Anti-VEGF's Improve Helps Patients with AMD Sustain Vision

In a study of nearly 650 people with the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), half still had vision 20/40 or better, typically good enough to drive or to read standard print, after five years of treatment with anti-VEGF drugs that are injected into the eye. The authors of the study, funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health, say those outcomes would have been unimaginable about 10 years ago, prior to the drugs’ availability. Read more.

New Test Detects First Signs of Macular Degeneration (AMD)

"Researchers based at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, received funding from Fight for Sight and the Special Trustees of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which has resulted in the design of a new test that can spot the first stages of sight loss in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The test could lead to earlier diagnosis for millions of people worldwide. Professor Roger Anderson led the research team." That's the beginning of a post on Medical News Today.

Scientists Scour Genome Searching for Cause of AMD

Within a decade, opticians will see an increasing number of patients dealing with the effects of macular degeneration (AMD). What's happing in the field?

"Teams of geneticists from nine countries, involving more than 100 scientists, analyzed the genes of more than 33,000 individuals in the hope of finding genetic variations responsible for age-related macular degeneration (AMD)," according to a Medical News Today post. "Their research, involving complex computational analysis of more than 12 million genetic variations across the human genome, identified 52 variations associated with the disease. By identifying these genetic variations, spread across 34 gene regions, scientists are a step closer to developing diagnostics that identify which patients are at high risk for acquiring the disease and formulating therapeutics either to prevent or treat the disease caused by these genetic variations." Read more.

NEI Expands Genetic Factors Connected to AMD

An international study of about 43,000 people has significantly expanded the number of genetic factors known to play a role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older. Supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, the findings may help improve our understanding of the biological processes that lead to AMD and identify new therapeutic targets for potential drug development. Read more.

New App for Patients with AMD

Prevent Blindness has launched a new resource, “GuideMe,” designed for those who have been diagnosed with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The intent of GuideMe is to simulate as accurately as possible a post-diagnosis consultation with a doctor or therapist. It is not, however, designed as a substitute for the advice and directions of an eye doctor. GuideMe  asks questions about the user and the user’s AMD diagnosis. It then uses the answers to create a customized guide with helpful information, tips, resources and suggested steps to take. It's compatible with a smart phone, tablet, laptop or PC.  The customized Guide can be viewed online or downloaded and printed.  If there are diagnosis changes and updates, users can return at any time and change their answers to create a new customized Guide. Additional resources may also be found at “AMD Learning Center,” found at preventblindness.org/amd.  The site provides a variety of educational tools including AMD risk factors, treatment options, an Adult Vision Risk Assessment tool and downloadable fact sheets.

Vitamin D's Role in the Development of Macular Degeneration

"Vitamin D has been studied extensively in relation to bone health as well as cancer. Now, a team led by a researcher at the University at Buffalo has discovered that vitamin D may play a significant role in eye health, specifically in the possible prevention of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, among women who are more genetically prone to developing the sight-damaging disease," according to Science Daily. "In a paper published in JAMA Ophthalmology online, Amy Millen, associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health in UB's School of Public Health and Health Professions, and her team found that women who are deficient in vitamin D and have a specific high-risk genotype are 6.7 times more likely to develop AMD than women with sufficient vitamin D status and no high risk genotype." Read more.

Aspirin's Benefits Outweigh AMD Risks, Says Study

"Patients can continue to take aspirin as recommended by their primary care physicians without fear of worsening their macular degeneration, researchers say," reports Medscape. "'Taking patients off aspirin can cause premature morbidity and mortality," said Kent Small, MD, from Los Angeles, California. He presented a meta-analysis o' aspirin, cardiovascular disease, and age-related macular degeneration here at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) 2015 Annual Meeting. Dr Small explained that he got interested in the topic when he realized that his patients were reacting to reports in the media of studies linking macular degeneration to aspirin use." Read more.

Number of Individuals and Treatment Costs for AMD to Rise Dramatically by Middle of Century

The number of individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will jump from two million to 3.4 million by 2032 and 4.4 million by 2050, according to the recent Prevent Blindness report called “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems.” Treatment costs now run $4.9 billion a year, but they will increase to almost $10 billion in 2032 and $14 billion in 2050.The report notes that the current average age of AMD patients is 80. As a greater number individuals live beyond 80, the number of patients with AMD will increase. Whites and women, who are at higher risk for AMD than other groups, will continue to dominate the total affected population with AMD. Read more.

Calcium Deposits Possible Source of Macular Degeneration (AMD)

"New research from scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) has found that tiny lumps of calcium phosphate may be an important triggering factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye disease that can cause severe vision loss and blindness," reports Medical News Today. "This is the first time these mineral deposits have been implicated in the disease, which affects more than 10 million Americans. The article appeared in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." Read more.

HIV/AIDS Drugs to Treat AMD? Laser Surgery Shows Promise

“A landmark study published today in the journal Science by an international group of scientists, led by the laboratory of Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, professor & vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Kentucky, reports that HIV/AIDS drugs that have been used for the last 30 years could be repurposed to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as other inflammatory disorders, because of a previously undiscovered intrinsic and inflammatory activity those drugs possess,” reports Science Daily. “Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are the most widely used class of anti-HIV drugs. NRTIs are thought to be therapeutic in HIV/AIDS patients because they target the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which is critical for replication of HIV. Previous work from the Ambati lab found that a type of toxic molecule called Alu RNA accumulate in the retina to cause dry AMD; interestingly, Alu RNA and HIV are similar in that they both require reverse transcriptase to fulfill their life cycle.” Read more.

