Understanding Nearsightedness in Children
Official title: Peripheral optical and neural contributions to myopia development
Funded at University of Houston · NIH-11143652 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research aims to better understand how nearsightedness, or myopia, develops in children by looking at how their eyes and brains process vision.
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 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $452,271 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY034151-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11143652 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research is focused on understanding myopia in children, particularly those aged 0-11 years old who are developing or at risk of developing nearsightedness.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are adults or whose myopia is already stable may not directly benefit from this specific research, which focuses on early development and progression.
What this research studies
Nearsightedness is a common vision problem that is becoming more widespread, especially in children, and severe cases can lead to serious eye diseases and even blindness. While some treatments exist, we don't fully understand why they work or what truly causes myopia to progress. This project will use new optical tools and custom contact lenses to explore how the outer parts of a child's vision and brain signals contribute to the eye's growth and nearsightedness. By uncovering these mechanisms, we hope to develop more effective ways to prevent or slow down myopia in children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new and more effective treatments or preventative measures for nearsightedness in children, potentially reducing the risk of severe vision problems later in life.
How similar studies have gone: While current interventions for myopia have shown some success, this research seeks to provide a clearer explanation for their mechanisms and explore new factors, building upon existing knowledge.
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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PICNIC: Factors inside the eye linked to childhood near-sightedness
Researchers are studying how eye structure and vision in young children may predict who will develop myopia, aiming to understand why some kids become nearsighted.
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Peripheral vision factors behind kids’ nearsightedness
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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.