EAOO - webinar on retinal control of eye growth

EAOO is pleased to invite you to an in-depth webinar with Prof. Frank Schaeffel (University of Tübingen), a leading expert in the neurobiology of the eye.

Date & Time: 26 March 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

Join the webinar here: https://eaoo.online/eaoo-webinar-prof-frank-schaeffel-on-retinal-control-of-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 and completed 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 Professor of Neurobiology of the Eye at the University of Tübingen in 2000 and was appointed Senior Professor in 2019. From 2020–2025, he has also served as Visiting Professor at IOB Basel. Prof. Schaeffel has an h-index of 70, more than 17,000 citations, and over 210 publications indexed in PubMed. He has supervised 25 doctoral students and has received numerous awards, including the Max Planck Prize and the European Vision Award.

This webinar offers an excellent opportunity for researchers, clinicians, and students to gain insights from one of the leading experts in myopia research and retinal neurobiology.

We look forward to welcoming you.

EAOO Team