Abstract: Disclosed is a use of a novel light sensitive channel protein VR 1.0 in the preparation of a retinal photoreceptor cell degenerative disease drug, belonging to the field of biomedicine. The amino acid sequence of the present light sensitive channel protein VR 1.0 is shown in SEQ ID NO. 1, and the nucleotide sequence of the encoding gene thereof is shown in SEQ ID NO. 2. The present light sensitive channel protein VR 1.0 maintains a stable current signal under a high frequency response while having high sensitivity and fast dynamics, and also has a faster response frequency under same light stimulation conditions. The present protein has clear therapeutic effects on retinal photoreceptor cell degenerative diseases, and can be used to prepare a drug for restoring the photoreceptor function in the retina, restoring the vision or photosensitive ability of a subject, and treating retinal degenerative diseases.