A popular treatment for Macular Degeneration is the use of vitamins, also known as Vitamin Therapy. Below are the popular vitamins that can be used to help treat Macular Degeneration. These vitamins can also be used to help prevent Macular Degeneration.
Step 1
Take a high potency Multivitamin. High potency Multivitamins provide the basic vitamins needed for eye health and can help to prevent future damage with Macular Degeneration.
Step 2
Take 45 mg of Zinc twice per day. Take each dosage along with 2 mg of Copper. Zinc is a necessary vitamin in proper vision and is also a strong antioxidant. Zinc has been proven to be effective in helping to patients with Macular Degeneration.
Step 3
Take 400 IU of a Vitamin E-Complex daily. Vitamin E-Complex works as an antioxidant and has been proven to help improve the vision in patients with Macular Degeneration that is age related. Always take your Vitamin E-Complex with a meal.
For more information go to WWW.MACULARDEGENERATIONASSOCIATION.ORG
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Gene therapy to restore and improve vision
Reduced vision, or even my blindness for an individual there are a number of reasons. The treatment is on what is the case depends, and the effectiveness of treatment. Conventional, non-invasive treatment has always wear glasses or contact lenses to correct vision problems. Developed over time, improving the eye-glass lenses and contacts that reduce glare, the wavelengths of the light side to improve depth perception, and to address many environmental problems.
More recently,There have been new developments in medical care for the blind have been. For example, Avastin, a drug that was originally intended, Colo-rectal cancer treatment has been found to improve vision in patients with macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular disease in context. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce inflammation of the retina, and the formation of cysts. The new drugs have been developed to treat infections of cold cuts.
A majorChallenge has been on treatment options for genetic diseases and defects. These diseases result from the patient, and therefore limited treatment options. The future seems to be gene therapy. Recent clinical trials at the Scheie Eye Institute in Philadelphia made using gene therapy have dramatically improved sight-reading by the gesture declaration of letters on a table eye. These tests were sent to people who suffer from a congenital disease has been carriedLeber congenital amaurosis known. The study was later published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This implies a particular eye disease by a mutation in the gene RPE-65. This mutation prevents the gene is required for the production of a protein in the manufacture of the RPE. This protein is required for binding to the tissue of the retina and the light in sight.
The treatment included injection of normal RPE-65 gene directly into the retina. Two weeksthe contribution of all patients showed a better view. In addition, all participants were more sensitive to light. As a result the increase in visual acuity, there was a simultaneous decrease in abnormal eye movements, see further increases the ability of the eye.
While these studies have been performed on patients with a congenital disorder, there is no hope, other people with genetic diseases that help is on the move. With a little luck ', a disease of the retinathe past, because improving the methods of treatment.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
More recently,There have been new developments in medical care for the blind have been. For example, Avastin, a drug that was originally intended, Colo-rectal cancer treatment has been found to improve vision in patients with macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular disease in context. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may reduce inflammation of the retina, and the formation of cysts. The new drugs have been developed to treat infections of cold cuts.
A majorChallenge has been on treatment options for genetic diseases and defects. These diseases result from the patient, and therefore limited treatment options. The future seems to be gene therapy. Recent clinical trials at the Scheie Eye Institute in Philadelphia made using gene therapy have dramatically improved sight-reading by the gesture declaration of letters on a table eye. These tests were sent to people who suffer from a congenital disease has been carriedLeber congenital amaurosis known. The study was later published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This implies a particular eye disease by a mutation in the gene RPE-65. This mutation prevents the gene is required for the production of a protein in the manufacture of the RPE. This protein is required for binding to the tissue of the retina and the light in sight.
The treatment included injection of normal RPE-65 gene directly into the retina. Two weeksthe contribution of all patients showed a better view. In addition, all participants were more sensitive to light. As a result the increase in visual acuity, there was a simultaneous decrease in abnormal eye movements, see further increases the ability of the eye.
While these studies have been performed on patients with a congenital disorder, there is no hope, other people with genetic diseases that help is on the move. With a little luck ', a disease of the retinathe past, because improving the methods of treatment.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Monday, December 14, 2009
What Is Goji Berries
Long a staple of Asian and holistic medicine, the most renowned properties of the Goji Berries is its antioxidant properties and it provide several benefits including increased energy and heightened immune function.
