Long-term brain changes from blurry vision and how it affects high-contrast sight
Official title: Long-term Neural Adaptation to Ocular Optics and Its Impact on Suprathreshold Visual Functions
Funded at University of Houston · NIH-11368667 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in people with keratoconus explores how long-term blurred vision changes brain processing and how well people see when vision is later sharpened.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 2, 2003 |
| Project end | February 28, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $384,822 |
| NIH project number | 2R01EY014999-16 |
| Project ID | NIH-11368667 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with keratoconus or similar high-order aberration conditions who have experienced long-term degraded vision.
✕Less likely to help
If you do not have a keratoconus diagnosis or similar optical degradation, this study may not apply to you.
What this research studies
This project examines how prolonged exposure to poor eye optics reshapes how the brain processes visual information, especially for noticeable contrasts and depth perception. Researchers will combine binocular adaptive optics, precise visual tests, and high-resolution eye imaging to study people with keratoconus. The goal is to understand why improving optics sometimes doesn’t fully restore expected vision and what neural changes drive this. Participants will engage in targeted visual tasks while researchers measure behavior and brain-related visual responses to degraded and corrected images.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding neural adaptation could lead to better vision rehabilitation and more effective optical corrections for people with keratoconus.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests neural adaptation to optical imperfections can alter perception, with ongoing efforts to map these changes.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Houston
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yoon, Geunyoung — University of Houston
- Study coordinator: Yoon, Geunyoung
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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.