Published online Sep 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i9.968
Revised: June 17, 2014
Accepted: July 14, 2014
Published online: September 26, 2014
Systemic vascular disease, especially hypertension, has been suspected as a risk factor for some eye diseases including, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Hypertension can contribute to chronic diseases by hemodynamic injury and/or cellular actions induced by hypertension-related hormones or growth factors. Among the most important is Angiotensin II (Ang II), which controls blood pressure and induces different cellular functions that may be dependent or independent of its effect on blood pressure. Importantly, as is true for heart, kidney and other organs, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is present in the eye. So, even in the absence of hypertension, local production of Ang II could be involved in eye diseases. The goal of this manuscript is to review the most relevant scientific evidence supporting the role of the RAS activation, in the development of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, and highlight the importance of Ang II in the etiology of these diseases.
Core tip: Association between eye diseases and systemic hypertension has been revealed. The developments of some ocular diseases, as well as, alterations in the severity of these diseases have been associated with disregulation of the ocular renin-angiotensin system and activation of the angiotensin type 1 receptor. In this paper we reviewed the importance of angiotensin II in the etiology of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, two ocular diseases that can rob people of their vision.