Ageing Vision

As we age, changes occur to our vision and eye health, and with an aging population, age-related diseases of the eye, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, are becoming more prevalent.

Researchers in the School of Optometry and Vision Science are involved in the development of eye charts and objective vision testing techniques that may enable improved detection and monitoring of age-related eye conditions. In addition, changes at the back of the eye (the retina and the optic nerve) are being investigated as potential markers of disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

This image shows epiretinal membrane, a cause of reduced and distorted vision, in a patient with the neurodegenerative disorder myotonic dystrophy Type 1. Myotonic dystrophy is associated with premature aging, and these age-related changes are also reflected in the eye at a younger age.

This research was done by Dr Hannah Kersten, in collaboration with Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer (Ophthalmology) and Associate Professor Richard Roxburgh (Neurology).

Research themes

Research taking place can be described as follows:

  • The development of novel eye charts for the early diagnosis and assessment of central visual function in patients with age-related macular degeneration
  • Objective assessment of peripheral visual function in glaucoma using optokinetic nystagmus
  • Quantifying differences in global motion and orientation perception in mild cognitive impairment
  • Quantification and mapping of spatial distortions that accompany macular disease
  • Training global motion perception to determine whether training improves same task (global motion) or related task (global orientation) performance
  • The role of ocular imaging as a potential biomarker of disease progression in neurodegenerative disorders
  • The retina as a window to the brain: directly linking animal models of the retina to health-related outcomes
  • Retinal diseases of the ageing eye
  • Changes in the aging crystalline lens: presbyopia and cataract
  • Physiological optics and computer modelling of the crystalline lens
  • Systemic blood vessel abnormalities in glaucoma as a marker of disease severity