This proposal requests partial support for a unique international meeting on eye movement mechanisms, disorders and applications in the Gordon Research Conference series to be held July 7-12, 2019, at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar organized and hosted by and for trainees to be held July 6-7. The long-term goal of the conference series is to increase our understanding of the structure and function of the eye, orbit, and neural circuits and of the characteristics of eye movements in visual behavior in health and disease with the ultimate goal of more effectively nosing and treating disorders of ocular motility, gaze control, and vision. The specific goal of the 2019 meeting is to assemble a range of expertise and investigation that spans the remarkably broad intellectual landscape of our field ?- from muscles to nerves, from motor control to visual perception, from biology to engineering, from disruptive strabismus to sophisticated expertise.
The specific aims of this meeting are to convene 41 speakers and discussion leaders with approximately 140 participants for a five-day meeting in a secluded setting. The program will have nine sessions on basic topics such as the interactions of gaze and vision, pupillometry as a behavioral indicator, development of visual and oculomotor system, and the structure and function of the extraocular muscles and orbit, with clinical topics in neuro-ophthalmology, neurology, and psychopathology, as well as the nature of eye movements in non-primate species, computational and robotic systems, and experts using eye movements to accomplish complex, skilled tasks. Four poster sessions will facilitate scientific exchange and mentoring among participants. A Power Hour will provide an opportunity to discuss challenges women face in science and supports the professional growth of women. In size and intensity, the Eye Movements Gordon Research Conference is significant in our field to disseminate the latest scientific advances, to foster productive new insights and collaborations, to stimulate an interest in eye movement research among young investigators and to increase the diversity of the research workforce, all with the ultimate goal of accelerating the delivery of desperately needed new therapies to people with disorders of ocular motility, gaze control, and visual behavior.
Eye movements are vital for vision, critical for cognition, and sensitive to diverse disorders. Consequences of oculomotor impairment range from blindness and low vision to subtler but pernicious disruptions in practical activities, social interactions, personal enjoyment, and economic burden. The proposed conference will assemble early-career and established investigators of the oculomotor and visual systems to assess the state of the field and map its future directions toward relief from oculomotor and visual diseases.
