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Vitamin B-based treatment for corneal disease may offer some patients a permanent solution
American Academy of Ophthalmology ^ | October 24, 2011

Posted on 10/24/2011 12:04:56 PM PDT by decimon

3-year outcomes of clinical trial of collagen crosslinking treatment for keratoconus highlighted at American Academy of Ophthalmology 2011 Annual Meeting

ORLANDO, Fla. – October 24, 2011 – Patients in the United States who have the cornea-damaging disease keratoconus may soon be able to benefit from a new treatment that is already proving effective in Europe and other parts of the world. The treatment, called collagen crosslinking, improved vision in almost 70 percent of patients treated for keratoconus in a recent three-year clinical trial in Milan, Italy. The treatment is in clinical trials in the United States and is likely to receive FDA approval in 2012. The results of the Milan study are being presented today at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Orlando, Florida.

In a session titled Long-term Results of Corneal Crosslinking for Keratoconus, Paolo Vinciguerra, MD will describe the treatment and three-year follow up of more than 250 keratoconus patients who received collagen crosslinking at his clinic. Sixty-eight percent of the 500 eyes treated gained significant visual acuity, with their results remaining stable at the end of the follow-up period. Patients over age 18 were most likely to improve.

In the collagen crosslinking procedure, riboflavin (vitamin B) is applied to the cornea, which is then exposed to a specific form of ultraviolet light. Collagen fibers regenerate with new bonds forming between them, increasing corneal stiffness and strength. The treatment also combats the causes of keratoconus, reducing the chance that it will recur. The rest of the eye receives only minimal UV exposure during treatment. Dr. Vinciguerra's new study confirms that adverse effects are rare. Previous research by his team indicated no loss of corneal endothelial cell, a measurement used to assess the safety of corneal treatments, in patients who received collagen crosslinking.

(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: vitaminb

1 posted on 10/24/2011 12:05:00 PM PDT by decimon
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To: neverdem; DvdMom; grey_whiskers; Ladysmith; Roos_Girl; Silentgypsy; conservative cat; ...

Ping


2 posted on 10/24/2011 12:06:02 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

Never mind that. I need something for a retina that’s splitting in layers. :o|


3 posted on 10/24/2011 12:27:54 PM PDT by Ladysmith (The evil that's happening in this country is the cancer of socialism...It kills the human spirit.)
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To: decimon

bump eye health


4 posted on 10/24/2011 12:31:37 PM PDT by Taffini ( Mr. Pippen and Mr. Waffles do not approve and neither do I)
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To: Ladysmith
Never mind that. I need something for a retina that’s splitting in layers. :o|

I'm sorry to see that. Does the condition have a name?

5 posted on 10/24/2011 12:49:37 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

Good news for me!


6 posted on 10/24/2011 12:58:47 PM PDT by Sparticus (Tar and feathers for the next dumbass Republican that uses the word bipartisanship.)
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To: Sparticus
Good news for me!

If you have that condition then maybe you can soon get treatment.

Good luck.

7 posted on 10/24/2011 1:03:12 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

I’m pretty certain it’s retinoschisis but not positive as I hadn’t asked. But the images taken by the specialist are consistent with those I’ve found on the web.


8 posted on 10/24/2011 1:07:59 PM PDT by Ladysmith (The evil that's happening in this country is the cancer of socialism...It kills the human spirit.)
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