Sight loss in inherited eye diseases may be caused by gut bacteria and could be treated with antimicrobials, a new study co-led by a UCL and Moorfields researcher found.
In eyes with sight loss, caused by a genetic mutation (CRB1) known to cause sight-threatening diseases, the researchers, including scientists in China, found gut bacteria within the damaged areas of the eye.
The authors of the new paper, published in Cell, worked on the theory that the genetic mutation may relax the body’s defences, thus allowing harmful bacteria to reach the eye and cause blindness.
Using mouse models, the researchers found that treating the bacteria with antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, could prevent sight loss in mice, but could not rebuild the affected cells.
Co-lead author professor Richard Lee from UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, said: ‘Our findings could have huge implications for transforming treatment for CRB1-associated eye diseases.
'We hope to continue this research in clinical studies to confirm if this mechanism is indeed the cause of blindness in people, and whether treatments targeting bacteria could prevent blindness.’