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. 2019 Dec:30:210-216.
doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.10.003. Epub 2019 Nov 8.

Restoring vision at the fovea

Juliette E McGregor  1
Affiliations

Restoring vision at the fovea

Juliette E McGregor. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

In humans high quality, high acuity visual experience is mediated by the fovea, a tiny, specialized patch of retina containing the locus of fixation. Despite this, vision restoration strategies are typically developed in animal models without a fovea. While electrical prostheses have been approved by regulators, as yet they have failed to restore high quality, high acuity vision in patients. Approaches under pre-clinical development include regenerative cell therapies, optogenetics and chemical photosensitizers. All retinal vision restoration therapies require reactivation of inner retina that has lost photoreceptor input and that the restored signals can be interpreted at a behavioural level. A greater emphasis on tackling these challenges at the fovea may accelerate progress toward high quality vision restoration.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of vision restoration strategies at the fovea. Retinal ganglion cells are displaced from the foveal photoreceptors they serve (red line). This results in the formation of in RGC ring (green) around the foveal pit, the floor of which is referred to as the foveola. A selection of vision restoration strategies are shown: subretinal approaches (electrical prostheses, photoreceptor precursor transplantation), intravitreal (chemical photosensitizers and inner retina optogenetic) and the epi-retinal prosthesis. Abbreviations: GCL - Ganglion cell layer, INL- Inner nuclear layer, ONL - Outer nuclear layer, PRL - Photoreceptor layer.
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      *McGregor et al. 2018 This study shows that there is an orderly mapping between the positions of retinal ganglion cells in the foveal ring and the receptive fields they serve. This mapping implies that locally, small visual stimuli presented directly to light sensitive foveal ganglion cells could evoke a similar spatial pattern of activity to natural vision. Globally however, spatial distortions to stimuli are expected at the fovea.

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