Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
Vision develops rapidly during childhood, but a delay or disruption of the developmental process results in various visual and cognitive functional deficits, including visual acuity, stereopsis, and reading and writing skills. Research into Children's Vision aims to investigate the mechanism of visual function development and enhance affected children's visual and cognitive performance by applying cutting-edge technology.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive eye disease that impacts the retinal microvasculature. New insights into the pathophysiology of DR could improve metabolic control. Structure-function analyses help reveal further details of DR development. Intraocular drug therapy can provide improved visual outcomes. DR will continue to be an important area of research for patients and their families.
Glaucoma is the leading global cause of irreversible blindness. There is a lack of effective antiglaucoma drugs. Recently, nanomedicines and nanomedicine-based novel strategies for the pharmacotherapy of glaucoma have become alternatives to conventional ophthalmic formulations due to several advantages, such as improved barrier permeability.
Myopia research aims to understand risk factors, mechanisms, and develop effective interventions to slow or halt its progression. Recent studies show potential links between near work activities, outdoor time, and myopia onset, with promising results from the specific light-based and contact lens/spectacle interventions. Further research could lead to personalized approaches for myopia control and reduced global prevalence of myopia-related eye complications.
The retina is responsible for vision and contributes the major sensory input to the brain. Novel therapeutic targets based on neuronal protection, repair, or regeneration are necessary to prevent blindness from retinal degenerative diseases. Our researchers are, therefore, exploring bench-to-bedside neuroprotective strategies, including gene therapy, mitochondrial transplantation, use of small molecules, and epigenetic modifications, to tackle the early pathophysiological changes and delay retinal degeneration. In addition the possibility of repair of injured neurons, using stem cell-based therapy, holds promise in restoring vision to persons who have already lost their sight.
The retina – a window of the central nervous system – is a unique and valuable link between visual science and neuroscience. Our studies combine anatomy, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, stem cell biology, pharmacology, physiology, genetics, and "omics", as well as computational, behavioural and cognitive neuroscience to advance the understanding and, potentially, the novel treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
Ocular proteomics has contributed dramatically to identifying disease biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. Single‐cell spatial proteomics aims to depict the underlying mechanisms of how the products of many genes interact to produce a cellular phenotype. In addition, developing a multi-omics approach and artificial intelligence-based multi-omics bioinformatics will allow synergy of the strengths of each type of 'omics data and assist in understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis and causality in molecular events. Our ultimate goal is to make contributions to precision medicine.
Ophthalmic instrumentation is a rapidly evolving field, focusing on developing advanced and innovative technologies for vision research. Recent advancements include high-resolution imaging devices, wearable sensors for monitoring eye health, and computer-aided diagnosis systems. These innovations aim to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes in eye care.
More than 1.8 billion presbyopes rely on complex multifocal eyeglass designs to see at all distances. However, there is a research gap about how and to what extent the artificial design of these lenses can capitalize on and influence patients’ neural processes to yield better vision. To tackle this question, our research seeks to evaluate and create new design strategies using optical imaging and the remodelling of neural efficiency.
Vision public health research helps in the understanding of conditions related to the eye on a societal level and beyond, including, but not limited to, eye diseases, refractive errors, and eye-care service module preferences. Better understanding could aid policymakers in adapting strategies to tackle the needs of society.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the collective term of a group of hereditary diseases affecting the retina. These lead to loss of night and peripheral vision, eventually resulting in severe vision loss. We are exploring the underlying mechanisms of photoreceptor death and working on the development of protection, rescue and exploring the therapeutic potential of multi-targets in RP.
The eye is unique in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) because of its diagnostic tool, five-wheel pattern differentiation, allows diagnosis of eye disorders as it is a syndrome differentiation system. The principle of TCM is to tonify and nourish the liver and kidney and to enrich the yin. The mechanisms of TCM, which include anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, immunomodulation, and anti-hyperglycaemic, may mediate the beneficial activities of TCMs in the eye.
Visual rehabilitation employs manipulations of environmental stimulation to improve low visionTechnological advances providing more control over this stimulation open possibilities for sharper images, which poses the difficult, but exciting question of how, by re-configuring the environment, can brain processes be enhanced and the brain trained to "see" better. With this objective, our laboratory seeks to explore the link between the eye and the brain through new modalities of visual stimulation, including dynamic optical manipulation of retinal images.
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