In the rTg(tauP301L)4510 tauopathy mouse model of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), accumulation of both tau and pTau have been observed in RGCs as well as the IPL and INL (Harrison et al., 2019). These areas are associated with reduced neuronal density and optic nerve degeneration in these mice (Harrison et al., 2019). In an experimental rat model of optic nerve crush, injury-induced impaired autophagy was followed by an increase in hyperphosphorylated tau (pSer396), which co-localized with apoptotic markers in dying RGCs (Oku et al., 2019). Silencing the tau gene exerted neuroprotective effects in this model, indicating that tauopathy following retinal injury similar to that observed in the brain plays an essential role in neuronal atrophy (Oku et al., 2019).