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Trial Lecture – time and place
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Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor of Ophthalmology Ning Tian, The University of Utah, USA
- Second opponent: Assistant Professor An-Jey Andrew Su, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, USA
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Knut Tomas Dalen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Emeritus Borghild Roald, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Dong Feng Chen, Harvard Medical School
Summary
It is estimated that there are approximately 300 million visually impaired people worldwide, of which around 250 million are partially sighted, and about 40 million are completely blind. The most common causes of blindness are diseases affecting the optic nerve (such as glaucoma) and the retina (age-related macular degeneration - AMD).
Research into non-invasive treatment methods for certain retinal diseases has been increasing. One promising approach is electrical stimulation, where small electrical currents are applied to the eye, which in some cases, can help preserve or even restore vision.
In his thesis, Novel Technology in Regenerative Medicine - The Role of Electrostimulation in Treating Blindness, Dr. Sam Enayati and colleagues investigated the effects of non-invasive electrical stimulation on the eyelid and its surrounding surface structures. They discovered that electrostimulation can enhance retinal function.
The primary objective of their research was to optimize electrical stimulation settings for therapeutic purposes and to understand the underlying mechanisms behind the observed visual improvements.
Their findings indicate that electrical stimulation can improve vision in mice suffering from hereditary photoreceptor degeneration. Evidence suggests that electrical stimulation encourages the proliferation of retinal stem cell-like cells, particularly Müller cells, and enhances neural plasticity by stimulating the growth of neural sprouts from specialized retinal cells. The treatment may also have a protective effect, as it was observed that fewer photoreceptors died.
The takeaway from these studies is that electrostimulation could be a non-invasive treatment option for patients with certain forms of retinal disease. However, despite the encouraging results from the Harvard Medical School laboratory, electrical stimulation is not a cure for specific retinal conditions. It may, however, help to preserve remaining vision for a longer time. Given these subtle but positive outcomes, it is crucial to rigorously test this technology through clinical trials. Only then can we determine its true effectiveness and identify which patient groups stand to benefit most from electrostimulation treatment in the future.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.