# The influence of ocular remodeling on glaucoma

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2021 · $94,161

## Abstract

Abstract
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, yet the reason for retinal ganglion cell damage within the
optic nerve head (ONH) is not fully understood. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is considered the primary
cause of glaucoma, but epidemiologic studies identify moderate or high myopia as an independent risk factor.
Currently, the connection between these two diseases is unknown. We propose that there is a biomechanical
basis underlying this interaction. Our central hypothesis is that scleral and ONH remodeling that leads to high
myopia is one of many factors increasing the risk for subsequent pathologic ONH remodeling and glaucoma
later in life. With myopia reaching epidemic proportions in portions of the world, and the prevalence of
glaucoma continuing to increase, understanding the basic mechanisms underlying these disease processes is
critical.
We will leverage our unique tree shrew model of experimental myopia and glaucoma, a combination of in vivo
and ex vivo experiments, and in silico multiscale simulation tools to examine the biomechanical basis for the
link between myopia and glaucoma. The grant will focus on three primary areas of interest: 1) We will examine
the ocular biomechanical changes that occur within the sclera and ONH during high myopia development in
tree shrews. 2) We will determine whether scleral remodeling that leads to high myopia predisposes an animal
to accelerated pathologic ONH remodeling and increased axon loss in experimental glaucoma. And, 3) We will
use multiscale modeling to elucidate the interacting biomechanical mechanisms underlying glaucoma and high
myopia. This knowledge will be used to develop novel targets for future glaucoma therapies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10375895
- **Project number:** 3R01EY027759-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Rafael Grytz
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $94,161
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10375895

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10375895, The influence of ocular remodeling on glaucoma (3R01EY027759-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10375895. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*