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.

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.

New “Simple” Test Detects Early Only nAMD

“A simple color test that could detect the early onset of a condition which accounts for over half of visual impairment certifications in the UK is being researched by scientists at Aston University,” reports Science Daily. “Dr. Frank Eperjesi, an optometry specialist at the School of Life & Health Sciences at Aston University in Birmingham, UK, will lead the study into whether neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), a common condition affecting 321,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales, can be identified before patients begin to show symptoms of having the disease.The study could have a lasting impact, particularly as the number of cases of nAMD in the UK is set to rise by almost a third by the year 2020 as the average age of the population increases.” Read more.

Abnormal Binocular Vision Increases Dramatically with Age.

“Abnormal binocular vision, which involves the way eyes work together as a team, increases dramatically as we age, according to research,” summarizes Science Daily. “The study also found a correlation between this condition, general health and antidepressant use. As many as 27 per cent of adults in their sixties have an actual binocular vision or eye movement disorder. That number rises to 38 per cent for those over age 80. About 20 per cent of the general population suffers from a binocular vision disorder, which affects depth perception and therefore may increase the risk of falls.” Read more.

Supplements Lower Cataract & AMD Risk in Men

“Long-term daily multivitamin supplement use may lower cataract risk in men, according to a study of nearly 15,000 male physicians,” reports Science Daily. “Half took a common daily multivitamin, as well as vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene supplements. The other half took a placebo. The researchers followed the participants to identify how many participants in each group developed new cases of two common eye diseases: cataract and age-related macular degeneration. Results showed a 9 percent decrease in risk for those that took the supplements.” Read more.

Compound Turns Cells into Photoreceptors

"Progressive degeneration of photoreceptors -- the rods and cones of the eyes -- causes blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. While there are currently no available treatments to reverse this degeneration, a newly developed compound allows other cells in the eye to act like photoreceptors," notes Science Daily. "As described in a study appearing in the February 19 issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron, the compound may be a potential drug candidate for treating patients suffering from degenerative retinal disorders." Read more.

Dead Cone Cells Kill Rod Cells

“There are two major light receptor cells in the mammalian eye: rods and cones. New research by scientists from Duke University have shown that dying cone cells can trigger the demise of healthy rod cells, leading to the loss of vision,” according to Medical News Today. “The study by Kyoung-in Cho and colleagues, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, showed that when a multifunctional protein known as 'Ran-binding protein 2' (RanBP2) is removed from cone cells it causes not only those cells to die but also results in the demise of the healthy rod cells in the eye. The authors also show that the rod and cone cells undergo a cascade of distinct and unusual events as they are dying. The demise of these cells can play a part in diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).” Read more.

New Drug Treatment for AMD

Medical News Today says that “a team of ophthalmologists at the University of Iowa has shown that a third drug, Eylea, can ease leaking and vision problems for wet AMD patients. In a study involving 31 AMD patients at the UI Hospitals and Clinics, researchers report that half of the eyes treated with Eylea had reduced fluid after three monthly injections. Moreover, in some cases subsequent bimonthly injections with Eylea were deemed as effective as monthly injections of Avastin and Lucentis over a similar time period, meaning fewer visits by patients and less cost.” Read more.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin Slow Progression of AMD, Confirms New NEI Study

“National Eye Institute Deputy Clinical Director Emily Chew, M.D., Ph.D., presented the results from the second Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS2) at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting in May. Her presentation expanded upon the results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA),” notes a news post from the AOA (American Optometric Assn.). “The primary analysis of the study tested whether adding FloraGLO Lutein and Optisharp Zeaxanthin, DHA + EPA, or a combination of the two to the AREDS formulation reduced the risk of progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by an additional 25 percent as compared to study subjects taking the original AREDS supplement, which was the study control arm. The data did not demonstrate a significant reduction in progression to advanced AMD in any of the three treatment arms as compared to the control group.” Read more.

AMD Remains Leading Cause of Visual Impairment for Elderly

“Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) continues to be the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States for people over age 65, according to a study recently published online in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology,” according to Science Daily. “AMD is a potentially blinding disease that affects more than 9.1 million Americans. This study, which tracked vision loss in relation to eye disease and treatment response in nearly 5,000 patients over a 20-year period, showed that despite the recent discovery of sight-saving drugs and advances in disease prevention, AMD still causes severe vision loss in approximately 15 percent of Americans 85 and older.” Read more.”

Fish Oil (DHA) Prevents Age-Related Vision Loss

DHA Fat Cell

"An omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, known as DHA, prevented age-related vision loss in lab tests, demonstrates recently published medical research from the University of Alberta," according to Medical News Today. "Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry researcher Yves Sauve and his team discovered lab models fed DHA did not accumulate a toxic molecule at the back of the eyes. The toxin normally builds up in the retina with age and causes vision loss." Read more.