Apoptosis in the Retina: The Silent Death of Vision

Charlotte E. Remé , Christian Grimm , Farhad Hafezi , Andreas Wenzel and Theodore P. Williams C. E. Remé, C. Grimm, F. Hafezi, and A. Wenzel are in the Department of Ophthalmology, University Eye Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland. T. P. Williams is in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida. Pathogenetic mechanisms of retinal degeneration include cell loss by apoptosis. This gene-regulated mode of single-cell death occurs in a number of widespread human diseases such as neurodegeneration. The knowledge of genes and signaling in retinal apoptosis is expanding and opens up therapeutic strategies to ameliorate blinding retinal diseases.