Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a method that helps an adult recover function in an eye that has been damaged and dysfunctional from birth.
The study may help treat Amblyopia, or lazy eye as it showed that complete visual loss promoted subsequent recovery in an eye that has had severely compromised vision throughout life.
Amblyopia
Amblyopia is the loss of one eye''s ability to see details. Amblyopia is otherwise known as lazy eye.
Advertisement
Clinical studies have demonstrated that the probability to recover amblyopia, caused by unilateral cataract, depended on the age at which the cataract was removed. The probability to recover fully was maximum when the cataract was removed by the age of three.
As part of the study Hai-Yan He, Baishali Ray and Katie Dennis, by blocking the input into one eye from eye-opening to adulthood, mimicked a unilateral cataract in a rodent model.
Similar to what cataract does, the experimental occlusion caused rapid fall in deprived eye's acuity. Earlier researches have established that an eye cannot recover normal visual function if the occlusion was removed in adulthood.
"However, when we placed the subjects into a light-tight dark room for a period of complete visual deprivation prior to removing the occlusion, we were able to produce a rapid recovery of visual acuity after removal of the occlusion" Nature quoted Yan He, as saying.
"Dark exposure drives down the strength of the synapses serving the two eyes, restoring the symmetry that was previously lacking in the amblyopic adult," Quinlan said.
"The decrease in synaptic strength combined with the restoration of symmetry may allow the visual cortex to be more plastic and respond to changes in subsequent visual input," Quinlan added.
Source: ANI
LIN/J
Advertisement
Similar to what cataract does, the experimental occlusion caused rapid fall in deprived eye's acuity. Earlier researches have established that an eye cannot recover normal visual function if the occlusion was removed in adulthood.
"However, when we placed the subjects into a light-tight dark room for a period of complete visual deprivation prior to removing the occlusion, we were able to produce a rapid recovery of visual acuity after removal of the occlusion" Nature quoted Yan He, as saying.
"Dark exposure drives down the strength of the synapses serving the two eyes, restoring the symmetry that was previously lacking in the amblyopic adult," Quinlan said.
"The decrease in synaptic strength combined with the restoration of symmetry may allow the visual cortex to be more plastic and respond to changes in subsequent visual input," Quinlan added.
Source: ANI
LIN/J
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
New study findings delineate how aging affects the immune response following Spinal cord injury (SCI) and highlight the participation of the spinal cord meninges in repair.
A recent clinical trial suggests that the first medication therapy to reduce the progression of nearsightedness in children could be on the way.
Autoimmune disorders were found to be linked to Sjogren's, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis.
Successful brain pacemaker implantation has helped a 51year old Parkinson's disease patient to revitalize her quality of life.
Recent recommendations on lifestyle behaviors to prevent progression of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases revealed.