A Glint Or A Squint Should Make You Think! A Randomised, Controlled Study To Determine The Impact Of An Eye-health Awareness Program For New Parents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$95,348.00
Summary
Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare, blinding and sometimes fatal, childhood eye cancer. The earliest diagnosis affords the child the best prognosis for retaining their sight, eye or their life. This project will examine parents’ current understanding of the symptoms and signs for RB, identify barriers to early diagnosis of RB, and to develop, implement and evaluate a sustainable public health awareness program to potentially improve the timing of diagnosis and subsequent outcomes for this disease.
Regulation Of Extraocular Myosins In Craniofacial Muscles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,018.00
Summary
Muscles which move the eyeball are highly complex and contain a special motor protein which enables them to contract with the highest speed of all muscles in the body. This protein is found also in muscles of the throat which open and close the airway during coughing, sneezing and swallowing. These muscles also make many other types of motor proteins, giving them a wide spectrum of properties. The functional advantage of having very fast muscles to move the eyes, and protect the airway by preven ....Muscles which move the eyeball are highly complex and contain a special motor protein which enables them to contract with the highest speed of all muscles in the body. This protein is found also in muscles of the throat which open and close the airway during coughing, sneezing and swallowing. These muscles also make many other types of motor proteins, giving them a wide spectrum of properties. The functional advantage of having very fast muscles to move the eyes, and protect the airway by preventing foreign bodies from entering the lungs, is obvious, but how the synthesis of this motor protein is restricted to these muscles is intriguing. Studies in limb muscles have established the principle that the type of motor protein in a muscle is determined by both the type of muscle cells and the type of innervation. Nerves can change the motor proteins in response to the pattern of use imposed by the brain via electrical impulses along its nerve supply. It is known that frequency of nerve impulses to eye muscles are exceptionally high. This project will use several approaches to test the hypothesis that the nerve impulse pattern delivered to these special muscles is involved in the regulation of this motor protein. In one approach, these muscles in rat will be subject to long-term paralysis by cutting their nerve or by the use of botulinum toxin to see if the motor protein is abolished or reduced. In another, the nerve to throat muscles which make this protein will be redirected to another throat muscle which does not normally make this motor protein. These experiments are expected to support the notion that eye and throat muscles are different from all other muscles in the body, and that the normal neural activity from nerves innervating these special muscles is necessary for inducing the synthesis of their motor proteins. These results will greatly help us understand how eye and throat muscles acquire their unique characteristics.Read moreRead less
Vision problems in young children can impact on educational attainment, employment opportunities and quality of life. Although severe eye disease is recognised shortly after birth, there are no Australian population-based data on the magnitude, frequency and risk factors for conditions causing moderate or milder levels of visual impairment in one or both eyes, particularly refractive error, amblyopia and strabismus. There is widespread evidence that mild or unilateral visual impairment in young ....Vision problems in young children can impact on educational attainment, employment opportunities and quality of life. Although severe eye disease is recognised shortly after birth, there are no Australian population-based data on the magnitude, frequency and risk factors for conditions causing moderate or milder levels of visual impairment in one or both eyes, particularly refractive error, amblyopia and strabismus. There is widespread evidence that mild or unilateral visual impairment in young children is frequently unrecognised and that this can sometimes lead to important adverse health outcomes. While recent data suggests that early detection and treatment could reduce development of permanent and more severe disability in the long-term, there is no consensus that screening is cost effective. The proposed study will estimate the frequency and examine risk factors and impacts from a number of childhood vision conditions in over 4,000 children, aged 6 months to under 6 years. The population sample will be derived by performing door-to-door counts of children in a random cluster sample of census districts in the Sydney region, following letter box and media publicity. Based on similar surveys we have conducted, we expect to examine at least 75% of eligible children. They will have detailed vision and eye tests using standardised methods. We will align these to methods used in a large sister US study. The project will have sufficient power to provide accurate and reliable information about conditions affecting vision in young children. These data will inform debate and assist in designing interventions to reduce disability in children from visual impairments. The multidisciplinary team has expertise in epidemiology, paediatric eye disease and in conducting vision assessments, plus a strong track record in population-based research.Read moreRead less