title: Assessing retinal ganglion cell damage.
abstract: Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss is the hallmark of optic neuropathies, including glaucoma, where damage to RGC axons occurs at the level of the optic nerve head. In experimental glaucoma, damage is assessed at the axon level (in the retinal nerve fibre layer and optic nerve head) or at the soma level (in the retina). In clinical glaucoma where measurements are generally limited to non-invasive techniques, structural measurements of the retinal nerve fibre layer and optic nerve head, or functional measurements with perimetry provide surrogate estimates of RGC integrity. These surrogate measurements, while clinically useful, are several levels removed from estimating actual RGC loss. Advances in imaging, labelling techniques, and transgenic medicine are making enormous strides in experimental glaucoma, providing knowledge on the pathophysiology of glaucoma, its progression and testing new therapeutic avenues. Advances are also being made in functional imaging of RGCs. Future efforts will now be directed towards translating these advances to clinical care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.|Retina and Optic Nerve Research Laboratory, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Vianna
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.|Retina and Optic Nerve Research Laboratory, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.|Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Chauhan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D058609:Visual Field Tests