According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, 4.2 million people in the U.S. have glaucoma. The disease occurs when the drainage angle in the eye is not working properly and intraocular pressure builds up. When the pressure in the eye increases, it can damage the optic nerve. Almost half of those who have glaucoma don’t know that they have it, since there are no warning signs. While there is no cure or a way to reverse it, medicine and surgery can help reduce further damage.
Of course, a great deal of research taking place to learn more about glaucoma. Specifically, work at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and University of Houston College of Optometry are looking into nerve regeneration and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect the loss of connections between neural cells in the eye.
Pathway to Nerve Regeneration
Scientists in the lab of UConn School of Medicine neuroscientist Ephraim Trakhtenberg have demonstrated that a protein thought to be unimportant can lead to the regrowth of nerve cells. The protein, nuclear factor erythroid 3 (Nfe3), is unique to nerves in the retina and it isn’t produced by adult neurons.
The plan is to observe the regenerating nerve cells to see if they reconnect to the brain, a vital step to restore vision. If the nerve cells reconnect, Nfe3 could be used as both a treatment for optic nerve damage and as a preventative therapy to stop vision loss in diseases that slow damage retinal neurons and the optic nerve. If it is successful in repairing the optic nerve, it might be used in treating paralysis.
Using AI To Detect Lost Connections
Luca Della Santina, PhD, PharmD, assistant professor at University of Houston College of Optometry, recently was awarded a two-year $150,000 grant from the BrightFocus Foundation’s National Glaucoma Research Program to study the use of AI tools to detect lost connections between neural cells in the eyes.
In glaucoma, certain retinal ganglion cells die, leading to vision loss. Yet, the death of these cells is not equal across the retina. Why this occurs is not known. So, Della Santina wants to create new AI tool with this grant to study large parts of the retina and use the tool to evaluate how the loss of neurons after the increase in intraocular pressure affects the ability of surviving neural cells to communicate with each other.
The BrightFocus Foundation currently supports 31 active glaucoma research grants around the world. This places Della Santina’s work among efforts focused on earlier disease detection and diagnosis, developing better treatments and gaining a greater understanding of the causes of glaucoma.
Researchers at UConn and University of Houston College of Optometry are studying different ways to treat glaucoma. While they looking at different aspects of the disease, their work will yield more information about glaucoma and could lead to treatments that improve outcomes for people with the disease.
Sources:
https://glaucoma.org/articles/glaucoma-facts-and-stats
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-glaucoma
https://today.uconn.edu/2024/03/seeing-a-path-to-nerve-regeneration/#