European Academy of Optometry and Optics

Date & Time: 03rd June 2026, 6:30 PM CEST
Speaker: Prof. Frank Schaeffel, University of Tübingen
Title: Understanding Emmetropization: Retinal Regions and the Visual Signals That Guide Eye Growth

EAOO is pleased to invite members and colleagues to an in-depth webinar with Prof. Frank Schaeffel, a leading expert in neurobiology of the eye. Prof. Schaeffel will present his latest research on emmetropization, exploring why myopia does not self-correct and which retinal regions are key in controlling eye growth.

Abstract

Animal models have shown that the mechanisms of emmetropisation represent a “closed control loop”, meaning that eye growth can be accelerated and slowed down to ensure the best image sharpness on the retina. So why doesn’t myopia inhibit itself? In several independent experiments, we found that the retina in the myopic eye no longer generates a growth-inhibition signal and no longer uses chromatic aberration to detect signs of image blurring.  Eye growth is not controlled by the fovea. We have found that the retina outside the fovea (6-10 degrees peripheral in humans) is the most important area – this is also where we find the highest relative density of blue cones, which are necessary for sign recognition.

Biography

Prof. Frank Schaeffel studied biology and physics, completing his doctoral thesis on vision in Drosophila. He then undertook postdoctoral research in the USA with Howard Howland at Cornell University, focusing on myopia in chicken models, followed by a research assistant position with Prof. Zrenner at the Max Planck Laboratory in Munich. He became a Professor of Neurobiology of the Eye at the University of Tübingen in 2000, and was appointed Senior Professor in 2019. From 2020–2025, he serves as Visiting Professor at IOB Basel. Prof. Schaeffel has an h-index of 70, over 17,000 citations, and more than 210 papers in PubMed. He has supervised 25 doctoral students, and his awards include the Max Planck Prize and the European Vision Award. This webinar is an excellent opportunity for researchers, clinicians, and students to gain insights from one of the leading experts in myopia research and retinal neurobiology.

REGISTER HERE: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rl2DqOJTRLODTcM7qEyzqA