Oxidative Injury in the Optic Nerve: An Overlooked Pathway to Vision Loss
In the intricate landscape of eye health, a silent biological crisis unfolds within the optic nerve—the vital cable of over one million neurons that transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. This crisis is driven by oxidative injury, a destructive process at the cellular level that is increasingly recognized as a central player in numerous vision-threatening conditions, from glaucoma and ischemic optic neuropathy to certain forms of retinal degeneration. For the medically-savvy public, understanding this process is not merely academic; it is critical to comprehending the limitations of current conventional treatments and the emergence of novel therapeutic strategies that aim to protect and restore neural function at its root cause. Unlike mechanical or pressure-induced damage, oxidative injury represents a relentless biochemical assault that degrades the optic nerve from within, often progressing stealthily until significant, irreversible vision loss has occurred. ...