In a new step towards finding compensatory solutions for advanced vision loss, the results of a promising clinical trial have shown a glimmer of hope for those suffering from the late stages of retinitis pigmentosa.
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Retinal pigmented degeneration (RPD) is a genetic disorder that gradually damages light receptors and leads to complete blindness. A recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, employed an innovative strategy combining visual genetics with custom-made light-stimulating glasses worn by the patient to enable them to perceive their surroundings.
To understand the scientific basis of this technology, the retina can be likened to a high-resolution camera sensor. The back layer of the retina consists of specialized cells that capture photons of light and convert them into precise electrical impulses.
These receptors pass their signals to an intermediate layer and then to nerve transmission cells, medically known as ganglion cells, whose fibers extend to form the optic nerve, which is responsible for transmitting information to the vision centers in the brain to translate it into images and colors.
In cases of retinitis pigmentosa, the primary photoreceptor cells suffer a genetic defect, leading to their gradual death and eventual disappearance in later stages, thus depriving the brain of any visual information. However, scientists have observed that the neurotransmitter cells remain alive and intact in a significant proportion of patients, but they remain silent and unable to initiate any signal transmission due to the absence of the primary stimulus that triggers their activity.
Boutonde explains: "We conducted tests on the participants in a laboratory setting, but we also received feedback from some of them about how they use the glasses and their newly acquired visual abilities at home; one participant mentioned that he uses the glasses while cooking."
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