Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a method to restore vision in people with amblyopia, commonly known as 'lazy eye', by temporarily anaesthetising the retina. This process effectively 'reboots' the eye, allowing it to repair itself even in adulthood.
Amblyopia is a developmental disorder where vision in one or both eyes fails to develop properly during childhood, as the brain learns to ignore input from the affected eye. Current treatments are only effective in infancy when neural connections are still forming.
In a study published in the journal Cell Reports, the MIT researchers anaesthetised the retina of amblyopic mice for two days. They observed that this treatment restored the brain's visual response to the affected eye, bringing its input to parity with the normal eye. The team focused on the lateral geniculate nucleus, a network of brain nerves that relays visual information to the visual cortex.
Lead author Mark Bears expressed cautious optimism: 'If it does work in humans, it is a pretty substantial step forward. The amblyopic eye, which is not doing much, could be inactivated and brought back to life instead.' The researchers hope to test the treatment in other animals and eventually in humans.
