Testing a medication to slow vision loss from inherited eye disease

This study is testing whether a medication called disulfiram can help preserve vision in people with inherited retinal degeneration — a group of genetic eye diseases that progressively damage the retina and cause vision loss. In lab studies, blocking a certain chemical pathway in the eye has improved vision in animal models of retinal disease. Researchers believe disulfiram, which is already approved by the FDA for other uses, may work the same way in humans.

Inherited retinal diseases currently have no cure, and vision loss is progressive and irreversible. This medication targets a specific biological pathway that researchers believe contributes to further vision damage, offering a potential new treatment option for people with these conditions.