Jesse D. Sengillo

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a major cause of visual impairment worldwide, marked by extensive genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Recent estimates from the U.S. suggest a prevalence of nearly 1 in 1000 individuals, reflecting both disease burden and improved diagnostic recognition. This review traces the shift from linkage analysis and Sanger sequencing to high-throughput next-generation sequencing, including panel-based, whole-exome, and whole-genome sequencing. Phenotype-driven testing strategies and standardized variant interpretation frameworks, such as the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, have substantially increased diagnostic yield. Copy number and structural variant detection, transcriptomics, and functional assays further help address unresolved cases. Nonetheless, barriers remain regarding cost, access, and the interpretation of variants of uncertain significance. Molecular confirmation has become essential for access to novel gene-directed therapies, exemplified by voretigene neparvovec for biallelic RPE65 variants, and is often a prerequisite for clinical trial participation. The growing role of genetic testing highlights the need for multidisciplinary evaluation and standardized outcome measures. Emerging tools, including artificial intelligence-assisted variant prioritization, image-to-genotype modeling, and multi-omics analyses, bridge molecular diagnoses with clinical phenotypes, accelerating the transition to targeted therapies. Continued progress will depend on increased access, standardized analytical regulations, and the integration of emerging technologies into routine clinical care.

Purpose of review: Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous disorders that cause progressive vision loss and lack broadly effective disease-modifying therapies. Increasing evidence implicates metabolic stress, oxidative injury, and photoreceptor–retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dysfunction in IRD pathophysiology. This review evaluates the evidence and limitations surrounding nutritional and metabolic interventions for retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease. A narrative review of preclinical studies, randomized controlled trials, and contemporary genetic re-analyses was performed. Nutritional interventions reviewed include vitamin A, vitamin E, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), omega-3 fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid), carotenoids and apocarotenoids, and the deuterated vitamin A analog C20-D3-retinyl acetate (ALK-001). Recent findings: Initial studies suggesting a protective effect of vitamin A in retinitis pigmentosa were not confirmed in subsequent trials or genetic re-analyses, which identified baseline differences between groups as a possible contributor to the original findings. In contrast, supplemental vitamin E may accelerate disease progression. NAC demonstrated acceptable tolerability and modest short-term improvements in visual function in early-phase trials, with a phase 3 study ongoing. Omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, and apocarotenoids have not shown consistent clinically meaningful benefit in retinitis pigmentosa or Stargardt disease despite strong mechanistic rationale. In Stargardt disease, ALK-001 reduces lipofuscin accumulation in animal models and clinical trials are ongoing to assess efficacy in patients. Summary: Most nutritional supplements studied to date have not demonstrated durable or clinically meaningful benefit in IRDs. Vitamin A supplementation in retinitis pigmentosa is no longer supported by current evidence, while NAC remains a promising metabolic therapy under investigation. High-quality, genotype-informed clinical trials with clinically relevant endpoints are needed before nutritional interventions can be incorporated into IRD management guidelines.

Gene therapy offers a promising new frontier in the treatment of inherited and acquired retinal disease. This review describes the current surgical delivery approaches for gene therapy to the retina—subretinal, suprachoroidal, and intravitreal—and provides an update on the state of the art for each method in 2025.

The prevalence of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the US is expected to increase to 82 million by 2050. Addressing the specialized needs for this population will become increasingly challenging as prevalence rises. Frequent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections have been the recourse for this population; however, the burden wet AMD places on patients underscores the critical need for durable therapeutic approaches. Gene therapy is a bioengineered treatment that has transformed the management of previously untreatable disorders. Ongoing advancements and refinements in its biomechanism could lead to more sustainable treatment options for wet AMD. In this article, we provide recent updates on gene therapy trials for wet AMD.

Gene therapy offers a promising new frontier in the treatment of inherited and acquired retinal disease. This review describes the current surgical delivery approaches for gene therapy to the retina — subretinal, suprachoroidal, intravitreal — as well as an update on the state-of-the-art for each method in 2025.

Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a non-invasive retinal imaging technique that helps visualize naturally occurring fluorophores, such as lipofuscin, and provides valuable insight into retinal diseases—particularly inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). FAF is especially useful in detecting subclinical or early-stage IRDs and in monitoring disease progression over time. In Stargardt disease, areas of decreased autofluorescence correlate with disease progression and have been proposed as a biomarker for future clinical trials. FAF can also help differentiate Stargardt disease from other macular dystrophies. In retinitis pigmentosa, hyperautofluorescent rings are a common feature on FAF and serve as an important marker for disease monitoring, especially as changes align with those seen on other imaging modalities. FAF is valuable in tracking progression of choroideremia and may help identify disease carrier status. FAF has also improved the characterization of mitochondrial retinopathies such as maternally inherited diabetes and deafness. As a rapid and widely accessible imaging modality, FAF plays a critical role in both diagnosis and longitudinal care of patients with IRDs.

Purpose: To evaluate features of infectious panuveitis associated with multiple pathogens detected by ocular fluid sampling. Methods: Single-center, retrospective, consecutive case series of patients with aqueous/vitreous polymerase chain reaction testing with >1 positive result in a single sample from 2001 to 2021. Results: Of 1,588 polymerase chain reaction samples, 28 (1.76%) were positive for two pathogens. Most common pathogens were cytomegalovirus (n = 16, 57.1%) and Epstein–Barr virus (n = 13, 46.4%), followed by varicella zoster virus (n = 8, 28.6%), Toxoplasma gondii (n = 6, 21.4%), herpes simplex virus 2 (n = 6, 21.4%), herpes simplex virus 1 (n = 6, 21.4%), and Toxocara (n = 1, 3.6%). Mean initial and final visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 1.3 ± 0.9 (Snellen ∼20/400) and 1.3 ± 1.1 (Snellen ∼20/400), respectively. Cytomegalovirus-positive eyes (n = 16, 61.5%) had a mean final visual acuity of 0.94 ± 1.1 (Snellen ∼20/175), whereas cytomegalovirus-negative eyes (n = 10, 38%) had a final visual acuity of 1.82 ± 1.0 (Snellen ∼20/1,320) (P < 0.05). Main clinical features included intraocular inflammation (100%), retinal whitening (84.6%), immunosuppression (65.4%), retinal hemorrhage (38.5%), and retinal detachment (34.6%). Conclusion: Cytomegalovirus or Epstein–Barr virus were common unique pathogens identified in multi-PCR–positive samples. Most patients with co-infection were immunosuppressed with a high rate of retinal detachment and poor final visual acuity. Cytomegalovirus-positive eyes had better visual outcomes compared with cytomegalovirus-negative eyes.