Biologische Mechanismen der Myopie

Abstract

Recent studies have confirmed that the prevalence of myopia has increased in most countries, that the increase must be due to environmental factors and that myopia is closely linked to the level of education. Extensive close-up work with short viewing distances, little outdoor activity and continuous exposure to low illumination are currently considered the major factors. It remains unknown how close-up work can stimulate eye growth. Animal models provide the possibility to manipulate visual experiences and to observe subsequent changes in eye growth. They have uncovered a number of unexpected aspects which have led to studies in children. When applied in low doses atropine (0.01 %) is effective against progression of myopia and shows no rebound effect after termination of the treatment, in contrast to treatment with previously used higher doses. While education cannot be limited in our society, there are now an increasing number of options to slow myopia progression so that high myopia is less frequently reached.

Effects of air pollution on myopia: an update on clinical evidence and biological mechanisms

“…Animal experiments have proposed a mechanism in which the retina can “read” the direction of focus of incoming light rays on the retina and affect the choroid to actively change its thickness to move the retina towards the image plane via changes in retinal homeostasis mediated by neurotransmitters (Kubota et al 2021 ). If the focal plane is behind the retina in areas of the visual field, axial growth is promoted owing to thinning of the subfoveal choroid (Schaeffel 2017 ; Kubota et al 2021 ). Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that alterations of the focal plane can be related to ocular surface diseases, and the biophysical property changes of corneal cells involved in these diseases may reflect myopia progression, as the cornea contributes more than 60% of the focusing power (Xin et al 2021 ).…”

Changes in fundus reflectivity during myopia development in chickens

“…Given that only a small percentage of variance of refractive errors (<10 percent) can be explained by genetic variants that were detected in Genome-Wide Association Studies [2-4], the major stimulus for myopia development must reside in the visual environment [5][6][7][8][9]. A large number of studies have focused on the biological mechanisms of myopia development and the visual cues that might trigger the enhanced growth of the eyeball (i.e [10].). However, there is currently no biomarker available that could be used to follow potential myopia-related changes in the retina in vivo.…”