Could a blind eye regenerate?

Blindness is something that you are not born with but can develop since childhood or adulthood. The eye diseases usher syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa are a kind of genetic disease affecting the retina. As known by everybody, retina helps us in seeing by detecting the light

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EYE REGENERATION POSSIBILITY

To understand the possibility of eye regeneration, we need to understand retina and its working. Retina is oriented from numerous cells along with special neurons living in the back of an eye. These neurons are known as rod and cone photoreceptors.

Photoreceptors

  • The function of the photoreceptors is to convert the light that comes to the eye into the signals that the brain utilizes to generate certain vision.
  • Photoreceptors don’t divide and multiply like the body cells. A human being is born with a constant set of photoreceptors.

People with usher syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa thus experience a loss of these cone photoreceptors until and unless the screen in the eye is unable to detect light any longer thus failing to generate signals for the brain.

EYE REGENERATION OF ZEBRAFISH

Zebrafish is a kind of fish that can grow the skin bones, heart and even retina if under any case they are damaged. This implies that if the photoreceptors are removed from the body of the zebrafish then they will just regenerate thus restoring the sight.

Muller Glia

The long cells that stretch across the retina do the job. These are called Muller Glia. When the photoreceptors of the zebrafish get damaged, the cells undergo transformation to form a new character. Here they form less like Muller cells and more like stem cells. These cells have the capability of turning into any kind of cells.

The long cells perform a division method where they produce some extra cells which then grow into new photoreceptors. These photoreceptors travel to the back of the eye re-wiring them to the brain.

CONCLUSION

Glutamate and aminoadipate are the chemicals that create activity in the brain. Scientists are still researching if triggering the Muller Glia is possible on human’s eyes. Amidst this, the superpower of zebrafish’s retinal regeneration will remain a mystery.

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