Cure For Blindness? Optic Nerves Regenerated
Main Category: Eye Health / BlindnessArticle Date: 29 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT
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Scientists are getting closer towards being able to repair damaged optic nerves.
According to scientists at the Harvard Medical School, they have been able to regenerate the optic nerves of rats.
They were not able to give the rats their sight back. However, regeneration of the optic nerve was three times greater than any other attempts ever made?
You can read about their research in the Journal of Neuroscience.
If these scientists can find a way to effectively re-grow the optic nerve, and other nerves, they could be well on the way to curing blindness and paralysis.
Nerve cells cannot regenerate (repair themselves). This means that any damage you have to one of your nerves is permanent (most likely).
The aim of scientists worldwide is to find a way of getting nerves to repair themselves, to re-grow.
The outer layer of nerve fibres have a protein on them that stops regeneration from happening.
Some scientists have found ways to stop these proteins, turning them off. However, there is more to it than that. Just doing this does not mean the nerves start to re-grow.
Dr Larry Benowitz and colleagues tried another approach, a double approach.
They got a group of rats with optic nerve damage. They then damaged the lens in the eyes of those rats. The optic nerve links the retina to the brain and makes it possible for you to see.
When they damaged the lens it stimulated an immune response. This means that cells travelled to the rats' eyes, released growth factors to repair the damage. While this was happening nerve fibres grew into the optic nerve.
They then used gene therapy to enhance what was happening. They injected a gene that stops that protein that blocks re-growth. The gene turns that protein off.
Dr Benowitz said 'When we combined these two therapies - activating the growth programme in nerve cells and overcoming the inhibitory signalling - we got very dramatic regeneration."
Unfortunately, they could not get the nerve fibres from the retina to hook up to the nerves from the brain properly (so rats were still blind).
Dr. Benowitz said it is a mapping problem. We have to retain the proper organisation of fibre projections to the brain. He believes further studies will overcome this problem.
Visit our eye health / blindness section for the latest news on this subject.
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Visitor Opinions (latest shown first)
Total 158 opinions, latest 20 shown. For all opinions, click through to the full thread.Depression In The Optical Nerve
posted by Shweta on 21 May 2012 at 12:27 amMy brother met with an accident a week ago,
Due to his facial fracture, there is a depression in his optical nerve & bcuz of that he cannot see from his left eye, his letf eye's pupl gets dilated when exposed to light.
Can anyone pls let me know what is the chance of my bro getting his vision back with or without surgery...
But one thing is sure,, if you really wish from your heart, & pray GOD nothing is impossible.
N i am sure, my bro will get his vision back soon very soon...
Optic Nerves Damage
posted by UAE_ANGEL on 14 May 2012 at 11:25 pmMy brother had a car accident 8 years ago and lost his sight due to Optic nerves damage in both eyes. Is there any solution to help him please ?
Activating Optic Nerve Atrophied Due To Radiation Resulting In Complete Blindness
posted by V R Karra on 2 May 2012 at 10:17 amMy niece aged 43 having two children is completely blind since ten years. She was first operated for glyamo in 1990 and with poor visibility was able to work in office by travelling on a scooter about 16-20 miles up and down daily.During 2002 due to deteriaration of sight was operatedand radiation given duering 40 sittings at TATA Memorial, Mumbai(India) for removing small tumor which was pressing optic nerve. Due to application of radiation the tumor was melted but a small resedue was pressing optic nerve resulting in atrophy and visibility gone completely for both eyes. Since then allopathy,aurvedic and homeo medicines have been used with no improvement as of now. She is able to manage the homely affairs but unable to see and cannot go outside without help. Pl suggest any suitable medical help for restoring the eyesight. Thanks in advance.
Finally Light On The Other Side Of The Tunnel
posted by veronica on 1 May 2012 at 10:26 pmWhen i was 2 1/2 month baby, i was in a car accident that fractured my skull and damaged my optic nerve on my left eye. . Now i am 34 yrs old so my whole life i've been seeing with one eye. I could only see very very blurred (like shadowy picture) on my bad eye. Deep inside i never lost hope to find a cure. Please, please give me an update of the nerve regeneration. . This experiment happed back in 2004. . 8 yrs has past now and was wondering of any updates. .
