Macular Degeneration

Future treatments for macular degeneration (AMD), Stargardt’s disease, and retinitis pigmentosa may include bone marrow stem cell injections, if a new line of eye research pans out. A preliminary pilot study on six subjects with one of several ischemic eye diseases found that most patients had vision improvement after receiving injections of their own bone marrow.

The purpose of the study was to find out if there were any adverse side effects and to test for vision improvement. The only significant negative side effect was some pain after bone marrow
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Scientists have partially restored sight in blind mice using a protein to repair damaged cells in the retina. These experiments may ultimately lead to treatments that restore sight in patients with progressive degenerative retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.

The research at the University of Bern in Switzerland and the University of Göttingen in Germany used “optogenetics,” which involves utilizing light to control neurons. They introduced new light-sensing proteins called Opto-mGluR6 into the eye. In essence, this turned the old cells into photoreceptors. These cells were then able to process
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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been linked to supplementing more than 800 mg of calcium per day. The link was strongest in the elderly, who suffer from AMD the most. The research was a cross-sectional study of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. The RDA for calcium (CA) for adults is 1,000 mg; 1200 mg for women over 50. However, changes to the recommended total daily intake of CA have not been suggested.

This research was conducted at the University of California, SF, and appeared in JAMA Ophthalmology April 2015. It was based on surveys of calcium supplementation and AMD. In the past, the researchers had a similar finding with
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A cutting-edge project has produced a vast “road map” for proteins in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid of the eye. The project, conducted by recent grantees of a BrightFocus grant, mapped the locations and quantities of 4,403 different eye proteins. This research could be invaluable to further understanding of conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 
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Patients with early signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may benefit from an oral treatment of key nutrients. In a study published in the journal Ophthalmology, a solution of carotenoids with co-antioxidants was shown to both improve vision and slow further degeneration in participants with early AMD.
In the randomized double-masked trial, 433 adults with early AMD who were 55 years of age or older were given either an active solution or a placebo. At the start of the trial, all participants had either early AMD in one eye and late-stage AMD in the other, or early AMD in both eyes. The active oral solution contained
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A one-time treatment for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is gaining popularity in Europe. Oraya Therapy, made by US-based company Oraya Therapeutics, Inc., is being offered at more locations in Europe, including a National Health Service hospital in the UK and several hospitals in Germany.

Oraya Therapy has already been a regular treatment option in hospitals throughout Germany, the UK, and Switzerland, increasingly embraced by patients, doctors, and insurance providers. The one-time treatment is a non-invasive therapy for wet AMD patients meant to maintain or improve vision and decrease frequency of anti-vascular endothelial growth
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Watermelon is a great summer fruit, but it also has some powerful health benefits that you may not know about. The key nutrient in this tasty melon is lycopene, a carotenoid found in red fruits and vegetables, which is essential for eye health. Research has shown that a deficiency in lycopene is associated with macular degeneration. As such, it is important to maintain a diet rich in lycopene and other nutrients essential to preventing disease.

You’ve probably seen lycopene touted on bottles of tomato ketchup. It’s true that tomatoes are one source of lycopene, but ketchup
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In the case of choroidal neovascularization (CNV, also known as “wet” macular degeneration), new blood vessels are the cause of the problem. Yet normally when new blood vessels are created in the body, it is a good sign. For example, it is part of the way the body heals wounds. But with CNV, the blood vessels pose a problem because they originate in the choroid layer of the eye and pass through a weak part of the Bruch’s membrane, the innermost layer of choroid, then pass into the subretinal pigment epithelium (sub-RPE) or subretinal space. These blood vessels aren’t supposed to exist in this part of the eye, are weak and tend to leak, potentially substantially impairing vision.

Oxygen and nutrients are provided to the eye by the choroid. The choroid
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Excessive time spent in front of a computer, smartphone, or tablet screen can increase risk of macular degeneration, especially in young people.

The AOA’s survey focused on how much time parents thought their children spent on handheld devices. Their responses easily underestimated those of the children, aged 10 to 17, who reported (83%) that they use a handheld device for at least three hours a day, with 32 percent looking at a screen for more than an hour without glancing
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