The possibility of a pill to help improve the vision of some blind people came one step closer this week.
A study in September's issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry reported that a component normally found in the human contraceptive pill helps reduce vision loss in mice with retinitis pigmentosa.
Norgestrol is found in the 'mini pill' and, when given to mice with retinitis pigmentosa at doses analogous to that of the contraceptive, appeared to stabilise the photoreceptors and slow down the progressive sight loss.
The drug appeared to stimulate the production of a protein survival factor called fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in cells surrounding the diseased cell.
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