These researches are directed at finding a practical method for identifying infants and young children who are at risk of developing amblyopia due either to uncorrected refractive errors or subtle motor problems. They are also aimed at finding the physiological basis of an effective preventative therapy for refractive amblyopia and severe ametropia by investigating emmetropizing mechanisms in humans and animals. To accomplish these goals, we propose to conduct both human and animal studies on refractive development. The results of researches of the past grant period have caused us to focus on the possible interaction of focusing and motor problems in the genesis of amblyopia. In our human studies, we will continue to collect medical history, photo-refractive, visual acuity, accommodative, and convergence data on infants and children from a volunteer laboratory population. In addition, we will collect comparable data from a country-wide school screening population in order to assess selective biases in our laboratory study. We will use this information to construct a practical method for the prediction and, hopefully, prevention of amblyopia on the basis of refractive and motor behavior measured in infanCy. In our animal studies, we will study the growth of the eyes of chicks, using monochromatic light and cylindrical lenses to study their effect on emmetropizing mechanisms. We will also investigate the mechanics of accommodation in chickens, looking at the mechanical and refractive behavior of excised eyes and the mechanical properties of strips of cornea.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY002994-15
Application #
3257308
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Project Start
1979-07-01
Project End
1994-06-30
Budget Start
1993-07-01
Budget End
1994-06-30
Support Year
15
Fiscal Year
1993
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Cornell University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850
Wahl, Christina; Li, Tong; Howland, Howard C (2016) Intraocular pressure fluctuations of growing chick eyes are suppressed in constant light conditions. Exp Eye Res 148:52-54
Wahl, Christina; Li, Tong; Howland, Howard (2015) Plasticity in the growth of the chick eye: emmetropization achieved by alternate morphologies. Vision Res 110:15-22
Wahl, Christina; Li, Tong; Takagi, Yuko et al. (2011) The effects of light regimes and hormones on corneal growth in vivo and in organ culture. J Anat 219:766-75
Wahl, Christina; Li, Tong; Choden, Tsering et al. (2009) Morphometrics of corneal growth in chicks raised in constant light. J Anat 214:355-61
Li, Tong; Howland, Howard C (2006) Role of the pineal gland in ocular development of the chick in normal and constant light conditions. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 47:5132-6
Ronneburger, Ariel; Basarab, Jennifer; Howland, Howard C (2006) Growth of the cornea from infancy to adolescence. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 26:80-7
Howland, Howard C (2005) Allometry and scaling of wave aberration of eyes. Vision Res 45:1091-3
Kelly, Jennifer E; Mihashi, Toshifumi; Howland, Howard C (2004) Compensation of corneal horizontal/vertical astigmatism, lateral coma, and spherical aberration by internal optics of the eye. J Vis 4:262-71
Howland, Howard C; Merola, Stacey; Basarab, Jennifer R (2004) The allometry and scaling of the size of vertebrate eyes. Vision Res 44:2043-65
Schaeffel, Frank; Burkhardt, Eva; Howland, Howard C et al. (2004) Measurement of refractive state and deprivation myopia in two strains of mice. Optom Vis Sci 81:99-110

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