Gut bacteria may be the cause of vision loss in certain eye diseases that could be treated with antibiotics, according to a new study.
“We discovered an unexpected link between the gut and the eye, which could be the cause of blindness in some patients,” explains ophthalmologist Richard Lee, of University College London, one of the lead authors of the study, which was published in the journal Cell.
“Our findings could have enormous implications for transforming the treatment of CRB1-associated eye diseases,” he adds.
Chinese and British researchers have discovered gut bacteria in damaged areas of the eyes of mice with mutations in the Crumbs homolog 1 (CRB1) gene, a major cause of inherited eye diseases.
This is preliminary research and we do not know if the same mechanism occurs in humans carrying the CRB1 mutation, which causes 4% of retinitis pigmentosa, leading to loss of peripheral and night vision. and 10% of Leber congenital amaurosis, which causes complete blindness in about a third of cases.
The team wondered whether bacteria could cause retinal damage after finding in previous research that bacteria was surprisingly common in the eyes.
Most of our trillions of gut bacteria are helpful rather than harmful and play a crucial role in overall health. But Dr. Lee and his colleagues believe that the CRB1 gene mutation allows gut bacteria to reach the eyes, where they may contribute to vision loss.
When the researchers reintroduced normal CRB1 expression into the intestines of mice carrying the CRB1 mutation, retinal damage was reduced. CRB1 mutated mice with reduced bacterial populations also did not have as much retinal damage.
“We hope to continue this research in clinical studies to confirm whether this mechanism actually causes blindness in humans, and whether treatments targeting the bacteria could prevent blindness,” says Lee. .
This only suggests a possible link between eye diseases caused by the CRB1 gene mutation.