LOS ANGELES, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed eye drops that could slow vision loss in animals, the agency said on Friday.
The treatment shows potential to slow down the progression of human degenerative eye diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, according to the study, published Friday in Communications Medicine.
The eye drops contain a small fragment derived from a protein made by the body and found in the eye, known as pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF). PEDF helps preserve cells in the eye's retina.
"While not a cure, this study shows that PEDF-based eye drops can slow progression of a variety of degenerative retinal diseases in animals, including various types of retinitis pigmentosa and dry age-related macular degeneration," said Patricia Becerra, chief of NIH's Section on Protein Structure and Function at the National Eye Institute, and senior author of the study.
"Given these results, we're excited to begin trials of these eye drops in people," Becerra said.
