Can Eyesight Be Restored After Glaucoma? – Arohi Eye Hospital
The retina is one of the most important parts of our eye that lets us see and visualize the beautiful world that god has made for us. It is a very thin tissue that lines the back of the eye, only about the size of a postage stamp, but one can never imagine life without this tiny element! Although there are many who lose their eyes after an accident or trauma, or those that are born with no eyesight, but for us, who are able to see, we can never imagine life without our eyesight, can we!?
The retina, so small, contains more than 100 distinct cell types that are organized into multiple information processing layers, which work together to absorb light and translate it into electrical signals that stream through the optic nerve to the brain. Now, there is a condition, wherein the retina slowly degenerates. This is when an altered gene within the nexus of cells progressively eliminates the power of sight. This condition has seen to become increasingly popular, which is why researchers have always been on the lookout for innovative ways in which the condition can be prevented or reversed.
Leber congenital amaurosis is one of the most common retinal diseases that is characterized by severe vision loss at birth. A number of other eye-related abnormalities like roving eye movements, deep-set eyes, and sensitivity to bright light also occur with this disease. Lots of clinical trials have been carried out to bring a solution for this particular disease, in the hope of transferring a normal vision of the affected gene into the retinal cells to restore lost vision. Researchers are measuring the efficiency of gene transfer into the retina through an imaging technique known as large-scale mosaic confocal microscopy, which computationally assembles many small high-resolution images in a way that is similar to Google Earth.
Researchers, Wonkyu Ju, Mark Ellisman, and their colleagues, at the University of California, San Diego, engineered adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) to deliver a dummy gene into the ganglion cells of a mouse retina. Two months later, they found that the dummy gene had been selectively transferred into retinal ganglion cells at a high rate of efficiency. The researchers also used AAV2 to deliver a gene that coded for a mutant version of a protein, called DRP1, into the retinas of mice. They found that it reserved normal DRP1 protein, and stopped retinal ganglion cells from dying due to glaucoma, a vision-threatening condition that elevates pressure within the eye. Thus, the gene transfer proved successful in rescuing the retinal ganglion cells. Looking at this experiment, researchers are continuing to pursue this line of study with the aim of translating their discoveries into possible ways of helping humans with glaucoma. There is a lot that is happening to help humans restore their eyesight after any kinds of retinal diseases they encounter. However, prevention is always better than cure. Thus, you must always keep your eyes in check to look out for even the slightest changes in your eyes that may result in complicated eye issues. For this, you need to stay in touch with an eye specialist for regular eye consultation in Andheri West Mumbai. Arohi Eye Hospital is the best eye checkup clinic in Oshiwara Mumbai where you can receive not only consultation and chekup, but also effective treatments for various kinds of eye problems.
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