Eye Health

Disease / Phenomenon

Eye health encompasses the structures that collect, focus, and transduce light — cornea, lens, vitreous, retina, and optic nerve — along with the vascular and tear-film systems that sustain them. The retina is among the most metabolically demanding tissues in the body, and its photoreceptors are continuously exposed to light energy and high oxygen flux, making them unusually vulnerable to oxidative damage. Common conditions reflect that vulnerability: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataract, and dry eye disease. Because ocular tissue is transparent and directly observable, the eye also serves as a window onto systemic vascular and neurological health, often revealing diabetes or hypertension before other symptoms appear.

The relevant biology centers on a handful of processes. Oxidative stress and photo-oxidative injury are buffered by carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin concentrated in the macula, alongside glutathione and superoxide dismutase systems. Chronic inflammation, complement activation, and impaired clearance of photoreceptor outer segments underlie macular degeneration. Vascular processes involving VEGF drive neovascularization in diabetic and wet macular disease, while intraocular pressure, mitochondrial function, and neurotrophic support govern retinal ganglion cell survival in glaucoma. This page maps these processes to their pathways and biomarkers.