New advances in optogenetic techniques for the treatment of retinal diseases with photoreceptor apoptosis

Retinal degenerative diseases characterized by irreversible photoreceptor apoptosis, such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, are among the leading causes of severe visual impairment and blindness worldwide.Due to the neuronal nature of the mammalian retina, its regenerative ability is extremely limited.Damage or death of photoreceptors typically results in permanent vision loss.In recent years, optogenetic therapy has emerged as a novel neuromodulatory and vision restoration strategy, offering new hope for patients in advanced stages of these diseases.This approach involves using viral vectors, like adeno-associated viruses to deliver genes that encode light-sensitive proteins, such as microbial opsins or engineered rhodopsin variants, into surviving inner retinal neurons, such as bipolar or ganglion cells, thereby bypassing the degenerated photoreceptors and re-establishing light sensitivity and visual signaling.This review summarizes recent advances in the development of high-performance optogenetic tools, highlights findings from clinical trial at home and abroad, and discusses the therapeutic potential and translational prospects of optogenetics in treating inherited and degenerative retinal diseases.

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