Genetic animal models for retinal degeneration

Inherited retinal degenerations are a common cause of blindness in Western countries. A mechanism for most retinal degenerations is still unknown; hence, a Suitable treatment for most of these diseases has yet to be found. Before one can rationally design a treatment, it is necessary to understand the pathway from a gene mutation to the phenotype in patients. Animal models are crucial to understand this process and to develop a treatment. Some naturally occurring animal models are known. However, over the past few years, transgenic engineering has allowed the generation of a rapidly growing number of animal models. In this review, we give an overview of the broad variety of genetic animal models for retinal degeneration. (C) 2002 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.