Biomedical subjects

Li-Fang Hung

Publications and source records attributed to Li-Fang Hung.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Monochromatic ocular wave aberrations in young monkeys.

High-order monochromatic aberrations could potentially influence vision-dependent refractive development in a variety of ways. As a first step in understanding the effects of wave aberration on refractive development, we characterized the maturational changes that take place in the high-order aberrations of infant rhesus monkey eyes. Specifically, we compared the monochromatic wave aberrations of infant and adolescent animals and measured the longitudinal changes in the high-order aberrations of infant monkeys during the early period when emmetropization takes place. Our main findings were that (1) adolescent monkey eyes have excellent optical quality, exhibiting total RMS errors that were slightly better than those for adult human eyes that have the same numerical aperture and (2) shortly after birth, infant rhesus monkeys exhibited relatively larger magnitudes of high-order aberrations predominately spherical aberration, coma, and trefoil, which decreased rapidly to assume adolescent values by about 200 days of age. The results demonstrate that rhesus monkey eyes are a good model for studying the contribution of individual ocular components to the eye's overall aberration structure, the mechanisms responsible for the improvements in optical quality that occur during early ocular development, and the effects of high-order aberrations on ocular growth and emmetropization.

Accommodation, Ocular↗

PubMed2006

Brief daily periods of unrestricted vision can prevent form-deprivation amblyopia.

PURPOSE: To characterize how the mechanisms that produce unilateral form-deprivation amblyopia integrate the effects of normal and abnormal vision over time, the effects of brief daily periods of unrestricted vision on the spatial vision losses produced by monocular form deprivation were investigated in infant monkeys. METHODS: Beginning at 3 weeks of age, unilateral form deprivation was initiated in 18 infant monkeys by securing a diffuser spectacle lens in front of one eye and a clear plano lens in front of the fellow eye. During the treatment period (18 weeks), three infants wore the diffusers continuously. For the other experimental infants, the diffusers were removed daily and replaced with clear, zero-powered lenses for 1 (n=5), 2 (n=6), or 4 (n=4) hours. Four infants reared with binocular zero-powered lenses and four normally reared monkeys provided control data. RESULTS: The degree of amblyopia varied significantly with the daily duration of unrestricted vision. Continuous form deprivation caused severe amblyopia. However, 1 hour of unrestricted vision reduced the degree of amblyopia by 65%, 2 hours reduced the deficits by 90%, and 4 hours preserved near-normal spatial contrast sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: The severely amblyogenic effects of form deprivation in infant primates are substantially reduced by relatively short daily periods of unrestricted vision. The manner in which the mechanisms responsible for amblyopia integrate the effects of normal and abnormal vision over time promotes normal visual development and has important implications for the management of human infants with conditions that potentially cause amblyopia.

Amblyopia↗

PubMed2005

Astigmatism in monkeys with experimentally induced myopia or hyperopia.

PURPOSE: Astigmatism is the most common ametropia found in humans and is often associated with large spherical ametropias. However, little is known about the etiology of astigmatism or the reason(s) for the association between spherical and astigmatic refractive errors. This study examines the frequency and characteristics of astigmatism in infant monkeys that developed axial ametropias as a result of altered early visual experience. METHODS: Data were obtained from 112 rhesus monkeys that experienced a variety of lens-rearing regimens that were intended to alter the normal course of emmetropization. These visual manipulations included form deprivation (n = 13); optically imposed defocus (n = 48); and continuous ambient lighting with (n = 6) or without optically imposed defocus (n = 6). In addition, data from 19 control monkeys and 39 infants reared with an optically imposed astigmatism were used for comparison purposes. The lens-rearing period started at approximately 3 weeks of age and ended by 4 to 5 months of age. Refractive development for all monkeys was assessed periodically throughout the treatment and subsequent recovery periods by retinoscopy, keratometry, and A-scan ultrasonography. RESULTS: In contrast to control monkeys, the monkeys that had experimentally induced axial ametropias frequently developed significant amounts of astigmatism (mean refractive astigmatism = 0.37 +/- 0.33 D [control] vs. 1.24 +/- 0.81 D [treated]; two-sample t-test, p < 0.0001), especially when their eyes exhibited relative hyperopic shifts in refractive error. The astigmatism was corneal in origin (Pearson's r; p < 0.001 for total astigmatism and the JO and J45 components), and the axes of the astigmatism were typically oblique and bilaterally mirror symmetric. Interestingly, the astigmatism was not permanent; the majority of the monkeys exhibited substantial reductions in the amount of astigmatism at or near the end of the lens-rearing procedures. CONCLUSIONS: In infant monkeys, visual conditions that alter axial growth can also alter corneal shape. Similarities between the astigmatic errors in our monkeys and some astigmatic errors in humans suggest that vision-dependent changes in eye growth may contribute to astigmatism in humans.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Peripheral vision can influence eye growth and refractive development in infant monkeys.

