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Degenerative retinal disease is a problem for millions of people worldwide, as light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors at the back of the eye die without being replaced. Thanks to new research, a solution to the problem might not be far off. Scientists in Canada have come up with a way to transform dormant support neurons called Müller glial cells into tissues that work like cone photoreceptors, which are required for color perception and visual acuity. While the process has only been tested on mice cells, it could eventually be developed into a therapy that can restore vision in people. Part of...

a microscopic image of a retina. It looks like an orange circle, with red blood vessels...Credit: noon@photo / Adobe Stock / Annelisa Leinbach The path to reversing a common cause of blindness might be in our eyes already — and a new gene therapy shows how to take advantage of it. Retinal degeneration: When light enters the eye, it travels to the retina, where nerve cells called “photoreceptors” convert the light into electrical signals that are eventually sent to the brain. Genetic diseases and other health issues can damage retinal cells. This condition, called “retinal degeneration,” is one of the...