(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]
Category: Therapies, Treatments, and Procedures
FTC Stops Deceptive Claims About Stem Cell Therapy
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, [Read More]
Suffering From Dry Eye?
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 [Read More]
Summary of Research and Development — 2018
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 [Read More]
FDA Approves First Gene Therapy for Inherited Retinal Dystrophy
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 [Read More]