The researchers then bathed the Fz4 mutant retinas in oxygen and nutrients to mimic a normal blood supply, and measured electrical signaling in response to light. They found that when provided with oxygen and nutrients, the retinas were able to sense light and generate signals similar to those generated by normal retinas. The team suggests that in the absence of Fz4 the defective blood vessels provide the retinas with only enough oxygen and nutrients to keep the retinal cells alive, but not enough for them to function normally to send electrical signals.

"If the human retina responds to a decrease in blood supply in the same way that the mouse retina responds, then these results may have relevance for those patients with vision loss due to vascular defects," says Nathans.

"In particular, these experiments suggest that if a region of the retina has been deprived of its normal blood supply, then completely or partially restoring that supply may also restore some visual function, even if this happens weeks or months later."

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions