{"id":2938,"date":"2024-12-11T08:54:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T08:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2938"},"modified":"2024-12-11T08:54:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T08:54:47","slug":"fresh-eyesight-insights-bring-human-eye-into-sharp-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2938\/fresh-eyesight-insights-bring-human-eye-into-sharp-focus\/","title":{"rendered":"Fresh eyesight insights bring human eye into sharp focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

EU-funded researchers are unlocking the secrets of the human eye, creating cutting-edge digital models that are transforming the quality of eye surgeries.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro<\/p>\n

For 89-year-old Mercedes Alvarez from the northern Spanish city of Gij\u00f3n, cataract surgery was more than a routine medical procedure, it was a life-changing experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I didn\u2019t want to do it, even though I had trouble seeing anything,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cI spent sleepless nights worrying because, at my age, even a simple procedure felt risky.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, after doctors reassured her that age was not a barrier to treating cataracts \u2013 a clouding of the lens of the eye \u2013 she decided to go ahead. Delighted with the result, she can now appreciate life\u2019s small details again, such as reading the newspaper every morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put on my glasses, and I can read even the small print!\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez is one of more than four million people who undergo cataract surgery in the EU every year, according to Eurostat \u2013 the EU\u2019s statistical office.<\/p>\n

Her experience is a testament to the major advances in cataract surgery and eye care in recent years, driven in part by international collaborative research funded by the EU.<\/p>\n

Optical illusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Jos\u00e9 Manuel Gonz\u00e1lez-M\u00e9ijome, founder and coordinator of the Clinical and Experimental Optometry Research Lab at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal, coordinates one such research initiative \u2013 a four-year EU-funded project called OBERON that will conclude in 2025.<\/p>\n

The OBERON research team brings together eye experts from universities in Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, along with non-academic partners from the Netherlands and Spain.<\/p>\n

Combining optics and biomechanics, they are developing state-of-the-art computer models of the eye that will help make eye surgery safer and more accurate. The team also educates 15 young researchers, helping them to embrace the latest interdisciplinary advances in eye structure, function and treatment.<\/p>\n

Gonz\u00e1lez-M\u00e9ijome, a professor of optometry and vision science at the University of Minho, describes the eye as a biological tissue with both optical and biomechanical properties interacting between them.<\/p>\n

The computer models developed are able to faithfully mimic these properties, providing valuable guidance to vision scientists, optometrists and eye surgeons on predicting the behaviour of eye tissues under normal development and different clinical conditions.<\/p>\n

Delicate procedure<\/strong><\/p>\n

To help understand the surgeon\u2019s task, Gonz\u00e1lez-M\u00e9ijome explains that a human eyeball weighs only about 7.5 grams and measures around 2.3 centimetres.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly small and complex and the surgeon must navigate inside without harming the different layers, while for vision scientists in general, it is critical to understand how all those structures interact as the eye develops,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During cataract surgery, doctors remove the cloudy eye lens and replace it with a clear, artificial lens. According to Eurostat, it is the most common surgical procedure in the EU. In 2021, France recorded the highest number of these procedures per capita, followed by Austria, Estonia and Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

Modern modelling techniques, such as those being developed by the OBERON researchers, enable a shift from traditional trial-and-error methods to personalised and more precise treatment plans for each patient.<\/p>\n

Their approach allows surgeons to tailor surgical solutions to each patient based on their specific anatomical characteristics rather than relying on generic averages, which results in a much better outcome for the patient.<\/p>\n

On top of that, the researchers are also developing new treatments that will be able to reduce or even prevent eye lens malfunction, which usually develops with age, thus removing the need for surgery. This is increasingly important, given Europe\u2019s ageing population.<\/p>\n

An increasingly short-sighted world<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gonz\u00e1lez-M\u00e9ijome and the OBERON research team are also addressing eyesight issues that affect younger people, such as myopia, or short-sightedness \u2013 a condition that causes distant objects to appear blurry. This is becoming increasingly common among children in Europe.<\/p>\n

According to Gonz\u00e1lez-M\u00e9ijome, short-sightedness is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Recent studies have shown a link between higher education levels, increased screen time and the rising incidence of myopia in children in Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile intensive near-work tasks seem to increase myopia development, we can\u2019t tell children not to study \u2013 we usually advise the opposite,\u201d said Gonz\u00e1lez-M\u00e9ijome. \u201cSo we need to better understand how to manage excessive eye growth despite the tasks posed on our children\u2019s visual system.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, myopia is unlikely to disappear in the foreseeable future and there will be an increased reliance on vision scientists and eye care practitioners to mitigate the problem by reducing myopia onset and slowing its progression through better optical and surgical options.<\/p>\n

The modelling techniques on eye optics and function, laser refractive surgery or cataract surgery developed in OBERON can help to ensure that optical and surgical interventions are as accurate and safe as possible.<\/p>\n

Mathematical precision<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part of the important advances being made in eye surgery comes from applying mathematical precision to the biological and physiological workings of the eye.<\/p>\n

From 2014 to 2017, Professor Hrvoje \u0160iki\u0107, a professor of mathematics at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, led an EU-funded research project called MOLEGRO which developed the world\u2019s first mathematical model of eye lens growth.<\/p>\n

Successfully blending mathematical theory with biological insights made it possible to decode the complex biology of how the eye lens develops. For \u0160iki\u0107, this interdisciplinary approach presented an intriguing challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I wasn\u2019t sure, but then I realised there would be some interesting mathematical challenges to work on,\u201d said \u0160iki\u0107, who had limited prior experience in applying mathematical models to biology.<\/p>\n

The idea came from a friend of his, US biologist Dr Steven Bassnett, a renowned leader in the field of lens cell biology.<\/p>\n

The challenge, says \u0160iki\u0107, was to set aside the typical lone-wolf mentality of the mathematician, used to working in the abstract world, and learn to work as part of a larger team operating in the real world.<\/p>\n

Unique growth process<\/strong><\/p>\n

The joint venture created the first mathematical model of lens growth that shows how cells in the eye lens change over time, as the lens evolves throughout a person\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n

The eye lens is unique in that it grows by adding new cells inside the capsule, an elastic membrane surrounding the lens. The old cells are not discarded, but are packed into the centre of the organ.<\/p>\n

The findings of \u0160iki\u0107\u2019s team have been helpful in guiding cataract surgery techniques.<\/p>\n

The team has also identified how the eye\u2019s growth process contributes to the development of cataracts in combination with known risk factors, like exposure to ultraviolet light. This provides insights into how we could delay or prevent the development of eye problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of cataracts remains quite significant worldwide, especially in developing countries, where they continue to be a leading cause of blindness,\u201d said \u0160iki\u0107.<\/p>\n

Cancer proof<\/strong><\/p>\n

Together with Bassnett, \u0160iki\u0107 is now investigating one of the more surprising aspects of their research: why the eye lens appears to be cancer-proof.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn itself, there\u2019s nothing special about the lens cells that would stop cancer, the tissue is similar to skin,\u201d \u0160iki\u0107 explained. \u201cWe are currently investigating whether the absence of cancer in this tissue is linked to its unique growth process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea came to us as we were working in MOLEGRO. It is intriguing and new and will certainly be met with scepticism. That\u2019s why it must be really well argued. But we are analysing various concrete models and believe that within two years, we should have the work completed and sent for review.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Framework Programme, including, in the case of OBERON, via the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

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