鳞片，在所有的蛇身上都有。当皮肤脱落时，景象就会变得浑浊。因此，蛇眼会周期性地(每年1至4次)受到视力模糊的影响。这种自然丧失清晰视力对眼睛屈光发育的影响将被调查，以确定屈光发育是否周期性地向近视方向倾斜。3)晶体的离体色差虽然眼睛和晶体的纵向色差(波长对焦距的影响)很大，但年龄的影响并不明显。一种新的扫描激光系统，既使用短波长半导体激光器(420 Nm)，也使用红色激光(630 Nm)，已经开发出来，并将用于使用动物镜头来研究这一问题。4)体外晶状体发育。晶状体样体是由原代培养的晶状体上皮细胞形成的透明的三维多细胞结构。不同的生长因子在诱导晶状体样体形成中的作用将使用不同的晶状体细胞培养来探索。本研究的目的是促进晶状体上皮细胞的分化，以产生与天然晶状体相似的光学性质的类晶状体。(5)使用培养的眼组织作为体外眼毒理学检测。各种晶状体和角膜细胞培养将被用于开发一系列可用于眼睛毒理学的分析方法，以便最大限度地减少在测试中使用活动物，以评估使用与眼睛相关的新产品的风险。

The vertebrate eye consists of two refractive components, the crystalline lens and the cornea.The lens is a cellular structure that continues to develop through life. Lens optical (focussing) function is governed by its shape and its refractive index distribution. It is also affected by whether accommodation (the ability to adjust the focussing power) is brought about by changes in lens (and sometimes corneal) shape or through lens movement. The cornea is essentially not refractive when the eye is in water. In addition, the optical development of the eye can be altered experimentally by depriving the eye of clear vision, especially during eye growth.******Projects will explore: 1)Pre-teleost vs. teleost lensoptical function While the typical (teleost) fish lens has received some experimental attention, that of species representing earlier evolutionary development have not. A laser scanning apparatus developed by the applicant will be used to study lens optical function in a variety of modern and representative primitive fish. 2) Optical Development of the Snake Eye The spectacle is a transparent scale that covers the front of the eye and is found in all snakes. When the skin is shed, the spectacle becomes cloudy. Thus, the snake eye is periodically (1 to 4 times per year) subject to blurred vision. The effect of this natural deprivation of clear vision on ocular refractive development will be investigated to see if refractive development is periodically shiifted in the myopic direction. 3)Chromatic Aberration of the Lens In Vitro While the longitudinal chromatic aberration (effect of wavelength on focal length) of the eye and lens is substantial, the influence of age is not clear. A new scanning laser system, using both a short wavelength diode laser (420nm) as well as a red (630nm) laser, has been developed and will be used to examine this issue using animal lenses. 4)In Vitro lens Development. Lentoids are transparent three-dimensional multicellular structures that form from primary lens epithelial cell cultures. The roles of various growth factors in inducing lentoid formation will be explored using a variety of lens cell cultures. The goal of this research is to enhance lens epithelial cell differentiation in order to produce lentoids with lens-like optical properties approaching that of the natural lens.  5) Use of cultured eyetissue as in vitro ocular toxicology assays. A variety of lens and corneal cell cultures will be used to develop a battery of assays that can be used in eye toxicology in order to minimize the use of live animals in testing to evaluate the risk of using new eye-related products.*****