20 year “Raine Eye Health Study”

We are currently undertaking the 20 year follow up of the Raine Study Cohort. Participants are contacted by the Raine Study Team and asked if they would like to participate. This follow up is concentrating on eye health and involves the participants coming into the Lions Eye Institute to have a comprehensive eye examination. Participants have  12 different tests checking eye sight and vision and the health of the eyes. The results of all these tests are given at the same time, and where necessary glasses prescriptions or treatment are provided. 

There is very little information available on eye health in young people and the Raine Study will create unique and valuable measures on the how many twenty olds have what  of eye diseases or require glasses. The ophthalmologists are looking to identity what proportion of young adults have myopia(short sightedness), amblyopia, (which is a ‘lazy eye’ or where one eye has poorer vision than the other), strabismus (where one eye is out of alignment with the other), pterygium and pre-pterygium (sun damage to the eyes) and keratoconus (thinning of the cornea or outer surface of the eye). 

Participants also have a DEXA scan, which measures your body composition which is the fat mass (the fat tissue in your body), lean mass (muscles, organs, blood) and bone mass (bones). The DEXAalso provides a measure of bone density, or how strong your bones are. At 20 years of age, most people’s bones are at their strongest. Weight bearing exercise and calcium intake increase bone strength. Participants are given a report on their bone density.

The whole follow up process takes about 4 hours. Participants are contacted around the time that they turn 20 years of age. Raine participants are very welcome to contact the Raine Study to arrange a time to come in, especially if you know that you might be going away travelling, studying or working in the near future.