Local researchers have found that suppressing a type of hormone-releasing protein in the eye can help to increase the survival of retinal nerve cells and stop optic nerve death
Could a Hong Kong discovery reverse glaucoma blindness? Early study restores 70 percent of vision in mice
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Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have identified a potential new way to treat glaucoma that restored nearly 70 percent of lost vision in animal models – a possible breakthrough in protecting sight rather than merely slowing its loss.
According to CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine, glaucoma is an eye disease that affects over 80 million people around the world, resulting in visual impairment and blindness. As the second main cause of blindness globally, the condition impacts roughly 120,000 people in Hong Kong.
Existing treatments can only slow the damage by lowering intraocular (eye) pressure, and some patients still lose their sight completely within 10 to 20 years of diagnosis.
The new approach instead inhibits a receptor protein in eye tissue – the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) – which boosts the survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and protects the optic nerve from degeneration and death.
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In mouse models, GHRHR inhibition helped the animals recover nearly 70 percent of their vision – measured by light-avoidance behaviour – increased RGC survival by almost 50 percent, and restored visual signal transmission to about 50 percent of normal levels within five days.
“By precisely suppressing harmful substances, GHRHR inhibition not only preserves optic nerve structure but also restores impaired visual function caused by the disease, essentially addressing both the cause and the symptoms,” Poemen Chan Pui-man, a medical researcher at CUHK, said.
Mice given the therapy showed no structural or pathological changes in the retina, which the team said indicated “a favourable safety profile for this potential therapeutic approach”.
According to various reports, the scientists are aiming to apply for clinical trials within the next 5 to 7 years. They are also hoping to make the treatment publicly available after completing the relevant research in 10 to 15 years.
