Approved Research

The eye and the systemic factors

Lay summary

Aims: The overall goal of this project is to explore the relationship between factors in our body systems and eye diseases.

Scientific rationale: The eye is composed of various kinds of tissue. This unique characteristic puts the eye into a position susceptible to a wide variety of factors in our body system. Meanwhile, the eye also provides "a window" through which researchers can invasively reflect many body systems as its retinal vessels shares similar properties to those of brain, heart and kidney. In present society, the prevalence of age-related eye diseases is increasing substantially, among which diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) have posed considerable health and socioeconomic challenge globally. However, the specific causes and mechanism of DR remain unclear. It is reported that physical activity level, nutrition intake, blood indicators and so on might be associated with DR. In addition, when the condition progresses to DR, its influence on other body systems, life quality and death are limited investigated.

To narrow the current gap, we propose this study with a large sample size and comprehensive and novel factors to estimate the relationship of  our body systems and eye diseases including DR for better general health management strategy.

Duration of the project: 36 months.

Public health impact: This project will bring actual benefit to millions of people with eye diseases worldwide enabled by a better understanding of the eye diseases that is expected to help slow visual acuity loss, minimize harm to our body and improving patients' quality of life.