Presbyopia and cataracts are the most prevalent vision-robbing conditions older people. A paper soon to be published in The Lancet (Volume 5, No. 9, e888–e897, September 2017) estimates that, in 2015, 36 million people in the world were blind and 217 million people were severely or moderately vision impaired. It also estimated that 1.1 billion
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Statistically Significant Slowing of Disease Progression Seen at 12 Months APL-2 is a synthetic peptide which shuts down the complement activation system responsible for local inflammation, tissue damage (as in dry AMD) and the resulting blood vessel growth (angiogenesis in wet AMD). Discovered by Professor John Lambris, University of Pennsylvania, APL-2 (formerly called POT-4) was
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An analysis published July 19 in Regenerative Medicine reminds us to be cautious about believing everything we read regarding clinical trials. A good case in point is our earlier report about three women who were blinded by an unproven stem cell treatment at a Florida clinic in 2015. They had been misled primarily by thinking that simply
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by Dan Roberts Research published in the June 2017 issue of the journal Neuron (1) suggests that loss of details in our memories may be beneficial to those of us who are visually impaired. Vision is eyesight, memory and logic working together. (2) Visually impaired individuals learn from experience that when eyesight is less clear,
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A new drug called RGX-314 is being developed as a one-time sub-retinal injection for wet AMD. This would be a significant improvement over current anti-VEGF therapies requiring repetitive and frequent intraocular injections. REGENXBIO Inc. has announced that the first human patient has been dosed in a phase I clinical trial of RGX-314. The drug has
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Presentation to the International Low Vision Support Group June 1, 2017 Dan Roberts INTRODUCTION This is my 12th annual summary of leading research and developments occuring during the past 12 months in the fields of blindness and low vision. Sources for further information will appear beneath each topic heading, but for the sake of brevity,
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Currently, patients who have had type 1 diabetes for 5 years are encouraged to have annual dilated retinal exams to look for possible progression to diabetic retinopathy (DR) or diabetic macular edema (DME). Both of these conditions can lead to severe vision loss and should be treated immediately. Now, a 30-year study* published in April
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Genentech, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lucentis® (ranibizumab injection) 0.3 mg for the monthly treatment of all forms of diabetic retinopathy. The most common cause of vision loss in people with diabetes, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among adults aged 20 to 74 and affects
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Genentech, Inc. is testing a less-invasive method of delivery of their anti-VEGF drug Lucentis into the eyes of patients with wet AMD. Currently, anti-VEGF treatments require regular monthly or bi-monthly injections into the back of the eye, which can be taxing on patients’ time and stress level. The new method utilizes a timed release capsule
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A common belief that blind people possess unusually heightened non-visual senses now may be more than just a belief. Credit: Bauer et al. PLOS ONE 2017 A new study led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers has found that the brains of those who are born blind make new connections in the absence of visual information.
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