PERK-activated autophagy increases over time.292 However, severe and persistent ER stress causes prolonged autophagy and autophagy flux through the PERK pathway and even results in RPE self-death.268 Thus, light injury ER stress is activated and causes dry AMD-like retinal lesions, including drusen, RPE alteration, and photoreceptor degeneration.283 EIF2AK3 downregulation has been discovered in patients with AMD, which lowers the PERK level. Here, EIF2AK3 is linked to dry age related macular degeneration.