摘要
Late stage blindness and visual impairment(BVI)affects over 400 mi l l ion adul ts worldwide.These disabilities severely impact the ability of adults to function independently,reduce their quality of life,and worsen socio-economic burdens on health care systems.Importantly,the World Health Organization projects worldwide BVI from degenerated retina to more than double by the year 2050(Bourne et al.,2021).To understand the clinical problem,consider Figure 1A depicting the retina’s seven neuronal cell types that interconnect across three nuclear layers.Retinal photoreceptors of the outer nuclear layer(ONL)are light sensitive neurons that absorb and convert photons into bioelectrical signals.
基金
supported by the US National Science Foundation(NSF CBET 180441)
the US National Institutes of Health(NEI 1R21 EY031439-01)(to MV).