A new study published in ACS Nano suggests that gold nanoparticles could help restore some vision in people with retinal degeneration. In experiments with mice, researchers found that injecting these tiny particles into the eye stimulated the visual system and helped restore some sight.
In conditions like inherited retinal diseases and age-related macular degeneration, vision loss happens when the eye–s light-sensing photoreceptor cells stop working. This experimental treatment is a new kind of retinal prosthesis. The gold nanoparticles essentially take on the role of lost photoreceptors by responding to light. When exposed to laser light, the particles heat up and activate nearby retinal cells, triggering a visual signal sent to the brain.
In a future human application, researchers say laser light could be delivered through a special pair of goggles. One advantage of this potential approach is that it would only require an injection and the use of the gogglesand avoid complex surgery.
More research is needed before the technique can be considered for human clinical trials.
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