OPTICALLY INDUCED ANISOMETROPIA

描述(摘自研究人员摘要)：出生后不久，大多数婴儿就会出现近乎正视的屈光不正，然后在整个童年和成年早期双眼都会保持这种屈光不正。然而，由于目前尚不清楚的原因，越来越多的人患上了异常屈光不正(目前约有30%的年轻人患有严重的屈光不正)。除了传统光学矫正的高昂成本外，屈光不正还可能导致永久性的感觉障碍和导致失明的眼睛异常。这项拟议研究的长期目标是更好地了解人类屈光不正的原因，并深入了解屈光不正是导致弱视和异常双眼视觉等感觉障碍发展的风险因素。一个主要的目标是确定早期的视觉体验，特别是光学离焦，如何影响眼睛屈光不正的发展。眼镜片饲养方案将有效地改变幼年恒河猴的屈光状态。光学和超声技术将被用来量化这些晶状体培养策略对眼睛轴向和屈光成分发育的影响。除了确定视觉经验可以影响眼睛的哪些部分外，拟议的研究旨在确定(1)高等灵长类动物的正视化过程是否对光学离焦敏感并受其调节，(2)形觉剥夺性近视现象与正常正视化过程之间的关系，以及(3)散光的存在是否扰乱了正常的正视化。空间对比敏感度和立体视的平行心理物理检查将检查早期屈光不正与弱视和/或异常双眼视觉的发展之间的关系。行为学研究还将确定感觉障碍的存在本身是否会扰乱正视化，并促进随后发生的异常屈光不正。这些研究的结果对于开发新的屈光不正治疗和管理策略是至关重要的。此外，这些调查将有助于确定需要在多大程度上纠正幼儿的屈光不正，以避免出现感觉障碍。

DESCRIPTION (from the investigator's abstract): Soon after birth, most infants develop near emmetropic refractive errors which are then maintained in both eye throughout childhood and into early adult life. However, for reasons not currently understood, a significant and increasing proportion of the population develop abnormal refractive errors (currently about 30 percent of young adults have significant refractive errors). In addition to the high costs for traditional optical corrections, refractive errors can lead to permanent sensory disorders and ocular abnormalities causing blindness. The long-term objectives for the proposed research are to provide a better understanding of the etiologies of human refractive errors and to gain insight into refractive errors as risk factors for the development of sensory disorders like amblyopia and anomalous binocular vision. A primary goal is to determine how early visual experiences, and in particular optical defocus, influences ocular refractive error development. Spectacle lens-rearing regimens will be used to effectively alter the refractive status of infant rhesus monkeys. Optical and ultrasonographic techniques will be used to quantify the effects of these lens-rearing strategies on the development of the eyes axial and refractive components. In addition to determining which ocular components can be influenced by visual experience, the proposed investigation are designed to determine (1) whether the emmetropization process in higher primates is sensitive to and regulated by optical defocus, (2) the relationship between the phenomenon of form-deprivation myopia and the normal emmetropization process, and (3) whether the presence of astigmatism disrupts normal emmetropization. Parallel psychophysical investigations of spatial contrast sensitivity and stereoacuity will examine the relationship between early refractive errors and the development of amblyopia and/or anomalous binocular vision. The behavioral studies will also determine whether the presence of sensory disorders, themselves, can disrupt emmetropization and promote the subsequent development of abnormal refractive errors. The results of these studies are essential for the development of new treatment and management strategies for refractive errors. Moreover, these investigation will help determine the extent to which refractive errors need to be corrected in young infants in order to avoid the development of sensory disorders.