Eye Disease

Reducing the severity of visual loss in retinal disorders

Professor Jonathan Stone's research on retinal detachment, conducted in collaboration with the Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of California Santa Barbara, has demonstrated a major beneficial effect of supplemental oxygen in preventing the degeneration of the retina which occurs while the retina is detached. This beneficial effect was traced to the cellular and molecular level and has formed the basis for clinical trials. It is hoped that this will reduce the severity of visual loss which most patients suffer, even when detachments are promptly and effectively reduced by surgery. The team also studied the role of perinatal stress in the causation of the retinitis pigmentosa.