PURPOSE: Given the prominence of central vision in humans, it has been assumed that visual signals from the fovea dominate emmetropization. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of peripheral vision on emmetropization. METHODS: Bilateral, peripheral form deprivation was produced in 12 infant monkeys by rearing them with diffusers that had either 4- or 8-mm apertures centered on the pupils of each eye, to allow 24 degrees or 37 degrees of unrestricted central vision, respectively. At the end of the lens-rearing period, an argon laser was used to ablate the fovea in one eye of each of seven monkeys. Subsequently, all the animals were allowed unrestricted vision. Refractive error and axial dimensions were measured along the pupillary axis by retinoscopy and A-scan ultrasonography, respectively. Control data were obtained from 21 normal monkeys and 3 infants reared with binocular plano lenses. RESULTS: Nine of the 12 treated monkeys had refractive errors that fell outside the 10th- and 90th-percentile limits for the age-matched control subjects, and the average refractive error for the treated animals was more variable and significantly less hyperopic/more myopic (+0.03 +/- 2.39 D vs. +2.39 +/- 0.92 D). The refractive changes were symmetric in the two eyes of a given animal and axial in nature. After lens removal, all the treated monkeys recovered from the induced refractive errors. No interocular differences in the recovery process were observed in the animals with monocular foveal lesions. CONCLUSIONS: On the one hand, the peripheral retina can contribute to emmetropizing responses and to ametropias produced by an abnormal visual experience. On the other hand, unrestricted central vision is not sufficient to ensure normal refractive development, and the fovea is not essential for emmetropizing responses.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Effects of optically imposed astigmatism on emmetropization in infant monkeys.

PURPOSE: Although astigmatism is prevalent during early infancy, the influence of astigmatism on early refractive development is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of astigmatism on emmetropization in monkeys. METHODS: Infant rhesus monkeys (n = 39) were exposed to optically simulated astigmatism in one or both eyes from approximately 1 to 4 months of age. With-the-rule, against-the-rule, and oblique astigmatisms were optically simulated by appropriately orienting the principal meridians of the spherocylindrical treatment lenses (+1.50 -3.00 D x 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 45 degrees, or 135 degrees; i.e., +1.50 and -1.50 D powers in the two principal meridians). Refractive development was assessed every 2 to 3 weeks by cycloplegic retinoscopy, keratometry and corneal videotopography, and A-scan ultrasonography. Data from 19 control monkeys, including 3 animals that were reared with binocular plano lenses, were used for comparison purposes. RESULTS: Most of the cylinder-lens-reared monkeys, regardless of the orientation of the imposed astigmatism, showed clear signs of either hyperopic or myopic growth compared with control monkeys. The distributions of refractive error and vitreous chamber depth both showed bimodal patterns that differed from normal by amounts equivalent to the optical powers of the principal meridians of the treatment lenses. More frequently, refractive development was biased toward the eye's least-hyperopic focal plane. The refractive changes were mainly axial. After lens removal, the lens-reared monkeys recovered and as a group exhibited refractive errors and axial dimensions similar to those in control monkeys. CONCLUSIONS: In the presence of significant amounts of astigmatism, emmetropization is directed toward one of the two focal planes associated with the astigmatic principal meridians and not the circle of least confusion. These results suggest that the mechanisms responsible for emmetropization are insensitive to stimulus orientation and the global form of the retinal image. It appears that emmetropization seeks out the image plane that contains the maximum effective contrast integrated across spatial frequency and stimulus orientation.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Recovery from form-deprivation myopia in rhesus monkeys.

