This project will develop a technique for detecting blind spots in the human field of vision by using virtual reality goggles to present a stimulus to the eye and then recording the tiny electrical signals from the brain that are generated in response to this. It will overcome many of the limitations of current subjective visual field testing and expand the potential market for the objective perimeter that we have developed. By recording from both eyes simultaneously it will halve the recording ....This project will develop a technique for detecting blind spots in the human field of vision by using virtual reality goggles to present a stimulus to the eye and then recording the tiny electrical signals from the brain that are generated in response to this. It will overcome many of the limitations of current subjective visual field testing and expand the potential market for the objective perimeter that we have developed. By recording from both eyes simultaneously it will halve the recording time and improve the ability to do inter-eye comparisons to look for early signs of glaucoma.Read moreRead less
Development And Evaluation Of Teleophthalmic Systems For Screening Of Common Blinding Eye Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,918.00
Summary
Portable ophthalmic instruments will provide digital images for storage and telemetric transmission to a disease control centre. We will be assessing and developing new portable ophthalmic imaging instruments, and validating them for common blinding eye conditions. The aim is to assess the ability of various health personal to document glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, active trachoma, corneal scarring and cataract in rural screenings using digital imaging technology. A network of ophthalmologists ....Portable ophthalmic instruments will provide digital images for storage and telemetric transmission to a disease control centre. We will be assessing and developing new portable ophthalmic imaging instruments, and validating them for common blinding eye conditions. The aim is to assess the ability of various health personal to document glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, active trachoma, corneal scarring and cataract in rural screenings using digital imaging technology. A network of ophthalmologists, health department personnel and aboriginal health workers in Western Australia will be involved. The project will also examine the quality of images obtained by health workers with various levels of skills and compare this with conventional photographs currently obtained by the screening network. Finally, the project will demonstrate practicality of the large scale storage of digital images of patient eyes. Preliminary evaluations have been performed on our teleophthalmology system using different portable instruments namely a handheld fundus camera, slit-lamp and indirect ophthalmoscope. We have also tested our teleophthalmology system at the Dr. Soetomo Hospital (Airlangga University) in Surabaya, Indonesia. Images captured using the handheld fundus camera were successfully transmitted to Lions Eye Institute through satellite, mobile and Internet lines. This pilot project has been sponsored by the Western Australian Department of Trade and Commerce and Telstra.Read moreRead less
A Single Digital Handheld Imaging Device For Use In Both Ophthalmology And Dentistry
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,221.00
Summary
Our aim is to produce and validate a single digital imaging device which can be used in ophthalmology (both for retinal and anterior segment imaging) and dentistry. This device will be low-cost, easy-to-operate and portable. Our planned development of the novel screening tool should help in bringing high quality, lower cost health care to those without easy access to it, firstly to residents of rural areas in Australia and then in developing countries in our region. This can be achieved by more ....Our aim is to produce and validate a single digital imaging device which can be used in ophthalmology (both for retinal and anterior segment imaging) and dentistry. This device will be low-cost, easy-to-operate and portable. Our planned development of the novel screening tool should help in bringing high quality, lower cost health care to those without easy access to it, firstly to residents of rural areas in Australia and then in developing countries in our region. This can be achieved by more efficient screening methods and redirecting resources to target those with treatable eye disease only. The detection process can be progressively transferred to less expensive health workers while ophthalmologist input can be redirected to monitoring the screening results and performing surgery. The dentists travel infrequently to rural and remote WA. If the dentist can pre plan their treatment then it will be more efficient and possible to treat more people at each visit to remote and rural WA. With the help of the proposed imaging device for dentistry, the nurses and other allied personnel should be able to send the digital images in advance to dentist over Internet and therefore help dentist pre-plan their treatment. As a result, improved dental care for rural, remote and underserved communities will occur.Read moreRead less
Effect Of Aging And Mitochondrial Dysfunction On The Optic Nerve Response To Pressure-induced Oxidative Stress
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,554.00
Summary
The risk of glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease of the optic nerve, increases exponentially with age, but the cellular mechanisms responsible are not known. We hypothesise that age-related changes in mitochondria, the energy producing part of the cell, render nerve cells prone to damage. This project will determine whether aging and mitochondrial impairment increase nerve damage and whether dietary moodifications that preserve mitochondria during aging, protect the optic nerve from damage
A ROBOTIC MICRO DRAINAGE SURGERY FOR GLAUCOMA (A BIOLOGICAL MICROFISTULA AND IMPLANTATION METHOD AND APPARATUS)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,020.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness in our community. We are developing a new surgical procedure to treat glaucoma. The technique is based on the implantation of a tiny drainage tube inside the eye. This allows the eye's natural fluid to escape at the required rate. Insufficient drainage, or over production of fluid in the eye's of glaucoma patients is responsible for the high pressures inside the eye that characterise this disease. A simple, safe, and reliable surgical procedure to lower int ....Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness in our community. We are developing a new surgical procedure to treat glaucoma. The technique is based on the implantation of a tiny drainage tube inside the eye. This allows the eye's natural fluid to escape at the required rate. Insufficient drainage, or over production of fluid in the eye's of glaucoma patients is responsible for the high pressures inside the eye that characterise this disease. A simple, safe, and reliable surgical procedure to lower intraocular pressure would be a major benefit to the almost 67 million glaucoma patients worldwide, and would relieve the current need for lifelong medication.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Glaucoma Susceptibility Variants By Exome Sequencing In Extended Pedigrees Showing Prior Evidence Of Gene Segregation.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$694,002.00
Summary
Primary open angle glaucoma is a chronic eye disease and one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. This study will use cutting-edge genetic methods to look at the entire coding component of the human genome (exome) in 271 individuals from large glaucoma families. Our previous studies have shown that these families carry genetic variants that increase disease risk. In this investigation we aim to identify these genes, with the hope they may offer novel targets for tr ....Primary open angle glaucoma is a chronic eye disease and one of the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. This study will use cutting-edge genetic methods to look at the entire coding component of the human genome (exome) in 271 individuals from large glaucoma families. Our previous studies have shown that these families carry genetic variants that increase disease risk. In this investigation we aim to identify these genes, with the hope they may offer novel targets for treatment or diagnosis.Read moreRead less
Genome-wide Association Studies To Identify Major Genetic Determinants Of 5 Blinding Eye Diseases Using Pooled DNA
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$562,193.00
Summary
This project aims to find important genes for 5 diseases that can lead to blindness. We will use a cost-effective approach where samples from a large number of individuals with a given disorder are pooled (mixed together) and then compared on gene chips covering the whole genome to a pool of people who do not have the disease. Differences identified between the groups will point to genes causing that disease. We will identify any major genes for the 5 diseases being studied.