Novel Diagnosis and Therapy of Neurodegenerative Retinal Disease, from Bench to Bedside

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegenerative retinal disease includes a broad spectrum of phenotypes, and usually causes vision loss and affects patient quality of life. By 2050, there will be an estimated 114.6 million people suffering from blindness and 587.6 million people affected by moderate and severe vision impairment. It is also a public health concern in terms of potential economic and social burdens. Therefore, preventive strategies, early diagnosis, improving the understanding of the phenotypes, and the development of new therapies are the main challenges in the future management of this disease. Neuroprotection is one of the most promising approaches for degenerative diseases in the retina. Although there have been numerous efforts to establish neuroprotective therapies in animal models, there have only been a handful of successful attempts in human retina.

The aim of this Research Topic is to gather original research articles and reviews based on the current studies addressing recent advances in risk factors, disease mechanisms, diagnostic modalities, and therapeutic options in approaches in retinal degeneration (inherited retinal degenerative diseases, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, traumatic optic neuropathy, myopia, retinal degeneration in neurodegenerative diseases and others). Studies from both bench (basic science) and bedside (clinical research) are welcome. 

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Diagnostic biomarkers such as ERG, VEP, visual field and tear components;
• Imaging modalities such as OCT, OCTA;
• Therapeutic options such as neuroprotective agents (neurotrophic factors, antioxidants, etc.), neuroimmune modulation;
• Clinical phenotypes;
• Genetic background and gene therapy.

Dr. Kin Chiu
Dr. Wei Liu
Guest Editors

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