Visual recovery as the target for glaucoma

Abstract

Visual recovery is an established but poorly studied phenomenon in glaucoma. To provide insights into functional recovery of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) with aview to providing information on the development of forms of treatment that improve RGC function after injury. Amodel of recoverable RGC function in the mouse eye, induced by short-term elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP). The RGCs manifest near complete functional recovery after aprolonged period of dysfunction following acute IOP elevation. Increasing age and ahigh fat diet were subsequently found to impair recovery, whereas exercise substantially improved recovery such that older mice recovered in asimilar way to young mice. Injured RGCs have the capacity to restore function after periods of functional impairment. Therapies that specifically target injured RGCs and enhance their capacity to recover function may provide anew approach for treating glaucoma.