Imaging and genetic insights into the human visual system (IMGEN)

High-resolution retinal imaging now lets researchers watch the living human eye in unprecedented detail, tracking how its key structures develop, age, and break down in disease. This matters because vision loss affects millions, yet the earliest biological changes that precede sight problems remain poorly understood. Most current tests detect damage only after it is advanced. By combining detailed retinal scans with genetic analysis in both healthy volunteers and people with reduced vision—including those with inherited retinal conditions and premature birth—the researchers aim to map the entire chain from molecular fault to behavioural change. They will also assess how non-genetic factors such as early birth alter visual system structure and function. If successful, this work will identify early biomarkers that flag disease before symptoms appear, and provide a framework for evaluating emerging therapies. That could accelerate clinical trials for genetic eye conditions and help clinicians predict which patients will benefit from new treatments. For premature babies, it may eventually guide monitoring and intervention strategies. The project is primarily fundamental science—understanding how vision works from molecules to behaviour—but such mechanistic insight is what underpins every future therapy for blinding diseases.