How everyday sights and safer red light could slow nearsightedness
Official title: Myopia and the Visual Environment
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11249622 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether the kinds of images we see every day and a safer low-level red light approach can slow the eye growth that leads to nearsightedness, with the goal of helping children at risk of myopia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $494,418 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY036970-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249622 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and teenagers who are developing or at high risk of progressive myopia would be the main group likely to benefit from treatments informed by this research.
✕Less likely to help
People with long-standing, stable high myopia or eye conditions unrelated to axial elongation are unlikely to receive direct benefit from these approaches.
What this research studies
Researchers will use a novel experimental technique in tree shrews, a small diurnal mammal similar to primates, to model how the developing eye responds to different visual scenes. The team will first compare a range of real-world visual environments to see which image patterns help prevent excessive eye elongation. They will then work to develop an improved Repeated Low-level Red Light (RLRL) therapy that aims to keep anti-myopia effects while meeting established safety limits. Results are intended to guide future human-safe treatments and environment-based recommendations to reduce myopia risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to safer light-based treatments and practical visual-environment guidance that slow eye growth and lower the number of people who become myopic.
How similar studies have gone: Early reports of red-light therapies have shown strong anti-myopia effects but raised safety concerns, while testing the role of everyday visual scenes is a more novel approach with limited prior clinical data.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gawne, Timothy J — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Gawne, Timothy J
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PICNIC: Factors inside the eye linked to childhood near-sightedness
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.