Public Defence: Nickolai Godtfred Nilsen

Nickolai Godtfred Nilsen will defend his PhD degree. The thesis is about the importance of circadian rhythms and daylight for the development of myopia.

06 Sep

Practical information

  • Date: 6 September 2024
  • Time: 10.00 - 15.30
  • Location: Kongsberg, Bergseminaret, auditoriesalen
  • Download calendar file

    • Zoom-link to digital participation

    Program 

    Kl 10.00. Trial Lecture: “An overview of current strategies for the control of myopia progression”.

    Kl 12.30. Public Defence: «Circannual and Circadian Rhythms: Implications for Physiological Ocular Growth»

    Assesment Committee

    • 1. opponent: Professor Michael Collins at Queensland University of Technology, Australia 
    • 2. opponent: Professor Linda Lundström at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Sweden
    • Administrator: Associate Professor Bente Monica Aakre at University of South-Eastern Norway 

    Supervisors

    • Main supervisor: Professor Rigmor C. Baraas at University of South-Eastern Norway 
    • Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Stuart Gilson at University of South-Eastern Norway 

    Chair of the Defence: Professor Lena Heyn 

Any questions?

Nickolai Godtfred Nilsen is defending his thesis for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Nilsen has completed the PhD programme in Person-centred health care. The doctoral work has been carried out at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.

Both the trial lecture and the PhD defence are open to the public.

Summary

Myopia affects many people and is expected to affect 50 percent of the world's population by 2050. Myopia already affects up to 90 percent of children in some parts of the world, but only 10-20 percent of children growing up in Norway will have myopia.

Nickolai G. Nilsen has investigated possible causes of myopia and found interesting “protective effects” of growing up in Norway. DISPUTERER: Nickolai Godtfred Nilsen  

It is important that the eyes of children and young people grow and develop, from birth to the end of puberty, but the eye should not grow too much. In Nilsen's work, eye growth was measured in more than 100 children and young adults aged 7 to 24 in the Kongsberg region. The research showed that normal eye growth mainly takes place in winter. In summer, there was little or no change in eye growth in those with normal eye growth and no refractive errors/need for glasses. The eye growth of those who develop myopia takes place in both winter and summer, resulting in more eye growth than desired.

It is believed that the long winter nights and long summer days in Norway are important for the body's natural circadian and annual rhythms. This rhythm also appears to help regulate normal healthy eye growth and prevent the eye from growing too quickly.  

The findings support research from other countries showing that being outdoors in daylight has a protective effect against the development of myopia.

Parents can help to slow down the development of myopia in their children, or even prevent myopia. They can do this by encouraging their children to participate in outdoor activities regardless of the season.

This, in combination with being outdoors during recess at school, all year round, is important to promote healthy and normal eye growth. This is positive for delaying or preventing myopia.

It is therefore important that schools in Norway continue to have mandatory outdoor time during recess.

In addition, optometrists have an important responsibility to detect myopia in children by using eye drops and using the necessary instrumentation to measure eye length and eye growth at follow-up.