Retinal degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, affecting millions of people. It is a disease that hinders the vision of the affected people or even leads to their blindness, significantly reducing the quality of their lives.
Optogenetic therapy is a form of treatment that is effective and focuses on making the remaining cells within the retina sensitive to light. This therapy involves the use of light-sensitive proteins known as opsins to manipulate nerve cells using light. Optogenetic therapy is applied to the surviving retinal cells while avoiding the damaged light-sensitive cells in retinal degeneration.
The therapy works by using a viral vector to introduce light-sensitive proteins into these cells. This helps to restore their light sensitivity, and the cells are then able to respond to the visual stimuli. This method has demonstrated that optogenetic therapy can bring back vision in eye models of retinal diseases. While the outcome differs, such treatment indicates that it can help patients regain some vision, including light perception, movement detection, and identifying simple forms.
As research advances, optogenetic therapy could be a potential solution for individuals with retinal degeneration, which would mean a chance to regain the ability to see and lead a better life. This approach can bring a positive change to millions of people, and researchers are interested in furthering the possibilities of this method.
