by Dan Roberts May 2008 Why wear sunglasses? If you have a retinal disease, you are probably photosensitive, where too much direct light is painful for your eyes. You also have retinal cells that can be easily damaged by too much light, and some colors of light (even invisible light) have been shown to be [Read More]
News
Gene Therapy Breakthrough
by Dan Roberts April 28, 2008 According to two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine*, doctors have, for the first time, used gene replacement therapy to restore vision in patients with Leber’s congenital amaurosis. Leber’s syndrome is a form of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) that affects children and often leads to blindness by [Read More]
Müller Cells May Restore Sight
by Dan Roberts March 19, 2008 Over the past several years, scientists have been taking an interest in certain cells within the patient’s own eyes as having the potential to transform into stem-like (progenitor) cells. Called Müller glial cells, they would then migrate to damaged areas of the retina and replace dead cells, restoring vision [Read More]
Robo-4 and Slit2 May Team Up Against Wet AMD
by Dan Roberts March 17, 2008 “Robo-4” sounds like a movie by Arnold Schwarzenegger, but in this case, it is a link to another potential treatment for wet AMD. Short for “Roundabout,” Robo-4 is a protein receptor found on the surface of blood vessel cells. When it binds with another protein called Slit2, the combination [Read More]
CD36 Deficiency May Cause Dry AMD
by Dan Roberts February 2008 CD36 is a protein molecule (called an “integral membrane protein”) permanently attached to the surface of certain human cells. It plays a role in the inflammation process, but researchers have now discovered that a deficiency of the protein may cause the dry form of macular degeneration. Researchers reported that deficiency [Read More]