Glaucoma treatment today focuses largely on lowering eye pressure to help slow damage to the optic nerve. But researchers are increasingly asking a bigger question: Can we protect nerve cells directly—and perhaps even improve vision in some people with glaucoma?

During a recent webinar hosted by The Glaucoma Foundation, Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD, of Stanford University discussed research aimed at doing exactly that. He reviewed several experimental approaches now being studied in laboratories and clinical trials, including treatments designed to protect retinal nerve cells, improve how those cells function, and eventually restore damaged connections between the eye and brain.*

Moving Beyond Eye Pressure

Lowering eye pressure remains a key part of glaucoma treatment, and current medications, laser treatments, and surgeries can be very effective. But Dr. Goldberg explained that researchers are also looking for treatments that address what happens to the nerve cells themselves.

Glaucoma damages retinal ganglion cells, which are nerve cells in the retina that send visual information from the eye to the brain through the optic nerve.

Researchers are now studying three related ideas:

• Neuroprotection means protecting nerve cells from further damage or death.
• Neuroenhancement means helping nerve cells that are damaged but still alive work better.
• Neuroregeneration means trying to regrow or restore nerve connections that have already been lost.

According to Dr. Goldberg, there may be a period when retinal nerve cells are not working normally but have not yet died. That window could create an opportunity to protect them—or possibly help them function better—before the damage becomes permanent.

Several Experimental Treatments Are Showing Early Promise

Dr. Goldberg highlighted a number of treatments being studied in glaucoma clinical trials. These approaches are still experimental and are not replacements for your current glaucoma treatment.

One area of research involves neurotrophic factors, proteins that help support the health and survival of nerve cells.

Researchers have studied an implant that slowly releases a protein called ciliary neurotrophic factor, or CNTF, inside the eye. In an early clinical trial, patients who received the implant showed increases in retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, a structure doctors commonly measure with an OCT scan.

Researchers also saw signs that the implant may have helped protect parts of the visual field from worsening, particularly among patients who received two implants. Some participants also reported that their peripheral vision seemed more stable. Dr. Goldberg said researchers hope to move this approach into a larger Phase 3-style clinical trial.

Another experimental approach uses electrical stimulation. In a multicenter randomized trial involving Stanford, NYU, Wills Eye Hospital, and a European research group, Dr. Goldberg said patients who received the active electrical stimulation showed protection against vision loss compared with the control group.

Researchers are also preparing to study whether hyperbaric oxygen therapy could give the optic nerve additional support.

Vitamin B3 and Insulin Eye Drops Are Also Being Studied

Two treatments discussed during the webinar may sound more familiar: vitamin B3 and insulin. But both are being studied in very specific ways, and neither should be started for glaucoma without medical guidance.

Dr. Goldberg said researchers at Stanford and Columbia University are conducting a large clinical trial of high-dose vitamin B3, also known as niacin or nicotinamide depending on the form being studied. He also emphasized that high doses should be taken only with medical supervision.

If you are interested in vitamin B3 for glaucoma, talk with your eye doctor before taking high-dose supplements. High doses can have side effects and may not be appropriate for everyone.

Learn more about Vitamin B3 in our article: Can Vitamine B3 and Pyruvate Help Prevent Glaucoma? What Research Shows.

Better Testing Could Help Researchers Find Treatments Faster

One challenge in glaucoma research is that the disease can progress slowly. It may take years of visual-field testing before doctors can confidently tell that a person’s glaucoma is getting worse.

Researchers are therefore developing more sensitive ways to measure glaucoma.

Dr. Goldberg described work involving at-home visual-field testing, which may allow patients to perform tests more frequently using a computer. His team is also studying methods that measure the brain’s electrical responses to visual signals.

These tools could eventually help doctors identify progression sooner and could make clinical trials faster and more precise by showing whether an experimental treatment is working before years have passed.

What About Restoring Vision?

Perhaps the biggest long-term goal is restoring vision that has already been lost.

Dr. Goldberg discussed laboratory research into optic nerve regeneration and even whole-eye transplantation. Researchers have already been able to regrow optic nerve fibers over long distances in laboratory models, including toward areas of the brain involved in vision.

However, this work is still much earlier than the neuroprotection studies currently being tested in people.

For patients with glaucoma today, the more immediate opportunity may be treatments that keep existing nerve cells alive and functioning for longer, rather than completely replacing lost vision.

Learn more: Latest Glaucoma Research and Ongoing Clinical Studies: What Patients Should Know   

What This Means for You

The research discussed during The Glaucoma Foundation’s webinar is encouraging, but most of these treatments remain experimental. They still need larger, carefully controlled clinical trials before researchers can know whether they are safe, effective, and appropriate for routine glaucoma care.

For now, continue using your prescribed glaucoma treatments and keep your regular appointments with your eye doctor. If you are interested in participating in research, you can ask your glaucoma specialist whether a clinical trial may be appropriate for you.

The bigger message from the webinar is an encouraging one: glaucoma research is expanding beyond lowering eye pressure. Scientists are now actively studying ways to protect the optic nerve, improve the function of damaged nerve cells, and eventually restore vision—goals that once seemed far more distant.

*The Glaucoma Foundation. (August 5, 2026). “Advances in Glaucoma Clinical Trial Research” youtube.com

This content from The Glaucoma Community is intended for educational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult with your personal healthcare team prior to adjusting your clinical care. The Glaucoma Community does not recommend or endorse any particular medications, specialists, or commercial products.