Retinitis Pigmentosa

A small study has shown microcurrent stimulation (electrotherapy) to benefit macular degeneration patients. While the study did not have controls, the research on 25 eyes with dry age-related macular degeneration, and 6 eyes with wet age-related macular degeneration found:

• Significant increases in visual acuity for most of the dry AMD patients (Wilcoxon one-sample test)
• Twice as many dry AMD patients had improved visual acuity (52%) than deterioration (26%). The improvements were usually large, while deteriorations were very small.
• The sample size of wet AMD eyes was too small to draw many conclusions; however, all but one had an increase in visual acuity, and none of them deteriorated.

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A low-level light treatment called photobiomodulation may be a future treatment for macular degeneration. A company called LumiThera is developing devices for treating vision loss. The devices expose the eye to low-level laser light or light emitting diodes to stimulate cellular function. This is called low level light therapy (LLLT). It is distinct from surgical or aesthetic laser treatments, which destroy tissue.

Visible or near infrared light (NIR) light is produced by a laser or a non-coherent light source. This therapy is in wide use by chiropractors, physiotherapists and sports medicine professionals to treat
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A type of algae offers hope of restoring sight to patients with retinal diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Chlamydomona reinhardtii green algae uses a protein called Channelrhodopsin-2. This protein sits on the membrane of algae and opens or closes a tunnel-like structure in response to light. In essence, it detects light and transmits that information via electricity.

The research by Dr. Zhou-Hua Pan from Wayne State University could, in the future, provide vision restoration
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Clinical trials are underway for an implantable device that delivers medication directly to the eyes of people with age-related macular degeneration. Current treatment involves eye injections every four-to-eight weeks, which is difficult to comply with and can create complications. The new technology is a tiny device that is put into the eye and lasts up to 2 years, reducing or eliminating the need for the injections. The devices are being developed by Cumberland, Rhode Island-based Neurotech.
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Experiments on mice show promise for a treatment that expresses a light-sensitive human protein, called rod opsin, on the undamaged retinal cells. These cells are turned into photoreceptors, which allow vision.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of eye disorders that appear to be genetic. This eye disease is a major cause of vision loss and blindness.
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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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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an eye disease that can cause serious vision loss, and it is usually inherited. Its symptoms can begin at any age and include reduced peripheral vision (tunnel vision), night blindness, difficulty adapting to changes in light levels, and eventually, blindness. RP is a type of retinal dystrophy that results in progressive degeneration of rod photoreceptor cells. While this disease is degenerative, much can be done to reduce or delay its effects.

How Retinitis Pigmentosa Is Diagnosed

Any changes in vision should be reported to an eye doctor immediately. Initially, RP patients may notice gradual changes in peripheral vision — the vision to the sides, top and bottom of the field of vision. Any symptoms
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RetroSense Therapeutics has received Orphan Drug designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lead product, RST-001, to treat retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

RP is a rare eye disease in which light receptors in the eye gradually die off, eventually leading to blindness. RP can be due to any one of over a hundred different gene defects. Currently there is no conventional treatment or cure, but nutritional therapies have been shown to slow the progress of the retinitis pigmentosa.

However, RetroSense is employing
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Research suggests that individuals with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may benefit from a dietary iodine supplement. RP patients often experience retinal swelling as a result of Cystoid Macular Edema (CME). A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology showed swelling due to CME to be inversely related to iodine intake.

The study was conducted by researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, and Boston University School of Medicine. Using a
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