Thanks
Perseverance - I too have glaucoma,and had a torn retina
posted by Terrie l. on 6 Apr 2012 at 9:56 pmThank you for all the great articles. I too have glaucoma,and had a torn retina. It caused optic nerve damage,and I am unable to see out of my right eye. I am thankful,I have the sight of my left eye, hopefully,a breakthrough will happen soon for all the people who suffer from optic nerve damage.
damaged optic nerve
posted by Jhirre B on 14 Mar 2012 at 2:27 amat the age of 18 and just graduating high school i was in a traumatic car accident that left me with a cracked skull and many more injuries. the damage of my brain bruised my optic nerve in my left eye and left me blind in that eye. every doctors appointment i am given better results but still no recovery. i still have color, movement, and feeling in my eye but no doctor can explain. i am 24 now and i am coping but i do want my sight back. i wont give up! pray!
Further information
posted by Jenny Hutchings on 9 Mar 2012 at 4:44 amYou can find contact details for Dr Larry Benowitz at:
http://www.childrenshospital.org/cfapps/research/data_admin/Site170/mainpageS170P0.html
Requesting
posted by Mrs Shanthy on 9 Mar 2012 at 3:42 amPlease provide me the email id of Dr. Larry Benowitz. If anybody can help me, I will thankful for my life time.
Wow
posted by Jenny on 2 Feb 2012 at 12:45 amI can't believe how far medicine has come - fingers crossed that this becomes available soon.
Son In Law
posted by Clarence Everson on 28 Jan 2012 at 1:48 pmMy father in law who is from Russia has been told his eye sight is almost gone as when the Russians were preparing for war that the chemicals used to build airplanes somehow damaged the nerves from the eyes to the brain.. Assuming it is the optic nerve, my question is... Is there any repair for this nerve? He was checked out over there and was told his eyes are great and the brain but what is in between is damaged.. Any one have any ideas?
Question
posted by Mary Joy Dumanao on 17 Jan 2012 at 3:01 ami'm glad I found this site, My 10 months old baby is suffering blindness as a result of meningitis. Is it curable?
Update
posted by Jenny Hutchings on 12 Jan 2012 at 5:50 amThe most recent update seems to be:
http://www.glaucoma.org/research/optic-nerve-axon-growth.php
Still quite a few years off being on the market from what I understand - but if you contact Larry Benowitz, at the Children’s Hospital in Boston he might be able to help.
Best of luck.
Glacauma Research
posted by henry on 12 Jan 2012 at 3:48 amWhat happened to this research and is it possible to get the eye drops for trial purposes. Please read article below
Eye drops 'may reverse glaucoma'
Glaucoma is caused by high pressure inside the eye damaging the optic nerve
A new type of medicated eye drop may be able to reverse symptoms of glaucoma, an Italian study has suggested.
Glaucoma, the world's leading cause of blindness, is caused by pressure inside the eye - intraocular pressure - which damages cells in the optic nerve.
The study of rats and human patients found drops containing a nerve growth factor may stop these cells dying, and actually improve vision.
It is reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It is estimated that 77m people have glaucoma around the world.
The build up of intraocular pressure can sometimes be controlled through other techniques.
But once pressure has started to damage optic nerve cells, called retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), it has proved impossible to recover that lost function.
And often people with glaucoma do not seek expert help until the condition is already relatively advanced.
This research would seem to indicate both effectiveness and acceptability as to the means of drug delivery
David Wright
International Glaucoma Association
The researchers, from the University of Rome, treated rats with symptoms of glaucoma with eye drops containing nerve growth factor.
The animals who were given the eye drops showed decreased levels of RGC death compared with those who did not receive the treatment.
The researchers went on to test the drops in three human patients whose intraocular pressure had started to be controlled, but who still showed signs of progressive deterioration in their vision.
In two of the patients vision improved, while in the other it was stabilised.
The improvements lasted up to 18 months after the eye drops were applied.
