Function and pathology of the retinal pigment epithelium / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Retinal pigment epithelium ( RPE ) is a vital tissue for the maintenance of photoreceptor function and environment of outer retina, also the predominant cell type of proliferative vitreoretinopathy ( PVR ) . lt is also affected by many diseases of the retina and choroid, including diabetic retinopathy ( DR) , age-related macular degeneration ( AMD ) and retinal pigmentosa ( RP ) . Although of neural origin, the RPE is capable of local repair, and cells may migrate and take on altered characteristics. These findings indicate that RPE-based therapy is a promising option for congenital or degenerate disease of the retina.