MYOPIA, HYPEROPIA AND PRIMARY METABOLIC PROCESSES
I will investigate the role of metabolic processes and energy demand during visually-regulated accelerated and slowed eye growth: The retina is a highly metabolically active tissue. It was recently found that primary metabolic processes, especially the glycolysis I canonical pathway, is differentially regulated in conditions of increased vs. decreased eye growth. Myopic progression was associated with a decline in aerobic glycolysis. The project aims to decipher the role of metabolic processes and energy demand during visually induced (treatment with minus lenses) and stop (treatment with plus lenses) of eye growth in the well-established chicken animal model. Measuring the time course of changes will increase our understanding of adaptation processes in the retina and feedback control. I will use non-invasive optical measuring techniques and biochemical and molecular genetics research methods with application to the eye disorder, myopia.