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Visually Induced Myopia and Emmetropization

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Visual Development

Abstract

Myopia is an important problem, affecting over 40 % of the population in the USA and more than 80 % in some parts of Asia, with these percentages increasing over time. The eyeball can grow, but cannot get smaller after it has grown, so the problem has to be tackled early. The signal for emmetropization is generated within the retina, by cells that can detect whether the image is in focus. Which cells do this has not been pinned down. Signals from these cells must then be sent to the choroid, which can expand and retract, and to the sclera to determine the overall size of the eyeball. Some ionic changes which lead to retraction and expansion of the choroid, and movement of fluid into and out of the vitreous have been discovered, but much more remains to be done. Three factors that are changed bidirectionally in response to myopia and reduction of myopia have been discovered. These are glucagon, retinoic acid, and the immediate early gene ZENK. How these factors fit into the complete sequence of events still has to be determined. Current treatments for myopia are not very effective—either optical treatments or pharmacological ones—but more time spent outdoors certainly helps.

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  1. Branford, CT, USA

    Nigel W. Daw

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  1. Nigel W. Daw
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Daw, N.W. (2014). Visually Induced Myopia and Emmetropization. In: Visual Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9059-3_13

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