Cross Talk Series: Leveraging Light to Modulate Eye Growth and Control Myopia

The Clinical Vision Sciences Technical Group and the Photobiomodulation Technical Group are coming together to host a new series. The Cross Talk Series will feature talks that connect the interests of members of both communities. In this first session, Lisa Ostrin explores how bright outdoor illumination and specific wavelengths of light influence ocular growth.

Accumulating evidence supports a role for environmental light in modulating eye growth. Epidemiological and interventional studies show that increased time spent outdoors is associated with a reduced risk of myopia onset in children and, potentially, slowed myopia progression. However, conflicting findings exist across studies and precise mechanisms are unknown. While outdoor light is broadband, specific wavelength components may differentially influence eye growth. For example, red light rearing in monkeys promotes hyperopia and prevents experimental myopia. On the other hand, blue light rearing in chickens has been shown to promote hyperopia. Recent interventional studies in children support the use of long wavelength red light therapy for myopia control, while other studies show that short wavelength violet light may also play a protective role in modulating eye growth.

In this session, evidence for potential mechanisms will be discussed. Objective methods to more precisely quantify light exposure in real-world settings, with a focus on the application of innovative wearable sensor technology, will also be discussed.

What You Will Learn:

• How environmental light exposure, including time spent outdoors and specific wavelength components, influences ocular growth and myopia development
• Benefits and risk factors surrounding the use of long-wavelength red light and short-wavelength violet light in myopia control
• Emerging technologies for objectively quantifying individual light exposure in real-world settings

Who Should Attend:

• Vision researchers, optometrists, clinical researchers

About Our Speakers

Lisa Ostrin

University of Houston College of Optometry

About Lisa Ostrin

Lisa Ostrin is an Associate Professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry. She received an OD/PhD at the University of Houston College of Optometry. She then went completed a post docs at John Hopkins in retinal prosthetics and at the University of California Berkeley in myopia. She returned to the University of Houston to continue work in myopia, conducting studies in both human participants and animal models. She is interested in environmental factors and visual cues that contribute to myopia onset and progression, as well as in the development and testing of novel myopia treatments.  In addition to research, Dr. Ostrin teaches gross and ocular anatomy and has authored a book, Anatomy of the Human Eye: a Coloring Atlas. Dr. Ostrin is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Gold Fellow of ARVO, and a recipient of the American Optometric Foundation Ezell Fellowship and the University of Houston College of Optometry Cora and J Davis Armistead Teaching Award. 

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