Meanwhile, “a new type of laser treatment has the potential to slow progression of age-related macular degeneration - a major cause of vision loss - without damaging the retina,” notes Medical News Today. “This was the conclusion of a study from the University of Melbourne in Australia, published in The FASEB Journal. Erica Fletcher, an associate professor in Melbourne's Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of a new low-impact, low-energy, laser treatment for patients with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD).” Read more.

Anti-Inflammatory Sulindac Helps with AMD

“Sulindac, a known anti-inflammatory drug, can protect against oxidative damage due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), scientists have found,” according to Science Digest. “Their studies suggest that sulindac could be an inexpensive and relatively non-toxic therapeutic approach for treating AMD, one of the primary causes of vision loss in the elderly. AMD gradually destroys sharp, central vision, which is needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and driving. Currently, no cures exist for the majority of AMD cases.” Read more.

High Concentrations of Oxygen May Cause AMD

"High concentrations [of oxygen], referred to as oxidative stress, may very well be the cause of more than 70 widely-spread diseases such as cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and eye diseases including macular degeneration," according to a Medical News Today post. "Scientists at Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, as well as the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, have found that sulindac, a known anti-inflammatory drug, can protect against oxidative damage due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the primary causes of vision loss in the elderly. Their findings were released in an article titled "Pharmacological protection of retinal pigmented epithelial cells by sulindac involves PPAR-α" in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences." Read more.

FDA Approves Miniature Telescope for AMD Treatment

“VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc. …announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Implantable Miniature Telescope (by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz) for use in patients living with bilateral end-stage age-related macular degeneration who are age 65 or older. The telescope implant is the only FDA approved surgical device for end-stage AMD and is Medicare eligible.” That’s the start of a post on News-Medical. Read more.

AMD Starts Earlier Than Once Thought

“It is widely accepted that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual impairment and blindness in industrialized countries. However, it is questionable whether it can continue to be defined as a disease in people in their 50s and beyond,” reports Science Daily. “Investigations to determine the incidence of age-related macular degeneration undertaken as part of the Gutenberg Health Study of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have shown that even persons under the age of 50 years may be affected by an early form of the eye disease. Just under 4 percent of the 35 to 44-year-old subjects in the population-based study were found to be suffering from AMD.” Read more.

Treating AMD-Related Depression

A multi-disciplinary rehabilitation therapy can cut the risk of AMD-related depression in half, says a new study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings were published in Ophthalmology. The trial recruited 188 participants with bilateral AMD from an ophthalmology practice affiliated with Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. They averaged 84 years, 70 percent were women, and half percent lived alone. Their best corrected vision was no better than 20/70. Participants manifested mild depressive symptoms and were at risk for developing clinical depression. Read more about the trial at NEI. The findings were published in Ophthalmology.

Omega 3's Can Help with AMD, Says New Study

"Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School and other institutions have demonstrated for the first time that the omega (ω)-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), DHA and EPA, and their specific bioactive products derived from the cytochrome P450 (CYP) pathway, can influence choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and vascular leakage by modulating micro-environmental immune cell recruitment to the site of these lesions. Their findings will be published in PNAS Online Early Edition the week of June 16-20, 2014." That's a new post on Science Daily. Read more.

Researchers Make Connection between AMD and High Blood Pressure

"There may be a connection between taking vasodilators and developing early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans who are age 65 and older, according to a study published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology," reports Medical News Today. "AMD - the deterioration of the eye's macula, which is responsible for the ability to see fine details clearly - affects an estimated 11 million people in the United States." Read more.

Monthly Injections to Treat AMD May Be Unnecessary

"Researchers have found that, contrary to pevious clinical trial findings, monthly injections to counteract age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may not be necessary," according to a Medical News Today post. "The research was presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Orlando, Fla. The investigators used a strategy called "treat and extend" to conduct the study, in which the frequency of office visits and injections were tailored to each patient's individual response to therapy. Following 185 patients over a three-and-a-half-year period, the average number of visits and injections was reduced from 12 to 8.3 times per year." Read more.

Scientists Find a Guardian Against AMD

"Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have made a major breakthrough with important implications for sufferers of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause central blindness in sufferers," notes Medical News Today. "The scientists found that a component of the immune system, 'IL-18', acts as a guardian of eyesight by suppressing the production of damaging blood vessels behind the retina at the back of the eye. In addition, in pre-clinical models, it was shown that 'IL-18' can be administered in a non-invasive way, which could represent a major improvement on the current therapeutic options that are open to patients."Read more.

In Developing Countries, Blindness Down, AMD Up

“Rates of blindness and impaired eyesight have plummeted over the past 20 years in the developed world,” reports Science Daily. “But macular degeneration has replaced cataract as the leading cause of blindness in rich countries, reveals an analysis of the available.” Read more.