Centre for Eye Research Australia

Big Data is one of the latest science buzzwords, but what does it mean for health, vision and ophthalmology? What kind of collaborations could there be between astrophysicists and vision science researchers? On 21 July researchers from the Centre for Eye Research Australia and Swinburne University spent the morning discussing the importance of big data and super computing power in their research The following is an interview with Professor Matthew Bailes, an astrophysicist at the University's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, and the Director of OzGrav, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery.

Being able to restore sight once it has been lost is an age-old dream of human kind. It seemed impossible until the discovery of stem cells. What are stem cells, and why are they so important and what does stem cell science mean for eye disease? Come and learn about stem cells and understand the science behind them. All are welcome at our community events, aimed at a general audience. We appreciate your gold coin donation to help cover the cost of running our information forums. Topics to covered: Using stem cells to understand blinding eye diseases Dr Duncan Crombie, Research Fellow, Neuroregeneration, CERA Saving vision using stem cells and ‘Cut and Paste’ technology Lisa Kearns, Orthoptist, Clinical Genetics, CERA Understanding the role of your immune system: pitfalls and opportunities for cell therapy Dr Matthew Rutar, Research Fellow, Centre for Stem Cell Systems, University of Melbourne Hype, hope and reality in stem cell therapy Associate Professor Megan Munsie, Deputy Director, Centre for Stem Cell Systems, University of Melbourne; Head, Education, Ethics, Law & Community Awareness Unit, Stem Cells Australia Q&A panel discussion. More information: https://www.cera.org.au/events/2017-stem-cells-info-forum/

A major risk of permanent vision loss with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is when a sudden worsening, due to bleeding occurs and goes undetected. Principal Investigator Professor Robyn Guymer, together with Dr. George Kong and Professor Algis Vingrys (Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne) have devised a new approach to mitigate this problem using an app designed for the iPad. “When someone is diagnosed with the early stages of AMD they generally monitor their vision looking for a sudden change in what they see with a paper chart called an Amsler grid, which they usually stick on their fridge,” Professor Guymer said. The sad fact is people don’t test their vision with the paper test properly nor do the test often enough. Additionally they often take no action even if they notice a change. “We want the app not only to detect changes in eye health in the home but also to alert both them, and us, about any deterioration.” The app has the potential to send reminders to patients telling them to take the test, or repeat the test if a problem was noted. “In a controlled study, we found that people in an older age group were happy to use the technology to measure their vision and that the reminders did lead to more frequent testing,” Professor Guymer said. When fully developed, the hope is that app will not only detect the first signs of wet AMD, where blood vessels leak into the retina, but also be used to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment at home and indicate when it might be time for another treatment. This would potentially reduce clinic visits. “Once we are sure the app works in the home Professor Guymer aims to incorporate techniques that are used in electronic games, to make it fully engaging, so that users enjoy it as an interactive and competitive game they can play, have fun but at the same time monitor their vision,” Professor Guymer added.