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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
(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 […]
A presentation to the International Low Vision Support Group May 11, 2006 By Dan Roberts, Founding Director Macular Degeneration Support The retina is the thin lining in the back of the eye, and the macula is at the very center. When the macula is healthy, we are able to see in fine detail. When it […]
Speech for PBA Awards BanquetNovember 2, 2012 Dan RobertsFounding DirectorMacular Degeneration Support Thank you for the privilege of speaking to you this evening, and the opportunity to get to know more of the great people of Prevent Blindness America. I’ve long admired the work of this organization and have referred many of our low vision […]
by Dan Roberts What’s so funny about low vision? Nothing really, but some humor can come from living with it. You know, those gaffes and missteps which may not be funny to anyone who hasn’t lived with visual impairment, but which can make us grin when we realize we’re not the only ones who commit […]
(Featuring “Sarah’s Day”) by Dan Roberts As an unabashed gadget geek, I have followed the development of low vision technology since my diagnosis in 1994. The first fifteen of those years offered a number of optical and non-optical devices to help our low vision community get by, and we have hungrily consumed each and every […]
Eyes are thought to have first developed in animals, in a very basic form, around 550 million years ago. Since then, they have become the second most complex organ after the brain. We hear all the time about the wonderful ways our brains work for us, but our peepers sometimes don’t get the respect they […]