Abstract
Presentation Description :
A longstanding question in the field of glaucoma is whether specific types of neurons, and/or their sub-cellular compartments, are selectively altered at different stages of the disease. I will present data that retinal ganglion cells whose processes reside near specific regions of the retinal vaculature 'sublayers' are altered in early stages of glaucoma in a manner that predicts cell loss. Additionally, I will review data showing how visual stimulation can act as a potent stimulator of retinal neuron survival and regeneration in response to disease and injury. The relationhip between retinal vasculature, neural activity and disease progression will be considered in light of animal models and human clinical data.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.