Washington DC, March 23 -- Researchers have developed eye drops that extend vision in animal models of a group of inherited diseases that lead to progressive vision loss in humans, known as retinitis pigmentosa.

The eye drops contain a small fragment derived from a protein made by the body and found in the eye, known as pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF).

PEDF helps preserve cells in the eye's retina. A report on the study is published in Communications Medicine.

"While not a cure, this study shows that PEDF-based eye drops can slow progression of a variety of degenerative retinal diseases in animals, including various types of retinitis pigmentosa and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD)," said Patricia Becerra, Ph.D., chi...