What are the challenges in treating glaucoma?

Currently, there is no way to fully restore vision lost from glaucoma. However, HealthMaker David Abramson, MD, explains some of the exciting medical advances that could change this outcome.

Transcript

00:00

DAVID ABRAMSON: About 4% of the adult population, 1 out of 25, will develop glaucoma.

00:06

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:16

We've had treatments for glaucoma that are reasonably effective at preventing loss of vision. At the same time, a third of all people in the United States

00:26

diagnosed with glaucoma, when first diagnosed, have already lost vision. What we don't have is a way of regaining sight

00:33

for those patients. We have a way of diagnosing them and of treating them. We have effective drops, lasers, and operations.

00:41

But we don't have a way of getting back their sight. It is very sad to see someone progressively lose vision,

00:48

to say, we're doing the best we can, and not bring back sight.

00:57

There is exciting work to suggest that may be possible.

01:06

In rats and in mice, it's been shown that you can take optic nerves that have been destroyed,

01:15

and they can reconnect with relatively simple molecular gymnastics--

01:22

not difficult, not complicated. [AUDIO LOGO]