by: Lynda Charters
The authors suggested genetic mutation may relax the body’s defenses and allow harmful bacteria to reach the eye.
An experimental murine study found that “sight loss in certain inherited eye diseases may be caused by gut bacteria and is potentially treatable by antimicrobials.”1
Investigators from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre, Sun Yat-sen University, China, worked with the University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the conduct of this study.
According to a press release, the study reported that in eyes with visual loss caused by a particular genetic mutation that leads to blindness, gut bacteria were found within the damaged areas of the eye. The authors suggested that the genetic mutation may relax the body’s defenses and allow harmful bacteria to reach the eye and cause blindness.
The researchers were investigating the impact of the Crumbs homolog 1 (CRB1) gene, which is most often associated with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The gene, which is expressed in the retina, is critically involved in the functioning of the blood-retina barrier, which regulates the flow in and out of the eye.
Source: Optometry Times