A review of the role of glial cells in understanding retinal disease

Abstract

Retinal vascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity are major causes of visual loss. Although the focus of a great deal of research has been on the aetiology of vascular growth, it is now emerging that anomalies in other retinal cell types, especially glial cells, occur very early in the course of the disease. Glial cells have major roles in every stage of disease, from the earliest subtle variations in neural function, to the development of epi‐retinal membranes and tractional detachment. Therefore, having a firm understanding of the function of retinal glia is important in our understanding of retinal disease and is crucial for the development of new treatment strategies.

Key words:

• autoregulation
• diabetic retinopathy
• glial cell
• gliosis
• neurovascular
• retina

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors are grateful to Associate Professor Ian Gutteridge for providing Figure-4A.

GRANTS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT

This work was supported by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; #350434 to ELF).