Investigating the Physiological Role of Spectral Composition of Daily Light Exposure in the Development of Childhood Myopia

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to experimentally create conditions for the development of childhood myopia in laboratory animals. The measurements were taken using ultrasound technique for different age groups of the Japanese quail Coturnix japonica dom. – chicks (10, 25, and 45 days) and mature birds (65 days) in in situ conditions. To simulate the processes of myopization, sources of narrow-spectrum blue (450 ± 50 nm), red (600 ± 50 nm) and yellow (550 ± 50 nm), the most comfortable for the eye, light were used. High-frequency focused ultrasound (30–80 MHz) and the B/Z scanning mode were applied for the high-quality visualization of the fine structure of the chicks' eye in the sagittal plane. The obtained data on the eyeball size, the lens and scleral-cornea, vitreous body and the chorioretinal complex revealed the age-related changes in the animal eye development. Preliminary data on the sclera elasticity of the quail's eye are presented.