Characterization of choroidal changes in children and its temporal response to optical defocus

This project aims at one of the major endemic ophthalmic diseases most evident in South East Asian countries that have been symptomatically treated since centuries by application of correcting glasses or contact lenses. Novel invasive treatments applied to adults that alter the optical power of the eye surgically do not control the underlying causes for misalignment between the eye`s axial and its focal length and also fail to treat cases of sight-theatening high myopia. In contrast by understanding and influencing the body`s internal growth control via optical stimuli, recent studies have achieved to reduce the myopic grade without surgery. However, due to the lack of diagnostic feedback individual adjustment of treatment is suboptimal, although changes of axial length seem to be preceded by minute alterations of the choroidal thickness. Optical coherence tomography operating at 1060 nm has been successfully developed in Vienna to exactly overcome these limitations and access the eye non-invasively to map choroidal thickness. During the course of this project a device together with specialized diagnostic software will be developed for investigation of choroidal changes in Chinese children to monitor choroidal changes and optimize guided non-invasive treatment of myopia.