Optic Nerve Regeneration in Diabetic Retinopathy: Potentials and Challenges Ahead

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common microvascular compilation of diabetes, is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. Recent studies indicate that retinal neuron impairment occurs before any noticeable vascular changes in DR, and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration is one of the earliest signs. Axons of RGCs have little capacity to regenerate after injury, clinically leading the visual functional defects to become irreversible. In the past two decades, tremendous progress has been achieved to enable RGC axon regeneration in animal models of optic nerve injury, which holds promise for neural repair and visual restoration in DR. This review summarizes these advances and discusses the potential and challenges for developing optic nerve regeneration strategies treating DR.

Angiogenic and Fibrogenic Dual-effect of Gremlin1 on Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

“…Previously, in addition to vasculopathy, recent studies have also shown retinal neuropathic changes in DR [18][19][20]. As DR progresses, retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) undergo functional impairments [21,22], axonal loss [23,24] and eventually death [25,26]. Since RGCs cannot be replicated or regenerated, the damage of retinal neurons might lead to irreversible vision loss.…”

Segmentación morfológica y clasificación de niveles para la retinopatía diabética e hipertensiva mediante imágenes oftálmicas y redes convolucionales

“…In the early stage of Diabetes with morphologically unaffected suggesting optic nerve degeneration (11).…”

A Narrative Review of the Advances in Screening Methods for Diabetic Retinopathy: Enhancing Early Detection and Vision Preservation

“…Inadequate infrastructure and limited resources can hinder the implementation of community screening programs. This includes a need for more appropriate facilities, a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals, and limited availability of screening equipment [44].…”

“…Investment in infrastructure and allocation of adequate resources are essential to overcome these challenges. Developed from articles [40][41][42][43][44].…”