Understanding why prematurity affects vision and how to prevent it
Official title: The Underlying Mechanisms of Visual Impairment and Myopia in Prematurity
Funded at Oakland University · NIH-11365924 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to understand how early eye development goes wrong in premature babies to prevent vision problems and nearsightedness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oakland University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $392,921 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY033808-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11365924 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are infants or children with a history of prematurity or early oxygen therapy whose vision development could be affected.
✕Less likely to help
Results may be less directly beneficial for children without prematurity-related eye issues or those not experiencing vision development concerns.
What this research studies
This project studies how early retinal activity and oxygen exposure influence eye growth and vision in premature subjects using animal models. It will examine how spontaneous retinal waves, especially those driven by starburst amacrine cells, affect dopamine signaling and eye development. The researchers hope to uncover targets for preventive or therapeutic strategies to reduce vision impairment and myopia linked to prematurity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new ways to prevent or lessen vision problems and myopia in children born prematurely.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work supports a link between retinal waves, dopamine signaling, and eye growth, but this project seeks to clarify mechanisms in the prematurity context.
Where this research is happening
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Oakland University
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Dao-Qi — Oakland University
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Dao-Qi
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding Vision Problems in Premature Babies
This project aims to understand why premature babies often develop vision problems and nearsightedness.
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Understanding vision problems and myopia in premature infants
This study is looking at how babies born early might develop vision problems, like nearsightedness, by examining the natural activity in their eyes that helps them grow properly, with the hope of finding ways to prevent or treat these issues.
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Sulfated molecules in the back of the eye and how they shape myopia progression
This grant studies how losing certain building blocks in the eye’s outer layer may affect eye shape and the worsening of nearsightedness in pig eyes to model human disease.
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Butyrate-based approach to prevent vision loss in premature babies with retinopathy
A study is exploring whether increasing butyrate levels can prevent vision-damaging retinopathy in premature infants by addressing gut bacteria and metabolic pathways.
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Risk profile to identify cerebral visual impairment in children
A pediatric-focused study will use existing medical records to identify risk factors and protective factors for cerebral visual impairment to help doctors screen at-risk infants earlier.
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TopoROP: Multi-View Analysis to Diagnose Retinopathy of Prematurity
A new AI-based tool analyzes retinal images to help doctors diagnose Retinopathy of Prematurity in premature babies and other patients at risk.
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.