by Dan Roberts Originally published and updated, April 6, 2013 This is a continuously updated review of research since 2002 on cholesterol and age-related macular degeneration. It presents studies of statin treatment and it introduces recent findings regarding reduction of cholesterol by restoring macrophages. Statins Statins are a type of cholesterol-reducing drug that lower the [Read More]
Tag: AMD
All About Magnifiers for AMD
by Joe Fontenot, MD, CLVT Medical Director Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation 600 BelAir Blvd. Mobile AL 36606 Reprinted with permission from The Magnifier – Issue #90, Jan – Mar 2013, MD Foundation Almost all people with macular degeneration do see better if things are larger or closer, and magnifiers make things seem larger [Read More]
POT-4 for Treatment of AMD
by Dan Roberts (Updated September 29, 2008) Potentia Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced on March 20, 2007 that it was entering the clinical phase of development of POT-4 for treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to the researchers, POT-4, a synthetic peptide, shuts down the complement activation system that can lead to local inflammation, tissue damage [Read More]
Color Perception and Macular Degeneration
Originally published November 2007 People with macular degeneration gradually lose their color perception. This is because the photoreceptor cone cells, which are most dense in the macula, are responsible for color vision. The rod cells, which proliferate in the peripheral field, provide only black and shades of gray. Color is interpreted by the brain. The [Read More]
C3 Gene Variant Increases Risk of AMD
Press ReleaseJuly 18, 2007Researchers have found a gene variant that can more than double the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).The researchers based their findings on studies of patients with AMD (603 from England and 244 from Scotland) who were compared with 701 unaffected people. They found that a variant in the complement C3 gene [Read More]