Breakthrough Technologies in Ophthalmology: Fundamental Sciences Helping to Solve the Problems of Retinal and Optic Nerve Pathologies
Breakthrough technologies, which bring about a drastic change in state-of-the-art medicine, develop at the intersection of medical science and related fields of knowledge. Basic research triggers promising innovations that are capable of making a significant contribution to the solution of socially important problems in ophthalmology: understanding the pathogenesis, enabling effective prophylaxis and treatment of age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, the pathophysiology of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The review gives an outline of the most outstanding achievements in fundamental sciences of the recent decades that have greatly contributed to the efficiency of diagnostics, treatment strategies and prevention of socially significant diseases of the retina and optic nerve. The paper is focused on the role of animal models of eye diseases in the studies of pathophysiology, the development of new therapeutic strategies, such as gene therapy, stem cell therapy, the neuroprotective agents, retinal implants, and others.