The weight loss properties of this natural ingredient have recently seen the fruit becoming popular stateside as well, especially among celebrities in Hollywood with the Goji Berry being featured on many television programs and in magazines.
Goji Berry Active have improved the many benefits of the Goji Berry by adding other natural ingredients to the Goji Berry Active Supplement designed to provide many other health benefits and increase its weight loss capabilities as well.
A complete all-natural supplement is the result and it is designed in pill form that can be easily taken with no powders or cumbersome ingredients to mix or measure. Just take as directed to help with immune function, weight loss and increasing energy levels.
What are they?
Other Names: Lycium barbarum, wolfberry, gou qi zi, Fructus lycii
Goji berries grow on an evergreen shrub found in subtropical and temperate regions in the Himalayas in Tibet, China and Mongolia. They are in the nightshade (Solonaceae) family.
Usually Goji berries are placed out to be dried They are shriveled red berries that look like red raisins.
Gojo berries are used by people for what purpose?
For 6,000 years, herbalists in China, India and Tibet have been using Goji berries to:
• protect the liver
• help eyesight
• improve sexual function and fertility
• strengthen the legs
• boost immune function
• improve circulation
• promote longevity
Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of the key roles of zeaxanthin is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). For people over the age of 65, AMD is the number 1 cause of blindness and vision loss.
Goji juice has become popular as a health drink in recent years. Companies marketing goji juice often mention the unsupported claim that a man named Li Qing Yuen lived to be 252 years old after drinking goji berries everyday . Marketers also list extensive health benefits of goji juice, even though there are few published clinical trials in humans.
What research are being done on goji berries?
Goji has only been tested on humans in two published studies. A Chinese study published in 1994 in the Chinese Journal of Oncology found that 79 people with cancer responded better to treatment when goji was added to their regimen.
There have been several clinical studies that show that goji berry contains antioxidants and that goji extracts may lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood glucose and prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, even when taken as a juice or tea, it doesn’t necessary mean that goji will have the same benefits.
Although like the ones used in traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are rather cheap, goji juice is not cheap. Considering that be as high as 50 US dollars~for a price running as high as 50 US dollars for a 32-ounce bottle of goji juice (about an 18-day supply)}, the evidence isn’t compelling enough at this time to justify the cost of goji juice.
Also, we don’t know the regular consumption of goji will cause any side effects, or whether treatments or medications will be interfered with.
What do goji berries taste like?
A mild tangy taste that is slightly sweet and sour, that is how we describe the taste of goji berries. They have a similar chewy texture and shape as raisins.
Common forms
In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries can be made into liquid extracts, brewed into a tea, added to Chinese soup or eaten raw
Goji juice is also available, usually in 32-ounce bottles.
Goji berries have appeared in snack foods in North America. For example, Trader Joe’s, the health food store sells a goji berry trail mix.
Possible drug interactions
Anticoagulant drugs (commonly called “blood-thinners”), such as warfarin (Coumadin®) may interact with goji berries. There was one case report published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy of a 61-year old woman who had an increased risk of bleeding, indicated by an elevated international normalized ratio (INR). She had been consuming 3-4 cups daily of goji berry tea. Her blood work returned to normal after she stopped drinking the goji berry tea.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
The weight loss properties of this natural ingredient have recently seen the fruit becoming popular stateside as well, especially among celebrities in Hollywood with the Goji Berry being featured on many television programs and in magazines.
Goji Berry Active have improved the many benefits of the Goji Berry by adding other natural ingredients to the Goji Berry Active Supplement designed to provide many other health benefits and increase its weight loss capabilities as well.
A complete all-natural supplement is the result and it is designed in pill form that can be easily taken with no powders or cumbersome ingredients to mix or measure. Just take as directed to help with immune function, weight loss and increasing energy levels.
What are they?
Other Names: Lycium barbarum, wolfberry, gou qi zi, Fructus lycii
Goji berries grow on an evergreen shrub found in subtropical and temperate regions in the Himalayas in Tibet, China and Mongolia. They are in the nightshade (Solonaceae) family.
