Hence, deregulation of MerTK-regulated phagocytosis has been linked to diseases, ranging from cancer and rheumatoid arthritis to neurodegenerative conditions and blindness (Brosius Lutz et al., 2017; Myers et al., 2019; Haukedal and Freude, 2019; D’Cruz et al., 2000). This evidence concerns the gene MERTK and blindness (disorder).