Lead researcher Dr Stefano Bonini said: "Although neuroprotection in glaucoma has already been attempted with several compounds, this is the first time that an improvement in visual function is observed in patients with advanced optic nerve damage."
"However, this research would seem to indicate both effectiveness and acceptability as to the means of drug delivery.
"If these early indications are carried through to wider trials and there are no other problems, then this has the potential to open a completely new method of treating glaucoma and of preventing unnecessary visual loss in the future."
Professor Peng Khaw is director of the National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
He said many other substances had achieved good results in animals, only to fail in humans.
However, he said, if the researchers could perfect an easy-to-use eye drop formulation that would represent a huge step forward.
All i needed is to get on the drug trial list. This would be a big first step. This professor is well known at the Rome university coz of his research in this area.
Thank u for yo help. Enjoy yourself.
Hope to see 20/20 again some day!
posted by Justin Kim on 11 Jan 2012 at 12:11 pmHi,
I was unfortunately diagnosed with Germinoma brain cancer in 02' and was misdiagnosed in 03' when it recurred. The tumor damaged my optic nerve in both of my eyes and left me severely legally blind. Even though I can see more in my right eye, it has more damaged quadrants than my left eye. I also suffer from tunnel vision, can only see close not far, and was recommended by my Ophthalmologist not to drive but only with my neighborhood. I'm hoping scientists will find a cure!
Blindness due to surgical Process to remove clot from the brain
posted by ARSHAD HUSSAIN on 30 Dec 2011 at 2:35 amI am happy to know that there is chance of regeneration of the optic nerves. Almighty Allah will give the gift for my daughter who become blind due to surgical process to remove the blood in her brain due to road accident.
Nerve Regeneration
posted by Tom Hennessy on 20 Dec 2011 at 7:41 amThere seems to be an underlying commonality in nerve destruction. There seems to be a 'spill of blood' in many of the people with optic nerve atrophy. If one looks at the scenario, normally the body would attempt to 'mop up' the iron which has spilled out of the blood cells when they were spilled into the wound. This iron is KNOWN to cause nerve destruction and when the iron is targeted the nerve is shown to regenerate.
"The aim of the present study was to investigate if administration of the iron chelator Deferroxamine (DFO), can improve postoperative outcome in the rat median nerve reconstruction model"
"These new therapeutic strategies include the use of agents that target iron to inhibit proliferation via multiple mechanisms and suppression of AKT by cytosolic phospholipase A(2)-alpha inhibitors."
Well, the Truth Is..
posted by Nena Shana on 13 Dec 2011 at 4:16 pmWell, I had read all of those article, but I am sure if any hospitals cannot do it, I supposed to say that any of one hospital can do it.
- Also, You can send them to international hospital that people who is very skillful with cure eye.
When I was 17 I unfortunately affected by optic neuritis
posted by anupam tesra on 27 Oct 2011 at 9:29 pmreaders,
I am 28 now.When I was 17 I unfortunately affected by optic neuritis.I lost my left eye vision after 3 month when I was going through medication,then my right eye also affected but that was saved anyhow from being affected by atrophy.Doctors says that it was a demylinating disease.and as long I live I have to go through medication.But day by day my right eye vision decreasing.Now I am bit worried that if I will be able to see my rest of life or not .I know that there is no cure but if there is any better treatment of optic neuritis please let me know.I only pray to God if if u gave me 2 eyes intact from birth let me die with at least one.Please pray for me.
Optic Nerve Damage
posted by angela johnson on 23 Oct 2011 at 10:23 pmMy son was involved in an accident when he was 13 years old which left him legally blind with severe optic nerve damage. He is now 40 years old and has adapted to it but has very limited vision. We were told at that time that alot or progress was being made in this area and we have been hopeful ever since. Please, if there is anything new in this area, please contact us with any news or anything we should know. Thank you so much. We will be waiting to hear, anything.
Side effects.. to regenerating optic nerves?
posted by ian on 12 Oct 2011 at 10:04 amAre there side effects if this research will be successful to human beings? Because we are speaking of regeneration..
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