Retinal Neuromodulation as an Influence on Brain Function by Applying Nanoneuroscience Discoveries

Neuroscientists have extensively studied the intricate interplay between image and non-image-forming retinal pathways, a relationship that often eludes the attention of eyecare professionals. The non-image-forming signaling pathways play a crucial role in integrating external environmental cues with internal processes, such as visceral responses to threats or movements in the surroundings. To truly address a patient’s retinal information processing and its interaction with broader brain circuitry, eyecare providers must extend their concerns far beyond eye structures and visual acuity. This chapter delves into both the non-image and image-forming pathways contributing to retinal and optic nerve signaling. In particular, the bidirectional neuroendocrine and autonomic regulatory signaling, that significantly influences human body functions through retinal neuromodulation. Changes in retinal function can impact human body processes, just as changes in the human body can affect eyesight. By implication, it may be necessary to reevaluate the scope of eye examinations and explore the use of nanotechnology in retinal devices (which currently focus solely on external visual capabilities), to encompass these internal multifaceted functions.