Degeneration and regeneration in the vertebrate retina
Résumé
The human retina is a complex, layered tissue responsible for the perception of the visual stimuli coming from the external environment. Since the visual inputs account for about 30% of our sensory stimulations, it is not surprising that partial or complete blindness results in a strong decrease of life quality. Several diseases affect the retina, often leading to degeneration of one or several cell types. The damage induced by these diseases is often irreversible, thus leading to a permanent loss of the visual ability. Over the last decades significant progress has been made to elucidate the molecular basis of retinal degenerative diseases. This knowledge is necessary in order to design valid approaches for the treatment of retinopathies.