Report Investigates Restoring Vision To The Blind

Previous studies have shown that species such as amphibians and fish can regenerate retinal cells. Now, new findings recently published in the ARVO journal Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST) show the result of both the work and discussions among key leaders in retinal degeneration, ocular genetics, electrophysiology and sensorimotor research, molecular biology, neuro-opthamology, nanotechnology and regenerative medicine on a series of workshops and a plenary session that's taken plave over a two-year period.

The special report, entitled Restoring vision to the Blind: the Lasker/IRRF Initiative for Innovation in Vision Science, is aimed to explore various approaches in restoring sight that are most likely to benefit a number of blind individuals who have lost their vision as a result of retinal degenerative diseases.

"The notion that restoring vision to the blind is possible has long been thought to be fanciful," said John E. Dowling, PhD, FARVO, Gordon and Llura Gund Professor of Neuroscience at Harvard University, who chairs the Lasker/IRRF Initiative for Innovation in Vision Science with the guidance of a Lasker/IRRF Joint Advisory Board and collaborating executives, in a news release. "However, beginning as far back as the 1960s, vision scientists began to investigate the possibility of restoring vision to the blind by activating neurons in the visual pathways beyond the eye, namely in the visual cortex. These early experiments showed that it is possible to elicit visual sensations in humans by electrically stimulating neurons in the visual cortex."

Each of the eight chapters of the report is devoted to a specific topic including visual prostheses, optogenetics, gene therapy, stem cells, endogenous regeneration, neuroprotection, vision aids and endpoints. The chapters describe them in detail with indications as to what the major questions are that need to be addressed and how to go about answering these questions where possible.

For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).