Researchers used lab-grown retinal organoids to solve a decades-old mystery regarding how the human eye develops the foveola, the tiny central region responsible for sharp, high-definition vision.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered a new cellular mechanism behind how humans develop sharp, high-acuity vision.

Using lab-grown retinal organoids, the team identified how the eye populates the foveola with the specific light-sensing cells needed for clear vision. Foveola is the tiny central region responsible for sharp, high-definition vision.

It was discovered that sharp human vision is formed during fetal development through a dynamic interplay between a vitamin A derivative (retinoic acid) and thyroid hormones.

“This is a key step toward understanding the inner workings of the center of the retina, a critical part of the eye and the first to fail in people with macular degeneration,” said Robert J. Johnston Jr., an associate professor of biology at Johns Hopkins who led the research.

Read more: https://interestingengineering.com/science/cellular-process-behind-sharp-human-vision

Source: Interesting Engineering

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