The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has tracked a new treatment in the form of a capsule that promises to benefit patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa. In both these vision disorders, retina’s light-sensitive cells that relay signals to the brain begin to degenerate over time. Ultimately, it results in vision loss. The suggested product is an innovation from a Lincoln, RI, biotech company Neurotech. The capsule consists of genetically engineered cells which produce a protein that helps in protects the light-sensitive cells in the retina.

The Schepens Eye Research Institute have discovered a chemical in the eye that triggers non-neuronal cells to turn into progenitor cells, a stem-like cell that can generate new retinal cells. The research is published in the Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science journal, and offers hope for patients with damaged retinas due to diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.