Light and The Eye

The long-recognised role of the eye is to generate an image of the world using rod and cone photoreceptors. Recent research has led to the discovery that the eye contains another class of photoreceptor called photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs).

These specialised neurons detect environmental brightness and regulate circadian rhythms, sleep, alertness, mood and even pupil size.

These findings have transformed our understanding of how the eye works and helped to redefine our assessment, treatment and care of individuals with eye disease.

Our aims are to:

1. Determine which ocular diseases are implicated in the development of SCRD.
2. In patients in whom SCRD is identified, to assess response to therapeutic interventions and develop evidence-based guidelines for the management of these conditions.
3. Identify defects in the melanopsin signalling pathway of humans, in both healthy volunteers and patients with ocular disease.