(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 […]
California companies lacked scientific evidence that their “amniotic stem cell therapy” could treat or cure macular degeneration and other serious diseases. A California-based physician and the two companies he controls have settled charges of deceptively advertising that “amniotic stem cell therapy” can treat serious diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, autism, macular degeneration, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, […]
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual impairment in people over age 60. Because it affects millions of senior adults, it deserves a great deal of attention. Another common condition also deserving of consideration is dry eye. Dry eye often accompanies AMD, but only because it most commonly affects the same […]
Transcript of a presentation to the International Low Vision Support Group June 2018 Dan Roberts, Director Select this link for audio-visual format INTRODUCTION This is our 13th 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 […]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl), a new gene therapy developed by Spark Therapeutics, to treat an inherited form of vision loss that can result in blindness. The most prevalent inherited retinal dystrophies are retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and Stargardt disease (SD), all of which have […]
by Dan Roberts Retinal diseases are not, in themselves, painful. Prolonged ultra-close viewing, however, is often practiced by people with visual impairment. That can cause headaches of the type reported by some members of our low vision community. Generally referred to as eye strain, such discomfort may be caused by stress on the large medial […]
Clearing up a misunderstanding Anti-VEGF drugs for treating wet age-related macular degeneration are highly successful at inhibiting neovascularization, but they are limited to that alone. Clinical trials for Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Eylea (aflibercept) are showing better than 90% success at blocking the growth factors responsible for uncontrolled blood vessel growth into the retina, and off-label […]
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, […]
by Dan Roberts (Macular Degeneration Support) and Liz Trauernicht (Macular Degeneration Foundation) OCT and nonmydriatic technologies are lessening discomfort and risk of eye exams. MD Support and MD Foundation communicate with thousands of patients who undergo periodic eye exams for diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other chronic diseases. Many have […]
Genentech has announced FDA approval for Lucentis® as a treatment for patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) resulting from myopic macular degeneration (MMD), also known as myopic degeneration. Severe myopia (near-sightedness) can cause uncorrectable central vision impairment, and it may advance to total central vision loss from CNV, which is growth and leakage of blood vessels […]