Abstract: In some aspects, the disclosure relates to compositions and methods useful for maintaining or improving retinal function and/or morphology. The disclosure is based, in part, on isolated nucleic acids encoding certain neurotrophic factors (e.g., leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), etc.) and gene therapy vectors (e.g., recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors) encoding the same. In some embodiments, isolated nucleic acids and gene therapy vectors described by the disclosure are useful for treatment of certain diseases or disorders of the eye, for example retinal degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa (RP), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, etc.