Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Aerie), has begun patient dosing in their first human clinical trial of a sustained release implant in patients with wet macular degeneration or diabetic macular edema. The polymer implant provides controlled release of AR-13503, an injectable drug that inhibits blood vessel growth in the retina, while potentially reducing the treatment burden associated [Read More]
Category: Research and Developments
What Causes Foveal Sparing?
People who have progressed to central vision loss from any one of a number of retinal dystrophies have probably noticed a tiny spot of healthier sight in the very center of the macula (the fovea). Over time, the fovea becomes surrounded by a growing band of blindness, first appearing as individual spots, then coalescing to [Read More]
Stem Cell Treatment for Dry AMD Fast-tracked by FDA
It was reported here in March 2017 that BioTime, Inc. is conducting a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for OpRegen® for treatment of dry AMD. OpRegen is a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) stem cell transplant therapy currently in development for the treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with geographic atrophy (GA). RPE cells are essential [Read More]
Correcting Misconceptions About AMD
(Updated 7/29/19) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disease of the retina wherein the light-sensing cells in the central area of vision (the macula) stop working and eventually die. The disease is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and it is most common in people who are age [Read More]
Why Do More Women Than Men Have AMD?
Nearly every reliable resource on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will reveal that more women than men are affected by the disease. Some even go so far as to offer questionable statistics like “About 2/3 of people with AMD are women and 1/3 men”.(1) To explain, writers offer that women live longer than men, or that [Read More]