A presentation to students of Music Therapy at the University of Missouri, Kansas City December 7, 2004 Presenter: Dan Roberts Founding Director Macular Degeneration Support Introduction Ten-year-old Brittany has been a music and composition student of mine for three years. She was born with a rare condition called anophthalmia, which translates as “without organs of [Read More]
News
Fifteen Tips For Family And Friends
Condensed from Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight, by Lylas G. Mogk, M.D., & Marja Mogk (September 2004. Reprinted by permission of the authors.) Many family members and friends of people with ARMD have asked me what they can do to help. Here are fifteen tips: 1. Be direct about [Read More]
Stem Cells Have Restored Vision
by Dan Roberts November 2004 Scientists from Harvard’s Schepens Eye Research Institute have, for the first time, successfully improved the vision of mice with transplanted stem cells. Neural stem (progenitor) cells were obtained from day-old mice and grafted into the degenerating retinas of mature mice. The transplanted cells were then seen to develop into mature [Read More]
Drugs & Supplements With Adverse Effects on Ophthalmic Conditions Drugs
This list of drugs is derived from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Syllabus for “Drug-Related Adverse Effects of Clinical Importance to the Ophthalmologist (F.W. Fraunfelder, MD, Instructor). For details about each drug, see the Syllabus. DRUGS topiramate (Topamax) 10% phenylephrine pledgets (Neo-Synephrine) sildenafil (Viagra) isotretinoin (Accutane)amiodarone (Cordone) hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine (Plaquenil) marijuana tamoxifen Bisphosphonates: alendronic acid ibandronate pamidronate zolendronate Carbonic Anhydrase [Read More]
Human Retinal Stem Cells Discovered
by Dan Roberts Research in vision restoration has taken another step forward with the discovery of human retinal stem cells that have the ability to regenerate themselves. The announcement was made in October 2004 to the National Academy of Sciences by Derek Van der Kooy from the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of [Read More]