Usually Goji berries are placed out to be dried They are shriveled red berries that look like red raisins.
Gojo berries are used by people for what purpose?
For 6,000 years, herbalists in China, India and Tibet have been using Goji berries to:
• protect the liver
• help eyesight
• improve sexual function and fertility
• strengthen the legs
• boost immune function
• improve circulation
• promote longevity
Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of the key roles of zeaxanthin is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). For people over the age of 65, AMD is the number 1 cause of blindness and vision loss.
Goji juice has become popular as a health drink in recent years. Companies marketing goji juice often mention the unsupported claim that a man named Li Qing Yuen lived to be 252 years old after drinking goji berries everyday . Marketers also list extensive health benefits of goji juice, even though there are few published clinical trials in humans.
What research are being done on goji berries?
Goji has only been tested on humans in two published studies. A Chinese study published in 1994 in the Chinese Journal of Oncology found that 79 people with cancer responded better to treatment when goji was added to their regimen.
There have been several clinical studies that show that goji berry contains antioxidants and that goji extracts may lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood glucose and prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, even when taken as a juice or tea, it doesn’t necessary mean that goji will have the same benefits.
Although like the ones used in traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are rather cheap, goji juice is not cheap. Considering that be as high as 50 US dollars~for a price running as high as 50 US dollars for a 32-ounce bottle of goji juice (about an 18-day supply)}, the evidence isn’t compelling enough at this time to justify the cost of goji juice.
Also, we don’t know the regular consumption of goji will cause any side effects, or whether treatments or medications will be interfered with.
What do goji berries taste like?
A mild tangy taste that is slightly sweet and sour, that is how we describe the taste of goji berries. They have a similar chewy texture and shape as raisins.
Common forms
In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries can be made into liquid extracts, brewed into a tea, added to Chinese soup or eaten raw
Goji juice is also available, usually in 32-ounce bottles.
Goji berries have appeared in snack foods in North America. For example, Trader Joe’s, the health food store sells a goji berry trail mix.
Possible drug interactions
Anticoagulant drugs (commonly called “blood-thinners”), such as warfarin (Coumadin®) may interact with goji berries. There was one case report published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy of a 61-year old woman who had an increased risk of bleeding, indicated by an elevated international normalized ratio (INR). She had been consuming 3-4 cups daily of goji berry tea. Her blood work returned to normal after she stopped drinking the goji berry tea.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Can Heart Disease Treatments Combat Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
Can treatments that reduce risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD) also help combat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that affects millions of Americans? CVD and AMD share some risk factors–such as smoking, high blood pressure, and inflammation–and a recent study found that people who have early-stage AMD are more likely to develop heart disease. This month's Ophthalmology
, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reports on how two heart disease treatments, low-dose aspirin and statin medications, may impact AMD risk and disease progression.
Low-dose Aspirin May Offer Mild Protection from AMD
Records for 39,421women enrolled in the 10-year Women's Health Study (WHS) were used to evaluate the impact of low-dose aspirin on AMD risk. None of the women had AMD at the study outset; they were randomly assigned to take low-dose aspirin (100 mg on alternate days) or a placebo. It is known that low-dose aspirin substantially reduces the risk of serious blood vessel blockage, so researchers reasoned it might affect blood vessels that may play a role in AMD. Aspirin's anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects were also considered potentially relevant. The research was supported by the National Eye Institute.
"Although our study found no large benefit from low-dose aspirin, the possible modest protective effect we did find warrants further study," said lead researcher William G. Christen, ScD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. "If future studies confirm our findings, it could be important to make the public aware of this benefit," he added.
The risk of developing vision-impacting AMD was reduced by18 percent in women who took low-dose aspirin. During the 10 year study, 245 AMD cases developed, 111 in the aspirin group and 134 in the placebo group. "Vision impact" was defined as a reduction in visual acuity to 20/30 or worse due to AMD. Though not statistically significant, the WHS risk reduction is similar to the result of the only other large randomized trial on this question: the Physicians' Health Study I, which followed 22,071 men who took low-dose aspirin or a placebo for five years.
