Retinal Cells Work with Little Reserve Energy; May Explain Vulnerability to Eye Diseases
Our eyes are especially demanding when it comes to energy: Along with our brain, they require a substantial amount of power to keep them functioning and healthy. Now a new study by the National Eye Institute suggests that because of their high-energy demands, our eyes function at high efficiency and with little reserve capacity, which scientists say may explain why they become vulnerable to degenerative diseases.
Better understanding of how cells in the eye become susceptible to degenerative diseases may point to biomarkers that could be used to identify people at risk, and also to develop potential therapies, said the study’s lead author, Anand Swaroop, Ph.D., chief of NEI’s Neurobiology-Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory.
This page was last updated on Friday, January 21, 2022