2023 has been an exciting year for medical research into paediatric eye conditions.
Thanks to Channel 7 Telethon Trust’s generous support earlier this year, totalling over $500,000, the following four medical research projects received the critical funding needed to proceed.
Closing the gap for paediatric screening in the North West
The Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia have been identified as an area of concern by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, with School Entry Health Assessment figures sitting at 73 and 85 per cent respectively, when compared with the rest of regional Western Australia (92.4 per cent). There is also no data available specifically related to the number of Aboriginal children tested in remote regions. From the Kimberley Eye Hub in Broome, Lions Outback Vision will use specialist screening equipment to monitor healthy eye development of children in areas where School Entry Health Assessments are not currently being done. The screening will identify children who may be at risk of eye health and eye developmental concerns, providing equity of service for regional and vulnerable children, and allowing for early intervention or treatment to prevent vision loss later in life.
Dr Jessica Mountford
Development of myopia associated genetic screening
An estimated 23,000 Western Australian children suffer from early-onset myopia, a progressive disease affecting vision. Unfortunately, the prevalence of myopia is predicted to rise beyond 50 per cent of the global population in coming decades due to a combination of both genetic and environmental factors, including lack of time outdoors and increased near-work such as reading. Researcher Dr Jessica Mountford, and clinician-researcher Dr Antony Clark, will work to identify how genetic and environmental risk factors lead to the development of early-onset myopia. As part of this work, they will establish Western Australia’s first genome wide association study (GWAS) screening for myopia-associated gene variants in school-aged children. The long-term outcomes of this research include the development of new methods for screening and identifying children at risk of developing myopia, personalised treatment options and prevention strategies. This work is complementary to the early-onset myopia research already being conducted by Dr Mountford and Dr Clark.
Professor Dao-Yi Yu AM
Improving outcomes for glaucoma in children and babies
Babies and children born with glaucoma experience severe vision impairment, with congenital glaucoma responsible for up to 18 per cent of childhood blindness. The only way to treat congenital glaucoma is via surgery, however, surgical success rates are low. This research, led by Professor Dao-Yi Yu AM, Dr Geoffrey Chan and Dr Antony Clark, will help increase successful outcomes of surgery and reduce loss of sight. The team will develop a world-first non-invasive imaging system to enable safe visualisation of lymphatic vessels, as current lymphatics imaging technology is not suitable for children. The system will potentially improve glaucoma surgery success, reducing the risk of complications which means less follow-up appointments, less operations, less reliance on medications and faster recovery. This research has the potential to prevent severe vision impairment and blindness, providing children with the ability to live a normal life including fully participating in education, which opens up career opportunities and allows for greater independence.
Professor David Mackey AO
Understanding how infection from common diseases causes blindness
Infectious diseases were a major cause of childhood blindness a century ago. The availability of effective antibiotics and vaccination have almost eliminated blindness from rubella, measles, meningococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, chickenpox and herpes zoster. However, there remain several infectious diseases that can cause blindness for which we have no regular vaccinations. They are Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus 1 and toxoplasmosis. Although many children with these infectious diseases have only mild illness, others experience devastating outcomes that can lead to blindness or even death. In addition, these four diseases can trigger other conditions later in life. Epstein-Barr virus is estimated to cause approximately one per cent of all cancers and increases the risk of multiple sclerosis. A team of researchers led by Professor David Mackey AO and Dr Samantha Lee will use data from the Raine Study to understand infection rates in Australian children, as well as the need for and best timing of vaccination. In addition, information from the research will be used in the Raine Study for the next 50 years to determine whether infections in childhood increase the risk of diseases in later life.
Thanks to Channel 7 Telethon Trust and the Western Australian community for supporting children to have the best start in life.
