Noninvasive Electric Stimulation Therapy for Laser Eye Injury and Vision Preservation
Abstract
Military laser weapon systems are becoming indispensable in most modern armies, and lasers are critical to military operations in data transfer, rage finding, laser scope, guidance systems, or being used as non-lethal blinding weapons. Laser-related injuries, 90% of which are associated with transient or permanent visual dysfunction, have been reported with increasing frequency, and the high prevalence of these injuries was reported after the war, suggesting military uses of range finders explicitly for blinding. With increasing laser applications on the battlefield, lasers have been speculated to be an important cause of ocular morbidity and blindness in future conflicts. The eye is particularly vulnerable to laser radiation due to the eye s focusing power and optical transparency, resulting in permanent damage and many with late complications, including bleeding, retinal tissue scarring, and abnormal growth of leaky vessels or choroidal neovascularization (CNV), similar to that seen in the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). Because the effect of laser-induced visual damage is largely instantaneous, timely treatment is important for reducing neuronal death and limiting the disabling outcomes. Currently, therapeutics for laser eye injury are extremely limited, and there is an urgent need to develop an immediate treatment, especially in the austere battlefield environment, to limit and prevent long-term vision loss after laser burn. As noninvasive microcurrent ES is emerging as a potential therapeutic modality for eye diseases, its convenience in delivery and general safety profile have made the strategy particularly suitable for application in the austere environment of the battlefield. Both clinical and preclinical studies suggest that ES enhances the survival and function of the retina and improves vision in AMD, optic nerve stroke, and inherited retinal degenerative diseases. Recent development in our lab has generated a patentable ES technology demonstrating potent protective effects of specific ES applied to the eyelid (transpalpebral) after laser eye injury, through inhibiting inflammation and the growth of leaky vessels. We propose that noninvasive transpalpebral ES presents a safe and effective strategy for treating laser eye injury and preserving vision through stabilizing eye injury, controlling inflammation, and preventing vessel overgrowth or CNV development. These activities resonate with our commitment to conduct transformative research to improve the lives of military personnel and civilians. The major goal of this proposal is to develop a novel ES therapy for laser eye injury that can present a timely treatment with easy access in the battlefield for reducing retinal neuron death, limiting the disabling effects, and improving health outcomes. Our project foscuses addressing the following key questions: (1) Does noninvasive ES present a therapeutic potential in military relevant preclinical model of laser eye injury? (2) How does electric field propagate in the mouse and human eyes and will it be possible to optimize electric current parameters to gain more effective therapy? (3) What are the safety ranges of electric current parameters in mouse and human? Answers to these questions will lay the foundation for future clinical trials toward the evaluation of a noninvasive effective countermeasure for military personnel and civilians exposed to occupational or battlefield-related ocular laser burn. The general safety profile and the available clinical data on using noninvasive ES for treating various diseases form a basis to advance the technology quickly toward clinical translation. The proposed work is significant because the study may also lead to paradigm-shift non-pharmacological therapies for other blinding eye diseases, such as wet AMD, a leading cause of blindness in elderly.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252311045
Entities
People
- Dong Feng Chen
Organizations
- Schepens Eye Research Institute
- United States Army