In vision diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, once functional vision is lost, there is no way to restore it. That’s why adults between the ages of 18 to 65 are advised to have yearly eye exams. These exams can detect not only changes in vision but the first signs of glaucoma, macular degeneration and other diseases.
While yearly eye exams are excellent in detecting diseases at the earliest and most treatable stages, what else is being done to both detect and treat vision disease, as well as improve visual outcomes? Read on to find out.
Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University have established the Aqueous Humor Proteome Database to allow scientists to learn more about the causes of many conditions that cause vision loss. The aqueous humor is a fluid that circulates around the eye and plays an important role in providing oxygen, supplying nutrients and removing waste from eye tissue that have few to no blood vessels. Changes in the fluid’s composition have been associated with glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Advances in technology, particularly in high-resolution mass spectrometry, have helped scientists analyze these proteins and their links to ocular diseases. The challenge is that access to this technology is limited. Enter the database, since it has information from 307 human aqueous humor samples, data on 1,683 proteins identified in the aqueous humor, and clinical data for each sample. This database is publicly accessible, and as more samples are collected and analyzed, additional data will be included.
This database is an important development in guiding future research in ocular pathology. Identifying the proteins in the human aqueous humor will enhance our understanding of the role of specific molecules and will allow for further study of their relation to disease.
What about when the damage is already done, such as damage to the optic nerve? Typically that means irreversible blindness. Research at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine shows that there might be a pathway to regenerate the optic nerve when it is damaged.
Researchers in the lab of neuroscientist Ephraim Trakhtenberg discovered that a protein previously thought to be unimportant can stimulate the regrowth of nerve cells. The protein in question is nuclear factor erythroid 3 (Nfe3). This protein is unique to nerves originating in the retina and isn’t produced by adult neurons.
Researchers suspected that Nfe3 played a role in nerve growth and that it could be harnessed to regrow nerves. They took adult lab mice with crushed optic nerves and used gene therapy to stimulate Nfe3 production. The individual nerve fibers in the mice’s optic nerves began to regrow.
This regrowth via Nfe3 production was significant, and best part is that Nfe3 doesn’t cause inflammation or induces tumors—downsides associated with other regenerative factors. The scientist will continue their observations of the regenerating nerve cells to see if they reconnect to the brain, a necessary step if vision is to be restored. If the cells do reconnect, Nfe3 could be potential treatment for optic nerve and might even be utilized as a preventative measure in diseases that slowly damage the optic nerve over time. If all goes well in restoring the optic nerve, Nfe3 might be useful in treating paralysis.
These breakthroughs highlight advances in vision science, where early detection and potential regeneration offer new hope for those at risk for vision loss. Advances in the understanding of ocular fluid and by leveraging cutting-edge technology, scientists are opening doors to treatments that could one day restore vision and prevent blindness. As research continues, the future of eye care will shift from managing vision loss to actively reversing it.
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/03/seeing-a-path-to-nerve-regeneration/#