Optic Nerve Regeneration in Diabetic Retinopathy: Potentials and Challenges Ahead

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common microvascular compilation of diabetes, is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. Recent studies indicate that retinal neuron impairment occurs before any noticeable vascular changes in DR, and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration is one of the earliest signs. Axons of RGCs have little capacity to regenerate after injury, clinically leading the visual functional defects to become irreversible. In the past two decades, tremendous progress has been achieved to enable RGC axon regeneration in animal models of optic nerve injury, which holds promise for neural repair and visual restoration in DR. This review summarizes these advances and discusses the potential and challenges for developing optic nerve regeneration strategies treating DR.

Automated summary

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide. Recent studies have shown that retinal neuron impairment occurs before any noticeable vascular changes in DR, with retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration being one of the earliest signs. RGC axons have limited ability to regenerate, making visual functional defects irreversible. However, significant progress has been made in enabling RGC axon regeneration in animal models, offering potential for neural repair and visual restoration in DR.