Hormones control may save people from vision loss

A local suppression of thyroid hormone (thyroid hormone) receptor activity in the retina is an unexpected solution that allows to protect the retina from degenerative diseases. According to News-medical.net, the suppression makes it possible to save photoreceptor cells. These cells can be found in the back of the eye. They are responsible for light stimulation and sensitivity to light.

According to researchers, thyroid hormone inhibitors can be administered in the form of drops. It means there won’t be any painful injections. By introducing an inhibitor or removing the hormone receptor at a genetic level, the scientists monitored the survival rates of the eye cells in the study.

As it turned out that exposure to the hormone slowed down the process of retinal cell death and increased their life span. The inhibitors were tested in animal models of human eye diseases, such as achromatopsia and Leber congenital amaurosis.

Source: medical.net