Innovative Night Vision Tests for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

This project aims to develop three new vision tests for age-related macular degeneration, with a focus on evaluating rod photoreceptor function, as a prerequisite for future treatment trials.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes devastating vision loss over time. However, best-corrected visual acuity—the most common vision test—does not reveal dysfunction in early AMD. Thus, clinical trials focus mostly on late AMD, despite the limited treatment potential. This project will establish vision tests that evaluate dark adaptation following exposure to bright light. Using retina tracking, researchers will test small retinal regions prone to subtle photoreceptor dysfunction in an unprecedentedly accurate manner, making disease progression measurable at the earliest stage.

This study concentrates on rod photoreceptors, which are impaired in the early stages of age-related macular degeneration, leading to subtle night vision issues that often go unnoticed. Our goal is to develop vision tests that can be used in clinical trials during the early stages of the disease, as opposed to ongoing trials that mainly focus on slowing the progression of the disease in eyes where a large number of photoreceptors have already been lost.

The study will offer two significant potential benefits: (1) a set of highly sensitive vision tests for monitoring early stages of progression, and (2) a better understanding of the timeline between early degeneration of rod photoreceptors and subsequent degeneration of cone photoreceptors.