The primary aim of the WHS was to learn whether Vitamin E and low-dose aspirin would help prevent heart disease and cancer. The AMD study also found that women who were not taking multivitamins appeared to benefit more from low-dose aspirin than vitamin users.
Statins Do Not Stop Advanced AMD
In the largest study of statin use by advanced AMD patients to date, researchers followed 744 patients enrolled in the Complications of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Prevention Trial (CAPT) for five or six years. Statin drugs are primarily used to lower cholesterol in CVD patients, but they also affect mechanisms thought to impact AMD, including reduction of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Earlier studies on statins' effects had been inconclusive. All patients from the CAPT cohort study were at risk for advanced AMD, but none had developed advanced "wet" or "dry" AMD at baseline. The study was supported by the National Eye Institute.
"The CAPT data did not support a large effect for statins in decreasing advanced AMD risk in patients who already had large drusen in both eyes," said lead researcher Maureen G. Maguire, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania. Drusen are whitish deposits, common in the eyes of people older than 60, which may signal AMD. Statin users were at slightly higher risk than non-users for developing advanced AMD, she said.
Dr. Maguire said several factors may be masking a protective effect for statins, the most important being that most patients who take statins for CVD are also at high risk for AMD. Only a randomized controlled trial could reveal statins' impact on AMD in the wider population, but since so many elderly people take statins it could be difficult to recruit a control group. It is also possible that statins may need to be taken for longer than the CAPT study's timeframe to show a protective effect, she added.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reports on how two heart disease treatments, low-dose aspirin and statin medications, may impact AMD risk and disease progression.
Low-dose Aspirin May Offer Mild Protection from AMD
Records for 39,421women enrolled in the 10-year Women's Health Study (WHS) were used to evaluate the impact of low-dose aspirin on AMD risk. None of the women had AMD at the study outset; they were randomly assigned to take low-dose aspirin (100 mg on alternate days) or a placebo. It is known that low-dose aspirin substantially reduces the risk of serious blood vessel blockage, so researchers reasoned it might affect blood vessels that may play a role in AMD. Aspirin's anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects were also considered potentially relevant. The research was supported by the National Eye Institute.
"Although our study found no large benefit from low-dose aspirin, the possible modest protective effect we did find warrants further study," said lead researcher William G. Christen, ScD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. "If future studies confirm our findings, it could be important to make the public aware of this benefit," he added.
The risk of developing vision-impacting AMD was reduced by18 percent in women who took low-dose aspirin. During the 10 year study, 245 AMD cases developed, 111 in the aspirin group and 134 in the placebo group. "Vision impact" was defined as a reduction in visual acuity to 20/30 or worse due to AMD. Though not statistically significant, the WHS risk reduction is similar to the result of the only other large randomized trial on this question: the Physicians' Health Study I, which followed 22,071 men who took low-dose aspirin or a placebo for five years.
The primary aim of the WHS was to learn whether Vitamin E and low-dose aspirin would help prevent heart disease and cancer. The AMD study also found that women who were not taking multivitamins appeared to benefit more from low-dose aspirin than vitamin users.
Statins Do Not Stop Advanced AMD
In the largest study of statin use by advanced AMD patients to date, researchers followed 744 patients enrolled in the Complications of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Prevention Trial (CAPT) for five or six years. Statin drugs are primarily used to lower cholesterol in CVD patients, but they also affect mechanisms thought to impact AMD, including reduction of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Earlier studies on statins' effects had been inconclusive. All patients from the CAPT cohort study were at risk for advanced AMD, but none had developed advanced "wet" or "dry" AMD at baseline. The study was supported by the National Eye Institute.
"The CAPT data did not support a large effect for statins in decreasing advanced AMD risk in patients who already had large drusen in both eyes," said lead researcher Maureen G. Maguire, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania. Drusen are whitish deposits, common in the eyes of people older than 60, which may signal AMD. Statin users were at slightly higher risk than non-users for developing advanced AMD, she said.
