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Latest News

• November 26, 2020

  Beware UVC Lamps as COVID-19 Disinfectant

  Since the outbreak of COVID-19 disease, consumers’ interest in ultraviolet-C (UVC) lamps has increased for use in disinfecting surfaces in the home or similar spaces. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of skin and eye burns resulting from improper use or installation of UVC lamps. Such lamps fall into four categories: […]

• November 21, 2020

  How well are you adapting to visual impairment?

  How can you tell if you are adapting as well as possible to the most important facets of your everyday life?  A new self-survey is helping visually impaired and blind individuals score how well they are adapting. It is similar to a needs assessment questionnaire used by rehabilitation specialists, but it is designed for self- […]

• November 15, 2020

  Lucentis Substitute In Phase 3 Trials

  Samsung Bioepis is reporting first year results from their phase 3 study of a proposed lucentis biosimilar (SB11).  A biosimilar is a biological product (derived from a living organism)  that shows no clinically meaningful differences from another biologic (eg. Lucentis). This study has shown that, at 52 weeks, primary end points were met for visual […]

• October 30, 2020

  Vitamin D3 and Omega-3 Offer No Protection Against AMD

  Observational studies have suggested that higher intake or blood levels of vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids may be associated with lower risks of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A recent large randomized trial (VITAL), however, has concluded that supplementation with vitamin D3 and marine omega-3 fatty acids actually had no significant overall effect on […]

• October 30, 2020

  Smoking and Wet AMD Treatment

  It has long been known that cigarette smoking reduces levels of plasma antioxidant, which protects retinal cells. It is also suspected as a contributor to cataract formation, restriction of night vision, and amblyopia (“lazy eye”). As reported in the September 2020 issue of the journal, Retina, a research team has confirmed the effect of smoking […]

• October 28, 2020

  Invitation to Complete Important Disability Survey

  The federal  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created the OMB disability survey and invites individuals with disabilities, their families, services providers, and others to share what federal resources they have found most helpful, frustrating, or that have made a significant difference.  The survey is anonymous but provides an option to share an email address for those […]

• October 23, 2020

  Anti-VEGF treatment maintains acuity over 10 years

  Patients receiving continuous injections of anti-VEGF drugs for treatment of wet age related macular degeneration (wAMD) can take comfort in knowing that they are keeping their initial visual acuity long term. As reported in the September 29 issue of  Ophthalmology Retina, the LATAR study found that 293 eyes not only maintained their original visual acuity, […]

• October 5, 2020

  APL-2 Slows Progression of Early Disease in Patients with Geographic Atrophy

   Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced their analysis of the Phase 2 FILLY study investigating intravitreal pegcetacoplan (APL-2) for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA), also known as advanced dry macular degeneration. The post hoc analysis found that the monthly treatment reduced the rate of progression to GA by 39 percent in areas of the retina outside of […]

• October 2, 2020

  ASRS Launches Retina Health for Life Podcast Series

  The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) has announced the launch of a new audio and video podcast series providing consumers with critical information about the signs, symptoms and risk factors of retina disease and the importance of seeing a retina specialist for specialized care. “ASRS’s Retina Health for Life from the President’s Corner” features […]

• September 15, 2020

  Levodopa may improve vision in patients with Wet AMD

  Investigators have determined that treating patients with the early wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with levodopa, stabilized and improved their vision. Levodopa is a safe and readily available drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease, The drug reduced the number of treatments necessary to maintain vision, and as such, will potentially reduce the […]

• September 9, 2020

  Innovative Glaucoma Platform Launched

  It has been said, “Just because you have the measles doesn’t mean you can’t catch chicken pox”. Many people affected by macular degeneration and other diseases of the eye have learned that glaucoma is often a secondary condition with which they must also deal. “Today, there are more than an estimated 3.2 million Americans that […]

• September 8, 2020

  Zimura® Shows Significant Suppression of Geographic Atrophy

  IVERIC bio, Inc. has announced positive Phase 3 results from its GATHER1 clinical trial with Zimura® (avacincaptad pegol). As published in the September issue of Ophthalmology®, Zimura® met its pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint at 12 months and reached statistical significance in GATHER1, an international, multicenter, randomized, double masked, sham controlled clinical trial.  Zimura® inhibits complement […]

• September 7, 2020

  AAO Cautions About Red Light Therapy

  An article published here in August 2020 announced that positive results were obtained from a study of photobiomodulation (PBM)–also known as “red light therapy”– as a treatment for eye diseases such as AMD, retinopathy of prematurity, and diabetic macular edema. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has simultaneously posted cautionary remarks about recent PBM research. In […]

• August 17, 2020

  Light Therapy Showing Success As Retinal Treatment

  According to an article in the August 6, 2020 edition of Ophthalmology Times, a procedure called photobiomodulation (PBM) has had recent success in treating eye diseases such as AMD, retinopathy of prematurity, and diabetic macular edema. PBM, or low-level light therapy, is the application of monochromatic light to a part of the body with the […]

• August 14, 2020

  “Lookout” app now available for all Android devices

  We reported here in March 2019 that Google had created a new Android app called Lookout to help the visually impaired. Similar to Microsoft’s Seeing AI for Apple devices, the application uses artificial intelligence (AI) combined with Talk Back to identify objects, read text, scan barcodes, and identify currencies. At that time, Lookout was available only for Google’s […]

• August 11, 2020

  Gene therapy treatment for wet AMD shows positive results

  REGENXBIO, Inc. has reported positive one year data from patients in Cohorts 4 and 5 of the Phase I/IIa trial of RGX-314 for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). As reported here in June 2017, RGX-314 is being developed as a one-time sub-retinal injection for wet AMD. It would be a significant […]

• August 3, 2020

  AMD associated with greater COVID mortality

  The human’s natural immune system (called complement) has been found to be associated with the severity of COVID disease in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study published in Nature Medicine. A hyperactive complement system is known to be directly related to development of AMD. In a retrospective observational study of […]

• July 22, 2020

  New Drug For Wet AMD Should Be Used With Caution

  Beovu (brolucizumab) for wet AMD is the newest anti-VEGF drug on the market. It has been shown to be an effective and long-lasting inhibitor of blood vessel development (neovascularization) in the retina. The drug’s manufacturer has, however, been recently investigating incidences of severe intraocular inflammation (vasculitis) and retinal artery occlusion that were reported after their product […]

• July 22, 2020

  Port Delivery System for Wet AMD May Soon Be in Clinics

  We reported here in October 2019 that Genentech had reported good Phase 2 trial results examining the use of their unique alternative to intravitreal injections. The Port Delivery System (PDS) is a tiny refillable implant that provides patients affected by wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration with continuous delivery of Lucentis as necessary. The company has […]

• June 14, 2020

  Are some patients with CNV unresponsive to anti-VEGF?

  Since 2004, anti-VEGF drug injections have been shown to be highly effective in suppressing choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the retinas of people with wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. They have also been shown to suppress further CNV for as long as 12 weeks, depending upon the drug being used and the disease state […]

• June 14, 2020

  Telehealth usage increases during COVID-19

  A survey of 2,000 adults in the U.S. has shown that 42% have used telehealth services in place of their regular in-person visits to eye clinics since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Telehealth is a service made available by way of telecommunication devices like computers and smart phones. Using this recent […]

• June 6, 2020

  OpRegen® for geographic atrophy maintains positive results

  Lineage Cell Therapeutics (originally BioTime, Inc.) has announced positive results with its experimental OpRegen® therapy for geographic atrophy (GA), the advanced stage of dry macular degeneration. The company began enrolling and treating U.S.-based patients in 2017 under David S. Boyer, M.D. (Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group, Los Angeles) and H. Richard McDonald, M.D., (West Coast Retina […]

• June 5, 2020

  Experimental stem cell treatment continues to maintain vision

  A procedure reported here in March 2018 has been shown to continue being a safe and effective method for introducing stem cells into the retina. Eye researcher Professor Pete Coffey, who founded the London Project over a decade ago, has confirmed that two study patients have maintained improvements in their vision five years after surgery. […]

• June 4, 2020

  Vision loss influences sound perception

  People with severe vision loss can less accurately judge the distance of nearby sounds, potentially putting them more at risk of injury, according to new research published in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University’s Vision and Eye Research Institute (VERI) tested participants with different levels of vision loss, presenting them with speech, music […]

• May 27, 2020

  Eye Injections for Wet AMD May Soon Be Unnecessary

  Genentech has announced positive top line results from its Phase III Archway study, evaluating Port Delivery System (PDS) with Lucentis (ranibizumab) in people living with wet (neovascular)AMD. PDS is a permanent refillable eye implant, approximately the size of a grain of rice, which continuously delivers a customized formulation of Lucentis over a period of months. […]

• May 24, 2020

  New Bionic Eye Research

  A article in the journal Nature has reported that scientists from Hong Kong and the U.S. have taken a big step toward development of a true bionic eye, more precisely called a “biomimetic electrochemical eye”. Attempts that set it apart from other such efforts, such as the Argus 2 device, are its similarity to many of […]

• May 16, 2020

  Important Message to Eye Care Patients Regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic

  Reprinted from Prevent Blindness For everyone’s health and safety, ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other doctors are being urged to see patients only for urgent or emergent problems during the coronavirus pandemic. This is important for two reasons: To limit contact between patients and staff in offices, waiting rooms, exams rooms, and surgical facilities to reduce the […]

• April 28, 2020

  National Surveys to assess the impact of Wet AMD and DME on Patients and Caregivers

  Prevent Blindness is pleased to partner with Retina International to invite patients and caregivers to participate in online surveys which are being conducted in order to better understand patient perception and attitudes to the current care pathway for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) as well as Diabetes-related Macular Edema (DME). […]

• April 19, 2020

  More Ideas For Keeping Busy

  In March, we posted an article which suggested ways to keep busy in spite of low vision. As we continue through another month of mass quarantine, here are more suggestions contributed by an especially thoughtful reader in response to that article. Learn a language. Duolingo, a method used in the school system, can be downloaded […]

• April 18, 2020

  Photoreceptors From Skin Cells a Possibility

  Photoreceptors are cells in the retina which convert light into nerve impulses. Because of them, we can see the world around us. The two types of photoreceptors are rod cells and cone cells. Rod cells are responsible for peripheral and night vision, and cone cells are responsible for central and color vision under bright conditions. […]

• April 16, 2020

  An Alternative to In-Person Support Group Meetings During Covid-19

  Support groups for people with blindness and low vision are important monthly events in hundreds of senior centers, clinics, retirement communities, and other venues for older adults. Recent public health concerns, however, are causing worries about attendance at these gatherings. MD Support has announced that its telephone support group, TeleSupport, is welcoming guest callers during […]

• April 1, 2020

  Prima System implant has positive results in dry AMD

  Pixium Vision reports that follow-up from 18 to 24 months after implantation showed that their PRIMA Bionic Vision System sustainably elicited light perception in all four dry AMD patients with favorable safety profile. Moreover, the second-generation transparent glasses, enabling to combine natural peripheral vision and prosthetic vision, greatly benefited patients and their visual acuity by 3 […]

• April 1, 2020

  What about eye appointments during quarantine?

  Many doctors are restricting clinic visits to urgent or emergent problems during the coronavirus pandemic. Are anti-VEGF injections considered urgent? What qualifies as an emergency? Should I let my eye physician know if I am showing symptoms of COVID-19? I’m in a clinical trial. Should I continue to participate? In addition, remember that “social distancing” […]

• March 31, 2020

  Visual effects reported from first human artificial retina

  Nano Retina has announced preliminary results for first-in-human implantation of its NR600 artificial retina device. The first two patients to receive the device in March 2020 reported visual effect. The NR600 mimics the natural physiological processes of the human eye and restores functional vision to persons blinded by retinal degenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration […]

• March 24, 2020

  Social Distancing? So What Else Is New?

  “Social distancing? Not a problem,” remarked an elderly member of my low vision support group. “I’ve been socially distant for years.” “Absolutely,” said another. “The toughest issue with being alone was originally what to do to fill my time, but I’ve gotten pretty good at that.” The session then took a detour from my planned […]

• March 15, 2020

  Where Are We Now?

  A Summary of a Quarter-Century of Low Vision Research and Development Presented to the International Low Vision Support Groupby Dan Roberts, Director Macular Degeneration Support, the charitable parent corporation of our International Low Vision Support Group, is celebrating its 25th year as a leading resource for people affected by macular degeneration and similar diseases leading […]

• March 14, 2020

  NIH researchers discover tooth-enamel protein in eyes with dry AMD

  Information from the National Eye Institute A protein that normally deposits mineralized calcium in tooth enamel may also be responsible for calcium deposits in the back of the eye in people with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study from researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI). This protein, amelotin, may turn out […]

• March 11, 2020

  Beovu Safety Under Investigation

  Patients who are undergoing anti-VEGF treatment with Beovu (brolucizumab) for wet AMD should be aware that the drug is currently being investigated by the drug’s manufacturer, Novartis, for potential adverse events in some patients.  Beovu was approved for clinical use in October 2019, and it has since shown to be an effective and long-lasting inhibitor […]

• March 9, 2020

  Some Wet AMD Patients May Not Need Injections Forever

  A study concluded in 2019 suggests that some patients with wet AMD can retain good visual acuity with no treatment for at least 3 years after stopping anti-VEGF treatment. Researchers compared two groups from the 2008-2009 Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT). The first group was comprised of patients who had been released […]

• February 22, 2020

  Anti-scarring angiogenic drug enters Phase 2

  RIBOMIC, Inc. has announced that the first patient has received injection in the phase 2 trial of RBM-007 for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the United States. The first site started enrollment at the end of December 2019 and five sites are now active across the United States. Currently approved therapies […]

• February 22, 2020

  “How long will my anti-VEGF drug therapy be effective?”

  This is becoming a common question among people who have been treated for years with anti-VEGF drug therapy. These eye injections are the gold standard for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), having been first used clinically in 2004. The news is good. A recent retrospective review in the U.K. has found that almost […]

• February 17, 2020

  New discovery may lead to AMD treatment

  Researchers have discovered a protein that might be related to the cause of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and thus provide insight into early diagnosis and treatment. The study, published in Nature Communications, was a collaboration of Queen Mary University of London, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University, and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen. High levels […]

• January 25, 2020

  Smoking Is At An All-Time Low

  For over two decades, eye health organizations have worked diligently to increase awareness of the high risks of macular degeneration from tobacco smoking. Now, the recently-released 2020 Surgeon General’s report has revealed that the work of those organizations is paying off. Americans are doing better at making good choices when it comes to smoking. According […]

• January 9, 2020

  How Do They Come Up With Those Drug Names?

  Macugen. Lucentis. Avastin. Eylea. Beovu. All of those are anti-VEGF drugs prescribed for treatment of wet AMD and other conditions involving growth and leakage of new blood vessels in the retina. Those brand names appear in articles and ads, but rarely in eye specialists’ notes and prescription orders. Such names are designed mainly for public […]

• December 17, 2019

  Trials to begin for stem cell-based therapy to treat geographic atrophy

  A National Eye Institute (NEI) study will test the safety of a stem cell treatment for the dry (atrophic) form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The researchers will take a patient’s own blood cells, and in a lab, convert them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) capable of becoming any type of cell in the […]

• December 15, 2019

  Cognitive Decline Associated With AMD

  Investigators have found significant associations between lessened brain functions and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 5604 people age 40+ who participated in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey have been found to experience increased memory problems and confusion, seemingly as a result of their AMD. The report was published in the December 2019 issue […]

• October 20, 2019

  Positive Results From RGX-314 Gene Therapy

  (Updated 9/10/2020) As reported here in 2017, a drug called RGX-314 is being tested as a one-time sub-retinal injection for wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD). A preliminary study showed that patients with wAMD had long-term vision stabilization and anatomic improvement following a single treatment with the investigational gene therapy. Now, in a subgroup of patients […]

• October 15, 2019

  Port Delivery System Shows Good Phase 2 Trial Results

  Genentech has reported end-of-trial results examining the use of their unique alternative to intravitreal injections, the Port Delivery System (PDS). As reported previously here, the PDS is a tiny refillable implant that provides patients affected by wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with continuous delivery of Lucentis (ranibizumab) as necessary. Presented by Carl Regillo, MD, at […]

• October 14, 2019

  New Treatment Effective For Treatment of Dry AMD

  A Phase 2 study has found that a new drug could be a safe and effective treatment for improving vision in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). On October 13, 2019, David Boyer, MD (Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group), presented results from a study of risuteganib intravitreal injection to members of the American Academy of […]

• September 2, 2018

  Novel Gene Therapy In Trials for Wet AMD

  (Updated 10/12/19) Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc. has announced progress with yet another therapy designed to extend the time between anti-VEGF injections for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD). The company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application has been approved for a multi-center study of ADVM-022, a novel gene therapy candidate for the treatment of wAMD. “We […]

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