PURPOSE: Although many aspects of vision-dependent eye growth are qualitatively similar in many species, the failure to observe recovery from form-deprivation myopia (FDM) in higher primates represents a significant potential departure. The purpose of this investigation was to re-examine the ability of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to recover from FDM. METHODS: Monocular form deprivation was produced either with diffuser spectacle lenses (n = 30) or by surgical eyelid closure (n = 14). The diffuser-rearing strategies were initiated at 24 +/- 3 days of age and continued for an average of 115 +/- 20 days. Surgical eyelid closure was initiated between 33 and 761 days of age and maintained for14 to 689 days. After the period of form deprivation, the animals were allowed unrestricted vision. The ability of the animals to recover from treatment-induced refractive errors was assessed periodically by retinoscopy, keratometry, and A-scan ultrasonography. Control data were obtained from 35 normal monkeys. RESULTS: At the onset of unrestricted vision, the deprived eyes of 18 of the diffuser-reared monkeys and 12 of the lid-sutured monkeys were at least 1.0 D less hyperopic or more myopic than their fellow eyes. The mean (diffuser = -4.06 D, lid-suture = -4.50 D) and range (diffuser = -1.0 to -10.19 D, lid-suture = -1.0 to -10.25 D) of myopic anisometropia were comparable in both treatment groups. All 18 of these diffuser-reared monkeys demonstrated recovery, with 12 animals exhibiting complete recovery. The rate of recovery, which was mediated primarily by alterations in vitreous chamber growth rate, declined with age. None of the lid-sutured monkeys exhibited clear evidence of recovery. Instead, 8 of the 12 lid-sutured monkeys exhibited progression of myopia. CONCLUSIONS: Like many other species, young monkeys are capable of recovering from FDM. However, the potential for recovery appears to depend on when unrestricted vision is restored, the severity of the deprivation-induced axial elongation, and possibly the method used to produce FDM.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Astigmatism in infant monkeys reared with cylindrical lenses.

To determine whether developing primate eyes are capable of growing in a manner that eliminates astigmatism, we reared infant monkeys with cylindrical spectacle lenses in front of one or both eyes that optically simulated with-the-rule, against-the-rule, or oblique astigmatism (+1.50-3.00x90, x180, x45 or x135). Refractive development was assessed by retinoscopy, keratometry and A-scan ultrasonography. In contrast to control monkeys, the cylinder-lens-reared monkeys developed significant amounts of astigmatism. The astigmatism was corneal in nature, bilaterally mirror symmetric and oblique in axis, and reversible. The ocular astigmatism appeared to be due to a reduction in the rate of corneal flattening along the steeper meridian while the other principal meridian appeared to flatten at a more normal rate. However, regardless of the orientation of the optically imposed astigmatism, the axis of the ocular astigmatism was not appropriate to compensate for the astigmatic error imposed by the treatment lenses. Our results indicate that visual experience can alter corneal shape, but there was no evidence that primates have an active, visually regulated "sphericalization" mechanism.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2003

Continuous ambient lighting and lens compensation in infant monkeys.