Dr. Maguire said several factors may be masking a protective effect for statins, the most important being that most patients who take statins for CVD are also at high risk for AMD. Only a randomized controlled trial could reveal statins' impact on AMD in the wider population, but since so many elderly people take statins it could be difficult to recruit a control group. It is also possible that statins may need to be taken for longer than the CAPT study's timeframe to show a protective effect, she added.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Friday, November 27, 2009
Avastin – Wet Macular Degeneration
Learn more about ways to help stop your macular degeneration by clicking on this sentence.
Avastin is the brand name for Bevaciumab a monoclonal antibody or an antibody that is an identical clone of a single parent cell. It was approved in 2004 by the FDA for use in the treatment of some cancers and is used as a first or second line treatment for patients.
As the first clinically available angiogenesis inhibitor the United States it inhibits new cancer cells by blocking the growth of blood vessels in pre-existing tumors. A solid, non-liquid, tumor needs to grow additional blood vessels to be able to reach a certain size.
With an angiostatic agent such as Avastin the growth of new blood vessels is slowed stopping the cancer from growing indefinitely. It is usually given every 14 days intravenously in the arm and can be used with other drugs in combination and with intravenous 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy.
Developed by Genentech (NYSE: DNA), a leading biotechnology corporation, it is marketed in the United States under the Genentech name and outside the US under Roche.
When it was originally available in 2004 it was only FDA approved for the treatment of many forms of small cell lung cancer and metastatic colon cancer. A metastatic cancer, in this case colon cancer, is a cancer that spreads from one part or organ to another non-adjacent part or organ.
In 2008 the FDA opened up the doors and allowed for the treatment of breast cancer. There are also clinical trials under way to use Avastin for the treatment of non-metastatic colon cancer, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, metastatic breast cancer, metastatic glioblastoma multiform, metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer, metastatic or unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and metastatic ovarian cancer.
Avastin is also currently being used off-label, the practice of prescribing drugs for a purpose outside the scope of the drug’s approved label, for the treatment of wet macular degeneration by some retinal specialists.
Wet macular degeneration or AMD is a condition that causes loss of vision from the growth of abnormal blood vessel choriocapillaries, through Bruch’s membrane. This eventually leads to blood and protein leaking below the macula, an oval spot near the middle of the retina in the human eye. With AMD rapid, often irreversible vision loss can occur through the leaking, bleeding and scaring of the blood vessels if left untreated.
Dr. Philip J Rosenfeld, MD, PhD of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute conducted a study that showed positive results for the treatment of AMD with Avastin. According to Dr. Rosenfeld’s study Avastin improved vision in as little as one week for patients treated for AMD.
For AMD treatment Avastin is used in very low amounts by retinal specialists. They usually have a pharmacists transfer the drug from the original vile to a pre-filled needles containing single doses. The specialists will then usually treat the patient in their own office.
As with any drug it is always best to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any treatment.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Avastin is the brand name for Bevaciumab a monoclonal antibody or an antibody that is an identical clone of a single parent cell. It was approved in 2004 by the FDA for use in the treatment of some cancers and is used as a first or second line treatment for patients.
As the first clinically available angiogenesis inhibitor the United States it inhibits new cancer cells by blocking the growth of blood vessels in pre-existing tumors. A solid, non-liquid, tumor needs to grow additional blood vessels to be able to reach a certain size.
With an angiostatic agent such as Avastin the growth of new blood vessels is slowed stopping the cancer from growing indefinitely. It is usually given every 14 days intravenously in the arm and can be used with other drugs in combination and with intravenous 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy.
Developed by Genentech (NYSE: DNA), a leading biotechnology corporation, it is marketed in the United States under the Genentech name and outside the US under Roche.
When it was originally available in 2004 it was only FDA approved for the treatment of many forms of small cell lung cancer and metastatic colon cancer. A metastatic cancer, in this case colon cancer, is a cancer that spreads from one part or organ to another non-adjacent part or organ.
In 2008 the FDA opened up the doors and allowed for the treatment of breast cancer. There are also clinical trials under way to use Avastin for the treatment of non-metastatic colon cancer, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, metastatic breast cancer, metastatic glioblastoma multiform, metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer, metastatic or unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer, and metastatic ovarian cancer.
