Meet the speaker: Dr Neema Ghorbani Mojarrad

The SILMO Academy by IOA will be taking place 12 April - 14 April in Singapore. Dr Neema Ghorbani Mojarrad will be talking about the genetic architecture of myopia: The Born in Bradford Study.

Myopia is a complex refractive error, with both genetic and environmental influences. Understanding the genetic structure of myopia is useful as it can allow us to understand the different biological mechanisms involved, as well as estimating the predisposition that people have towards becoming myopic. Born in Bradford is a large children’s study, with one of the most diverse cohorts in the UK, consisting of children aged between 12-14 years old. Previous vision data has been collected, along with genetic data from the children and their parents. Because of its diverse nature, this cohort would allow for the discovery of new genetic associations, along with the ability to investigate children’s visual development during a critical period.

In this talk, the genetic influences of myopia will be described and explained, along with what we currently understand about the performing genetic prediction for myopia. Results for preliminary genetic analyses for refractive error and myopia in the Born in Bradford dataset will also be shown, with differences between the different major ethnicities in the sample.

Dr Neema Ghorbani Mojarrad is a lecturer at the University of Bradford and locum optometrist. He finished his PhD at Cardiff University, investigating whether genetic information could be used to predict children that would go on to develop myopia. Previously he worked full time in an independent practice, winning the Newly Qualified Optometrist of the Year award. His current research interests include the genetics of refractive error, contact lenses and anterior eye, understanding the causes of myopia, and interventions for myopia management.

Dr Mojarrad is the recipient of both the College of Optometrists George Giles prize for his genetic prediction of myopia work and also recipient of the 2022 Silmo Academy Bursary.

Find out more about SILMO Academy by IOA here.