27.12.2019

The University of Tübingen is now member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness

Prof. Dr. Siegfried Wahl as Head of the ZEISS Vision Science Lab is representing the University in IAPB

The Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen is now member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). IAPB was established in 1975 as a coordinating, umbrella organisation to lead international efforts in blindness prevention activities. Its first major achievement was to promote the establishment of a World Health Organisation (WHO) Program for Prevention of Blindness which is now embodied in the global initiative, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight.

Prof. Dr. Siegfried Wahl as Head of the ZEISS Vision Science Lab is representing the University in IAPB. The ZEISS Vision Science Lab as Industry-on-Campus-Professorship is part of the future concept of the University and is embedded in the Ophthalmic Research Institute within the University Tübingen’s Medical Faculty. The lab is a leading group for vision research in order to spearhead the understanding of vision focusing on myopia, presbyopia and visual rehabilitation with the use of novel and groundbreaking technologies.

While myopia itself is caused by a mismatch between the axial length of the eye and its optical power and can be easy corrected with spectacles, contact lenses or laser surgery, the fundamental questions, why people develop this error and others not, are not fully understood. Especially in East Asia, the prevalence raised dramatically over the last years and there, roughly 90% of the students are myopic, while in Western Countries the prevalence is still around 30%. As more and younger people are getting myopic, also the prevalence of high myopia (<-6D) is observed to increase in the future. As the elongation of the eye increases the risk of eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataract, and retinal detachment, there is a clear dose-response relationship with increased risks at these higher levels of myopia. Therefore, there is the need to better understand the mechanisms underlying myopia as well as to establish more effective management of the progression of myopia in order to reduce the reported social and economic burdens.

This huge global challenge is too big to do it alone. But, if this is done in a concerted way to gain synergies that definitely will help to cope with the problem and to help primarily the patients. Therefore, the University and Prof. Dr. Siegfried Wahl engage with IAPB and the other members in bundling the strength, working towards the same aim.

ZEISS Vision Science Lab