Genentech, Inc., a leading pharmaceutical developer, is currently conducting two phase III trials studying the drug lampalizumab as a potential treatment for advanced dry macular degeneration, also known as geographic atrophy (GA). Patients who have been diagnosed with GA are encouraged to participate in the trials, which are being conducted at hundreds of locations in [Read More]
Category: Latest News
Lions Center for the Blind Needs Support
The Lions Center for the Blind (LCB), a nonprofit organization with offices in Oakland and Fairfield, CA, has announced that it will cease operations effective August 31, 2016, unless significant additional funding is received prior to that date. The 74-year-old service organization will have to close its doors due to a lack of funding unless new sources [Read More]
Anti-depressant Drugs May Someday Help Prevent Macular Degeneration
Tests in a mouse model of macular degeneration have shown that anti-depressant drugs already on the market prevent damage to the light cells in the retina. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a University of Wisconsin—Madison research team pinpoints how immune abnormalities beneath the retina result in macular degeneration. [Read More]
For Some, Switching ANTI-VEGF Treatments Midstream Could Be Harmful
Switching from Lucentis to Eylea could result in worsening of the retinal condition of some people with wet (exudative) AMD. Since the advent of anti-VEGF drug treatments for wet AMD, research has verified that blood vessel growth and leakage (neovascularization) usually diminishes in patients who are switched from either Lucentis or Avastin to Eylea. A small [Read More]
Visual Impairment and Blindness in U.S. May Double by 2050
The findings of a recent study suggest that there is a need for increased screening and interventions to identify and address treatable causes of vision loss. With the youngest of the baby boomers hitting 65 by 2029, the number of people with visual impairment or blindness in the United States is expected to double to [Read More]