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Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics journal rates paper by the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ School of Optometry & Vision Science as number one most cited; another also rated highly

For its centenary, the journal Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics (OPO) ranked the papers published within its pages by the number of times they had been cited. Two University of ��ݮ��Ƶ papers made the list in the article, “,” with one of them occupying the top spot.

The paper, “,” by retired School of Optometry and Vision Science faculty members Drs. Elizabeth Irving, Jacob Sivak and Murchison Callender, has the most citations of any original research paper published by OPO since 1981. What’s more, it has a high yearly citation rate, indicating it has remained relevant over time.

The article, published in 1992, while Irving was doing her PhD, helped scientists better understand how myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) develop, and that environmental causes are important in addition to genetic ones.

“I could make chick eyes whatever size or shape I wanted them to be,” says Irving. “This meant we should be able to control eye growth, because eye growth is controlled by the light that’s coming into the eyes.”

When eyes grow too long, myopia results, while short eyeballs are associated with hyperopia, because in either case, light doesn’t focus directly on the retina, where our vision is sharpest.

This discovery was among the scientific advances that led to the development of myopia control techniques, in common use today, that slow down the rate of myopia progression in children. The result is that children become less nearsighted, which may prevent the development later in life of sight-threatening conditions associated with high myopia.

Learn more about Elizabeth Irving and her research on myopia.

Dr. Ben Thompson is the second author on the paper, “,” which also made the list.

Published in 2014, the year Thompson started as a professor at the School, the paper outlined the theoretical basis and evidence base for a new paradigm in treatment for amblyopia.

Amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, is a common condition in which one eye sees significantly better than the other, leading the brain to ignore input from the weaker eye. Vision therefore doesn’t develop properly in the weaker eye, resulting in poor depth perception and often impaired motor and reading skills.

The traditional treatment for amblyopia involves patching the stronger eye for two to six hours a day to force the brain to rely on the weaker eye, thus improving its vision. However, children usually dislike patching, leading to poor treatment adherence.

Thompson co-invented amblyopia treatment that relies on binocular vision therapy, which is now emerging as a mainstream approach to amblyopia therapy. Many groups around the world are conducting clinical trials and several companies are offering regulator-approved treatment devices.

Thompson continues to do research in this area, with a finding that amblyopic children improved their vision by watching a cartoon where only the weaker eye saw the main character and the stronger eye saw the cartoon at reduced contrast.

“It is always rewarding when our work has an impact on the field,” says Thompson. “This particular recognition is welcome because OPO has a wide readership that spans basic scientists and practicing clinicians.”