中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2026, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (7): 2960-2961.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-25-00860

• 观点:视神经损伤修复保护与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

主动恢复视觉功能:直接靶向受损视网膜神经元

  

  • 出版日期:2026-07-15 发布日期:2026-03-27

Proactively restore visual function: Directly targeting affected retinal neurons

Ioannis Smyrnias, Ngan Pan Bennett Au*   

  1. Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
  • Online:2026-07-15 Published:2026-03-27
  • Contact: Ngan Pan Bennett Au, PhD, n.au@surrey.ac.uk.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by Fight for Sight/Glaucoma UK (RESSGA2510), the Royal Society Project Grant (RG\R1\251126), and Rosetrees Trust/Stoneygate Trust (Seedcorn2024\100044) awarded to NPBA.

摘要: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0245-9096 (Ngan Pan Bennett Au)

Abstract: Our optic nerves are vulnerable to both traumatic and non-traumatic insults, rendering optic neuropathy a leading cause of permanent and irreversible visual impairment. Optic neuropathies can arise from hereditary [e.g., dominant optic atrophy (DOA) and Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)], ischaemic (e.g., anterior and posterior ischaemic optic neuropathy), inflammatory (e.g., optic neuritis), toxic (e.g., methanol, ethambutol) and nutritional (e.g., vitamin B12 deficiency), or traumatic conditions. Amongst these, glaucomatous optic neuropathy represents the most prevalent form and constitutes the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, with approximately 10% of patients developing bilateral blindness. Currently, over 76 million people are affected by glaucoma globally—a number predicted to rise to 112 million by 2040. Current treatments primarily focus on lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) through topical medications and surgical interventions. However, a recent study from the United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study demonstrated that whilst IOP-lowering treatments effectively slow disease progression, they fail to reverse visual field deficits (Reddingius et al., 2025), underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies that proactively restore visual function by directly targeting affected retinal neurons responsible for conveying visual information to the brain.