Translational Project Myopia

Oral L-tyrosine supplementation to support the retinal function in axial myopia

Myopia develops due to a mismatch between the axial length and the optical power of the eye. It is usually caused by the eye becoming too long during development and in early adulthood. In Asia, the prevalence of myopia in young adults has increased from 20-30% to 80-85% in the last 50 years. The incidence of high myopia (≤ -6 dioptries) has increased disproportionately to myopia in the last 50 years, from 1-5% to 10-20% and is now a civilization problem. The cause of this state of affairs is believed to be in the lifestyle and the extended time of looking into close proximity. Although the refractive error itself can be corrected, eye-threatening pathologies such as retinal detachment, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts are usually difficult to control.

The aim of the project is to assess the effect of oral L-Tyrosine supplementation on the retinal function in axial myopia in adults and to create a supplement composition containing an effective concentration of L-Tyrosine.

Despite promising new methods of correcting and inhibiting the development of myopia, scientific societies postulate that more work and effort is still needed to reduce the impact of myopia in the decades to come, including by governments and international eye health organizations. This shows how important the problem of increasing myopia is and how important it is to conduct research in this field.