Summary
This hypothesis paper proposes that glaucoma, through progressive retinal ganglion cell death, may be uniquely damaging to the melanopsin-containing ipRGCs responsible for circadian entrainment, potentially causing more severe circadian disruption than other ocular diseases. For lighting designers and healthcare providers, this suggests that glaucoma patients may require higher or specially tuned light exposures to compensate for compromised non-visual photoreception.
Key Findings
- Glaucoma is proposed as the primary ophthalmic disease that directly compromises circadian photoreception due to inherent ganglion cell death, as opposed to other diseases that reduce light transmission without destroying the cells themselves.
- A subset of ipRGCs expressing melanopsin and cryptochromes are responsible for entraining the circadian system via projections to the suprachiasmatic nucleus and lateral geniculate nucleus â these are the cells hypothesized to be at risk in glaucoma.
- Circadian misalignment can result from inadequate light exposure or reduced light transmission due to ophthalmic conditions including senile miosis, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and glaucoma.
Categories
Eye Health & Vision: Proposes that glaucomatous ganglion cell death directly compromises photic input to the circadian system by damaging melanopsin-expressing ipRGCs.
Sleep & Circadian Health: Discusses how reduced light transmission from ophthalmic diseases, especially glaucoma, causes circadian misalignment and associated sleep disturbances.
The Science of Light: Examines the role of melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) in entraining the circadian system via the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Author(s)
G Jean-Louis, F Zizi
Publication Year
2008
Number of Citations
71
Related Publications
Eye Health & Vision
- Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice
- Genetic reactivation of cone photoreceptors restores visual responses in retinitis pigmentosa
- Melanopsin and rodâcone photoreceptors play different roles in mediating pupillary light responses during exposure to continuous light in humans
- Characteristic patterns of dendritic remodeling in early-stage glaucoma: evidence from genetically identified retinal ganglion cell types
- Intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin retinal ganglion cell contributions to the pupillary light reflex and circadian rhythm
Sleep & Circadian Health
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- The twoâprocess model of sleep regulation: a reappraisal
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice
- Strange vision: ganglion cells as circadian photoreceptors
The Science of Light
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- Color appearance models
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice