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Latest News

• 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? Prevent Blindness provide answers to these […]

• 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

  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 with the […]

• 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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