Alkoxy compounds for disease treatment

A method of modulating chromophore flux in a retinoid cycle comprising introducing into a subject a non-retinoid aromatic compound that inhibits 11-cis-retinol production with an IC50 of about 0.1 micromolar or less when assayed in vitro, the assay consisting of a homogenate of HEK293 cell clone expressing recombinant human RPE65 and LRAT as the source of visual enzyme, exogenous all-trans-retinol in the amount of about 20 μM, recombinant human CRALBP in the amount of about 80 μg/mL, about 10 mM pH 7.2 phosphate buffer, about 0.5% BSA and about 1 mM NaPPi, and wherein the amount of assay reaction product 11-cis-retinol being determined by HPLC analysis following heptane extraction of the assay reaction mixture and wherein the non-retinoid aromatic compound consists of a benzene core that is substituted with a first substituent, a second substituent, and an optional third substituent, wherein the first and second substituents are attached to the benzene core in a meta-substitution configuration, wherein the first substituent is a group selected from —CH(OH)CH(R)CH2NH2 wherein R is H, CH3, or —OH and the second substituent is an optionally substituted alkoxy group, and wherein the optional third substituent is a halogen or —OH.