ABSTRACT
Objectives To investigate the expression of pax-6 in retina of infant monkeys with myopia induced by optical defocus, and to determine the role of pax-6 would play or not in onset and development of myopia and emmetropization. Methods Nine healthy infant rhesus monkeys, aged from 1 to 3 months, were selected and wore spectacle lenses or underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).Transcription polymerase chain reaction method and quantitative analysis were used to determine the expression of pax-6 in the retina with myopia induced by optical defocus in different time, and the result was compared with that in retina without myopia. Results The myopia caused by hyperopic defocus was found. The expression of pax-6 in the retina with myopia induced by optical defocus was significantly higher than that in the retina without myopia(t=3.480,P=0.004). Conclusions The expression of pax-6 is enhanced by hyperopic defocus in the infant monkey retina, which suggests that pax-6 may be involved in vision-dependent eye growth and emmetropization.