Avastin is also currently being used off-label, the practice of prescribing drugs for a purpose outside the scope of the drug’s approved label, for the treatment of wet macular degeneration by some retinal specialists.
Wet macular degeneration or AMD is a condition that causes loss of vision from the growth of abnormal blood vessel choriocapillaries, through Bruch’s membrane. This eventually leads to blood and protein leaking below the macula, an oval spot near the middle of the retina in the human eye. With AMD rapid, often irreversible vision loss can occur through the leaking, bleeding and scaring of the blood vessels if left untreated.
Dr. Philip J Rosenfeld, MD, PhD of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute conducted a study that showed positive results for the treatment of AMD with Avastin. According to Dr. Rosenfeld’s study Avastin improved vision in as little as one week for patients treated for AMD.
For AMD treatment Avastin is used in very low amounts by retinal specialists. They usually have a pharmacists transfer the drug from the original vile to a pre-filled needles containing single doses. The specialists will then usually treat the patient in their own office.
As with any drug it is always best to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any treatment.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Monday, November 16, 2009
New treatment proves that Macular Degeneration can be cured
Micro Current Stimulation (MCS) which like acupuncture for the eyes. This procedure has proven results that will improved eye site from 20/100 to 20/60 and from 20/25 to 20/20. MD is the destruction of cells in the central part of the retina. A new revolutionary (MSC) treatment will reverse the disease. This treatment will re-generate the cells in the retina as it re-charges the cells and give them new life. This procedure increases the cells production of an energy chemical called ATP which creates new protein. Based on reports from patients this procedure has astonishing results.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Monday, November 9, 2009
Treatment for macular degeneration
By Emily Singer
Molecular Sunglasses for Macular Degeneration
Dampening a light-sensing reaction in the eye might slow a common cause of blindness.
Molecules designed to slow the production of toxic byproducts in the eye by making it less sensitive to light are now being tested in patients with macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people age 50 and older. If successful, the compounds would provide a much needed therapy for the disease, which affects more than 15 million people in the United States.
In macular degeneration, cells in the center of the eye, called the macula, deteriorate. A handful of new treatments for the more severe form of the disease, known as wet AMD, have been approved in recent years. But no treatments are yet available for the dry form, which accounts for about 90 percent of cases. Some dry cases ultimately progress to the wet form, which accounts for a large part of AMD-related blindness. “If you can treat dry AMD, you can kill two birds with one stone,” both reducing early symptoms and preventing progression to the wet form, says Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute, in Bethesda, MD.
While scientists are still trying to understand the causes of AMD–age is the biggest risk factor, with genetics and lifestyle factors also playing a role–a growing pool of evidence suggests that the build up of specific compounds in the eye can hasten the cellular damage that underlies the disease. These compounds accumulate in the photoreceptors–cells in the retina that detect light–during normal eye function as the light-sensitive pigments in these cells change conformation in response to photons.
One form of the photopigment, a derivative of vitamin A, is highly reactive and leaks into nearby tissue called the retinal pigment epithelium. “Over time we think these compounds are a burden for the retinal pigment epithelium, which is essential for the healthy function of the photoreceptors,” says Janet Sparrow, director of the Retinal Cell Biology Laboratory at Columbia University, in New York. “In age-related macular degeneration, particularly the dry form, these cells die, and the photoreceptors follow.”
While this reaction is vital for sight, researchers believe that slowing the cycle in the subset of photoreceptors responsible for night vision, known as rods, could slow damage without having a large impact on daytime vision. (Preliminary results suggest it can affect dark-adaptation–when our eyes adjust to low-light conditions.) “During the daytime, the rods are spinning like crazy, wasting vitamin A for no good use,” says Ryo Kubota, an ophthalmologist and founder of Acucela, a Seattle-based startup that is developing treatments for macular degeneration. “It’s like a CCD camera pointed at the sun.”
