Retinal Detachment

Accelerating Retinal Detachment

About Retinal Detachment

What is Retinal Detachment?

Retinal detachment, the separation of the neurosensory retina (NSR) from the underlying retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), is a vision-threatening condition considered one of the few ocular emergencies.This detachment of photoreceptors is common in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal detachment (RD), diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and retinitis pigmentosa, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive.

Types and Pathogenesis of Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment can occur through different mechanisms. Regardless of the mechanism, all types of retinal detachment share a common feature, the accumulation of subretinal fluid. There are four main types of retinal detachment: rhegmatogenous, traction, exudative or serous, and combined traction-rhegmatogenous. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is the most common type of retinal detachment, with an annual incidence of 6.3 to 18 per 100,000 people.

• Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment (RRD): The main feature is the presence of a full-thickness retinal tear that is held open by vitreoretinal traction, allowing liquefied vitreous to accumulate beneath the retina, separating the retina from the retinal pigment epithelium. The precursor to this type of retinal detachment is a liquefied vitreous, and traction can create and sustain a retinal rupture through which fluid enters the subretinal space. Even if there is a full-thickness retinal rupture, retinal detachment will not occur if the vitreous is not at least partially liquefied and the necessary traction is not present. According to the location of this pathology, RRD can be divided into equatorial, oral, and macular.
• Compound Stretch-Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment (TRRD): It is the result of a combination of retinal breakage and retinal stretch. Retinal ruptures were predominantly located near fibers or fibrovascular proliferations, often secondary to traction, which was the major component of retinal detachment in these cases. This form of retinal detachment, like TRD, is most commonly seen in proliferative retinal and vitreoretinal diseases.
• Exudative or Serous Retinal Detachment (SRD): The main feature is the accumulation of fluid in the subretinal space in the absence of retinal rupture or traction. The source of the fluid is the blood vessels of the retina or choroid or both. This can occur in a variety of vascular, inflammatory, or neoplastic diseases of the retina, RPE, and choroid, where fluid leaks out of the blood vessels and accumulates under the retina.

Clinical Treatment of Retinal Detachment

Cryofixation, laser photocoagulation, scleral buckling, and vitrectomy have all been used alone or in combination to treat retinal detachment, but the success rate remains less than 100%, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is the leading cause of surgical failure for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Therefore, novel strategies are needed to prevent and treat PVR. In recent years, models of retinal pathology associated with RD and PVR have been extensively studied in various animal models, and more and more studies are being devoted to exploring new therapies for the prevention and treatment of PVR.

One-Stop Preclinical Retinal Detachment Studies Solutions

As an industry-leading comprehensive contract research organization (CRO), Ace Therapeutics focuses on the health of ocular diseases and improves ocular diseases by helping customers provide drug discovery and preclinical research solutions. Our support staff averages decades of experience in preclinical ophthalmology research for pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, and large CROs, who help customers around the world deal with each stage of preclinical drug development. Our one-stop solutions cover the development of ocular disease models, in vivo ocular pharmacodynamic studies, ocular tolerance and safety studies, early pilot studies, and proof-of-concept and bioanalytical levels. All of our projects are customizable and flexible, which allows us to fully understand our clients' needs and how to meet them.

At Ace Therapeutics, our team of experts is dedicated to supporting your preclinical retinal detachment research. We provide a rodent model of sodium hyaluronate-induced retinal detachment to help global customers test the effect of therapeutic drugs in promoting retinal reattachment and/or reducing detachment. Additionally, we offer minipig models of PVR to help our clients explore the molecular mechanisms of PVR pathophysiology and evaluate potential therapeutic agents or long-term interventions. Our service scope covers the whole process from the discovery of lead compounds to the implementation of preclinical GLP projects. We promise to support you in the development and mechanism exploration of upcoming ophthalmic therapies with the highest quality service.

References

1. Ghazi NG, Green WR. Pathology and pathogenesis of retinal detachment. Eye (Lond). 2002, 16(4):411-21.
2. Idrees S, Sridhar J, Kuriyan AE. Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy: A Review. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2019, 59(1):221-240.