Aims: We aim to explore the correlation of impaired vision with systemic metabolism and lifestyle, and to investigate possible mechanisms of metabolic and ocular diseases.
Scientific rationale: Impaired vision is caused by a variety of ocular and systemic diseases, which have a serious impact on the quality of life. Congenital factors or lifestyle habits may lead to metabolic disorders, resulting in various endocrine disorders such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism and hyperlipidaemia. These diseases can cause damage to multiple tissues and organs, including the eyes, endocrine system and urinary system. In addition, ocular complications can contribute to different degrees of visual impairment, from refractive changes to complete blindness. Despite treatment, some patients may still experience the development or exacerbation of ocular complications at different stages of the disease. The hypothesis posits a robust correlation between ocular health and systemic metabolism. Numerous studies in metabolomics, proteomics, and lipidomics have substantiated that ocular diseases undergo metabolic alterations not only in the eye but also in the blood and urine. We aim to investigate whether systemic metabolic/endocrine-related indicators and lifestyle are associated with impaired vision and how risk factors interact with impaired vision. Moreover, potential mechanisms will be explored through multivariate linear/logistic regression, mediation analysis and Mendelian randomisation methods.
Project duration: 36 months.
Public health impact: Our project will benefit hundreds of millions of people worldwide who are suffering from visual impairment. In the event that metabolic and lifestyle-related risk factors are discerned, lifestyle modifications may present themselves as promising targets for intervention, thereby engendering novel approaches to the prevention and management of systemic diseases that give rise to ocular complications. Additionally, the examination of the correlation between metabolomics, genomics, imaging, lifestyle, and ocular diseases may furnish fresh insights into the identification of potential therapeutic targets and follow-up indicators.