One compound developed by Acucela that is in clinical trials inhibits the enzyme that converts the photopigment in photoreceptors from one form to another. This process happens only in the eye, allowing the drug to be administered systemically without affecting other tissue, says Kubota. The company has finished initial safety testing in humans and plans to begin a clinical trial assessing the compound’s effectiveness in patients with late-stage dry macular degeneration in a few weeks. Kubota also aims to test the compound in diabetic retinopathy and Stargardt disease, a rare, genetically inherited form of macular degeneration.
A second drug that acts by a slightly different mechanism is being evaluated for macular degeneration by Sirion Therapeutics, a Florida-based pharmaceutical company. The compound is a synthetic vitamin A derivative that is thought to reduce toxin buildup by binding to one of the proteins involved in the reaction. According to preliminary results from tests of the drug in patients with late-stage dry macular degeneration, it can slow the scarring that is characteristic of the disease by 45 percent. However, scientists won’t know if the results are statistically significant until completion of the study next year. Because no treatments have been approved for dry AMD, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked the drug, speeding the review process.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
Molecular Sunglasses for Macular Degeneration
Dampening a light-sensing reaction in the eye might slow a common cause of blindness.
Molecules designed to slow the production of toxic byproducts in the eye by making it less sensitive to light are now being tested in patients with macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people age 50 and older. If successful, the compounds would provide a much needed therapy for the disease, which affects more than 15 million people in the United States.
In macular degeneration, cells in the center of the eye, called the macula, deteriorate. A handful of new treatments for the more severe form of the disease, known as wet AMD, have been approved in recent years. But no treatments are yet available for the dry form, which accounts for about 90 percent of cases. Some dry cases ultimately progress to the wet form, which accounts for a large part of AMD-related blindness. “If you can treat dry AMD, you can kill two birds with one stone,” both reducing early symptoms and preventing progression to the wet form, says Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute, in Bethesda, MD.
While scientists are still trying to understand the causes of AMD–age is the biggest risk factor, with genetics and lifestyle factors also playing a role–a growing pool of evidence suggests that the build up of specific compounds in the eye can hasten the cellular damage that underlies the disease. These compounds accumulate in the photoreceptors–cells in the retina that detect light–during normal eye function as the light-sensitive pigments in these cells change conformation in response to photons.
One form of the photopigment, a derivative of vitamin A, is highly reactive and leaks into nearby tissue called the retinal pigment epithelium. “Over time we think these compounds are a burden for the retinal pigment epithelium, which is essential for the healthy function of the photoreceptors,” says Janet Sparrow, director of the Retinal Cell Biology Laboratory at Columbia University, in New York. “In age-related macular degeneration, particularly the dry form, these cells die, and the photoreceptors follow.”
While this reaction is vital for sight, researchers believe that slowing the cycle in the subset of photoreceptors responsible for night vision, known as rods, could slow damage without having a large impact on daytime vision. (Preliminary results suggest it can affect dark-adaptation–when our eyes adjust to low-light conditions.) “During the daytime, the rods are spinning like crazy, wasting vitamin A for no good use,” says Ryo Kubota, an ophthalmologist and founder of Acucela, a Seattle-based startup that is developing treatments for macular degeneration. “It’s like a CCD camera pointed at the sun.”
One compound developed by Acucela that is in clinical trials inhibits the enzyme that converts the photopigment in photoreceptors from one form to another. This process happens only in the eye, allowing the drug to be administered systemically without affecting other tissue, says Kubota. The company has finished initial safety testing in humans and plans to begin a clinical trial assessing the compound’s effectiveness in patients with late-stage dry macular degeneration in a few weeks. Kubota also aims to test the compound in diabetic retinopathy and Stargardt disease, a rare, genetically inherited form of macular degeneration.
A second drug that acts by a slightly different mechanism is being evaluated for macular degeneration by Sirion Therapeutics, a Florida-based pharmaceutical company. The compound is a synthetic vitamin A derivative that is thought to reduce toxin buildup by binding to one of the proteins involved in the reaction. According to preliminary results from tests of the drug in patients with late-stage dry macular degeneration, it can slow the scarring that is characteristic of the disease by 45 percent. However, scientists won’t know if the results are statistically significant until completion of the study next year. Because no treatments have been approved for dry AMD, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked the drug, speeding the review process.
For more information go to www.maculardegenerationassociation.org
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