Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The retinal degeneration condition leads to permanent vision loss, which affects millions of people worldwide who suffer from age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, and other inherited retinal disorders. The medical field once believed that damage to photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium cells would result in permanent loss because neural retinal tissue cannot repair itself. The medical field has undergone a significant shift in this context due to advances in regenerative medicine. The medical field uses stem cell technologies to create patient-specific retinal cells from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs). The practice of gene therapy, utilizing viral vector-based gene replacement and CRISPR-based genome editing, has yielded successful results that enhance visual capabilities for certain inherited retinal conditions. The use of retinal tissue engineering methods, combined with biomaterial scaffolds and three-dimensional retinal organoids, enables scientists to create structures that support cell survival as cells adapt to new environments. The review compiles evidence from clinical and preclinical studies published after 2015 that investigate retinal regeneration methods. Results indicate that iPSC-derived RPE transplantation leads to retinal structural restoration, gene therapy enables partial vision recovery for specific genetic mutations, and engineered scaffolds strengthen photoreceptor cells, aiding synaptic connections. While these approaches show promise, challenges remain: developing treatments compatible with the immune system, ensuring long-term efficacy, addressing safety in gene editing, and achieving scalable production. Current evidence indicates that retinal regeneration research has progressed to early clinical application, offering real possibilities for restoring vision in patients with previously untreatable retinal disorders.
Authors: Rehan Haider, Hina Abbas
Institutions: University of Karachi, Dow University of Health Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7140085705