PURPOSE: Protracted daily lighting cycles do not promote abnormal ocular enlargement in infant monkeys as they do in a variety of avian species. However, observations in humans suggest that ambient lighting at night may reduce the efficiency of the emmetropization process in primates. To test this idea, we investigated the ability of infant monkeys reared with continuous light to compensate for optically imposed changes in refractive error. METHODS: Beginning at about 3 weeks of age, a hyperopic or myopic anisometropia was imposed on 12 infant rhesus monkeys by securing either a -3 D or +3 D lenses in front of one eye and a zero-powered lens in front of the fellow eye. Six of these monkeys were reared with the normal vivarium lights on continuously, whereas the other six lens-reared monkeys were maintained on a 12-h-light/12-h-dark lighting cycle. The ocular effects of the lens-rearing procedures were assessed periodically during the treatment period by cycloplegic retinoscopy, keratometry, and A-scan ultrasonography. RESULTS: Five of six animals in each of the lighting groups demonstrated clear evidence for compensating anisometropic growth. In both lighting groups, eyes that experienced optically imposed hyperopic defocus (-3 D lenses) exhibited faster axial growth rates and became more myopic than their fellow eyes. In contrast, eyes treated with +3 D lenses showed relatively slower axial growth rates and developed more hyperopic refractive errors. The average amount of compensating anisometropia (continuous light, 1.6 +/- 0.5 D vs. control, 2.3 +/- 0.5 D), the structural basis for the refractive errors, and the ability to recover from the induced refractive errors were also not altered by continuous light exposure. CONCLUSION: Ambient lighting at night does not appear to overtly compromise the functional integrity of the vision-dependent mechanisms that regulate emmetropization in higher primates.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Prevalence of astigmatism in infant monkeys.

PURPOSE: Human infants exhibit a high prevalence of astigmatism. Although macaque monkeys are commonly used as animal models in experiments on early ocular growth and emmetropization, the prevalence of astigmatism in infant monkeys is unexplored. In this study we examine the prevalence and nature of astigmatism in infant monkeys. METHODS: Refractive and corneal astigmatism were measured in 132, 2-5-week-old rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) using cycloplegic retinoscopy and keratometry, respectively. Longitudinal measures of refractive development were obtained from 16 normal infants over the first 6 months of life. RESULTS: Infant monkeys exhibited a low prevalence of astigmatism. Approximately 90% of the 2-5-week-old infants had <1.00 D of either refractive or corneal astigmatism. When refractive astigmatism was observed, it was well correlated with the direction and magnitude of corneal astigmatism. When corneal astigmatism was >1.00 D (n=20), it was predominantly against-the-rule in nature (70.0%). The infant monkeys that were followed longitudinally rarely showed significant astigmatic errors at any time during the observation period. When these infant monkeys exhibited significant astigmatism, it was usually transient and not present on subsequent measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike human infants, infant monkeys exhibit relatively little astigmatism. The low prevalence of astigmatism during early development suggests that astigmatism does not provide an essential cue for vision-dependent eye growth in infant primates.

Aging↗

PubMed2002

Effects of brief periods of unrestricted vision on the development of form-deprivation myopia in monkeys.

PURPOSE: To characterize the temporal integration properties of the mechanisms responsible for form-deprivation myopia (FDM), the effects of brief daily periods of unrestricted vision on the degree of FDM were investigated in infant monkeys. METHODS: Starting at approximately 3 weeks of age, unilateral form deprivation was produced in 24 infant rhesus monkeys by securing a diffuser spectacle lens in front of one eye and a clear, zero-powered lens in front of the fellow eye. During the treatment period (17 +/- 2 weeks), six infants wore the diffuser lenses continuously. In the other experimental infants, the diffuser lenses were removed each day and replaced with clear, zero-powered lenses for 1 (n = 7), 2 (n = 7), or 4 hours (n = 4). Refractive development was assessed by retinoscopy and A-scan ultrasonography. Control data were obtained from 11 normal infants and 3 infants reared with zero-powered lenses over both eyes. RESULTS: The degree of FDM varied significantly with the duration of unrestricted vision. Continuous form deprivation produced -5.2 +/- 3.6 D of relative axial myopia. However, 1 hour of unrestricted vision was sufficient to reduce the degree of axial FDM by more than 50% (-1.7 +/- 3.2 D). The infants that were allowed 4 hours of unrestricted vision exhibited only -0.4 +/- 0.5 D of FDM. CONCLUSIONS: As observed in chickens and tree shrews, relatively long periods of form deprivation can be counterbalanced by quite short periods of unrestricted vision. These results indicate that the processes or signals that promote axial elongation in monkeys are comparatively weak or easily overridden by factors that slow ocular growth.

Animals↗