Interactions between high-intensity light and unrestricted vision in the drive for hyperopia

PURPOSETo evaluate the impact of optical versus illuminance factors and their duration-dependency on lens-induced hyperopia (LIH) in chick eyes. METHODSHyperopia was induced in one eye in chicks (10 groups, n=126) from day 1 (D1) post-hatching until D8 using +10 D lenses with fellow eyes as controls. One group (LIH) served as the control without any interventions. Remaining groups were exposed to 2, 4 or 6 hours of unrestricted vision (UnV), high intensity light (HL), or both (HL +UnV). Ocular axial length (AL), refractive error, and choroidal thickness were measured on days 1, 4, and 8. Inter-ocular difference (IOD = experimental - contralateral eye) {+/-} SEM was used to express outcome measures. RESULTSBy D8, LIH decreased AL (-0.42{+/-}0.03 mm) and produced hyperopic refraction (+3.48{+/-}0.32 D) and choroidal thickening (+85.81{+/-}35.23 {micro}m) in the LIH group (all, P<0.001). Exposure to UnV reduced LIH (i.e., hyperopic refraction, axial shortening, and choroidal thickening) in a duration-dependent manner, whereas HL potentiated the development of LIH in a duration-dependent manner. When combined, UnV overpowered HL, with resultant impact on refraction and AL being close to UnV alone, except after 6 hours, when HL+UnV induced shorter AL compared to UnV alone (P=0.03). CONCLUSIONDaily exposure to HL, UnV, and HL+UnV altered LIH in a duration-dependent manner with UnV and LIH producing competing signals. The signal generated by UnV was generally stronger than HL in combined exposure, yet longer durations of HL affected the drive for emmetropization in eyes with UnV.