Approved Research

Associations of dietary exposome with inner retinal thickness parameters in the UK Biobank

Lay summary

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and its prevalence is projected to reach 111.8 million in 2040. This progressive degenerative optic neuropathy is characterized by the irreversible and progressive degeneration of retinal nerve cells. At the beginning peripheral vision is lost and if the lesions progress, central vision disappears, leading to blindness. Visual impairment due to glaucoma has major consequences on quality of life and loss of autonomy, with considerable personal, familial and societal burden. Hence, a preventive approach, aiming at reducing the impact of risk factors in order to delay the disease's onset is of utmost importance.

In addition to existing treatments for glaucoma, preserving the nerve functions of the eye is of utmost importance. A high-quality ad healthy diet provides nutrients with neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. Those nutrients are useful for maintaining good eye health. Little is known about the impact of our diet on glaucoma.

The aim of this project is to characterize the associations between our diet and the loss of retinal nerve cells, a well-established glaucoma biomarker.

We will use the unique data of the UK Biobank where the loss of retinal nerve cells was measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT), i.e. eye scan. UK Biobank participants also filled extensive dietary questionnaires allowing the computation of dietary scores and patterns such as the well know Mediterranean diet. Dedicated statistical model will be performed to evaluated the link between retinal thickness and dietary exposure in about 65 900 participants.

This project will improve the understanding of the impact of our dietary consumption in glaucoma. This could open new perspectives of preventive strategies to delay or avoid the occurrence of glaucoma.