SUNY College of Optometry’s Dr. David Troilo, was awarded a $2.34 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) for his research examining the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling eye growth and the development of myopia (nearsightedness). The investigators hope to provide deeper insight into the causes and development of myopia in children that may form the basis for new and more effective treatments.
The research is being conducted as a collaboration between two experienced researchers and their teams. Dr. Troilo is one of the original developers of the experimental paradigms being used to develop myopic and hyperopic eyes with over 30 years of experience. Dr. Botond Roska is the co-director at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) in Switzerland and an internationally recognized leader in vision and vision restoration research using genetic and molecular techniques to study cell specific function in inherited retinal disease.
This investigation meets three of the NEI objectives under myopia research including investigating the biochemical pathways that regulate eye growth; identifying genes that contribute to the development of refractive errors and developing new technologies for assessing or treating refractive errors.