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A study has linked low levels of oxygen in the blood overnight—a common sign of obstructive sleep apnea—with wet age-related macular degeneration. The findings suggest obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be a modifiable risk factor associated with the "wet" form of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The team conducted a sleep study involving 225 participants aged over 50 with different stages of AMD and measured their oxygen levels over three nights with a home-based finger oximeter. Their level of OSA was calculated based on the oxygen levels in their blood overnight. The results showed that moderate-to-severe OSA, which results in...

Light therapy could be a useful treatment for the most common form of age-related macular degeneration, a study says. The therapy, called photobiomodulation or "red light" therapy, can reduce the risk of vision loss and slow progression of the "dry" form of macular degeneration, researchers reported. About eight out of 10 people with macular degeneration have the "dry" form of the disease. They slowly lose central vision as the macula—a small but important area in the center of the retina—becomes thinner and accumulates tiny clumps of protein called drusen. There are effective drugs available for people with "wet" AMD, in...

I've got some mild macular degeneration (early 70s) that is making it hard to read. I've got a "pucker" on my right retina that causes some mild distortion which makes it hard to read. The images from the left and right eye don't line up perfectly anymore. My retina specialist doctor says he can operate on the retina to improve the problem, but he can't say for certain what the outcome would be. There's always a risk of any surgery and in this case it could be losing the affected eye. Also, recurrence of the problem in a few years...

As levels of nighttime artificial outdoor light rise, so do the odds for a leading cause of vision loss, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Researchers found that people living in areas of that country with the highest levels of streetlights and other artificial light had more than double the odds for AMD, compared to those living in areas with the lowest levels. That risk remained even after they accounted for confounding factors such as sleep issues and depression, said a team led by Dr. Ahnul Ha. City dwellers may be at particular danger for macular degeneration, since the link between the...

In a recent randomized, controlled human study, consuming grapes for 16 weeks improved key markers of eye health in older adults. The study looked at the impact of regular consumption of grapes on macular pigment accumulation and other biomarkers of eye health. This is the first human study on this subject, and the results reinforce earlier, preliminary studies where consuming grapes was found to protect retinal structure and function. Science has shown that an aging population has a higher risk of eye disease and vision problems. Key risk factors for eye disease include oxidative stress and high levels of ocular...

It could signal a new era in the treatment of age-related diseases. Anew gene therapy that reprograms cells to their younger state reversed vision loss in primates, according to a new study — potentially signaling a new era in the treatment of age-related diseases. The challenge: Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a condition caused by decreased blood flow to the optic nerve, resulting in sudden, significant, and usually permanent loss of vision in the eye. Scientists aren’t sure what causes NAION, but most of the 6,000 Americans diagnosed with it every year are over the age of 50....

Clinical trial results suggest that a specific step strategy, in which patients with diabetic macular edema start with a less expensive medicine and switch to a more expensive medicine if vision does not improve sufficiently, gives results similar to starting off with the higher-priced drug. The main complication of diabetic macular edema, fluid build-up in the retina that causes vision loss, is commonly treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs. Results of the trial, which examined a stepped regimen of anti-VEFG drugs Avastin (bevacizumab) and Eylea (aflibercept), were published today. "Our study showed that switching treatments when needed is...

Everyone who's ever been on the lookout for a good deal knows that price is one thing, but value is another. Cheaper isn't always better; some things that cost more are worth it. That's especially true when it comes to medical treatment, where "one size fits all" and "cheaper is better" are very bad models. Sure, research studies can effectively answer the question of how the average person will respond to a particular course of treatment. But you can only obtain such an average by measuring individual responses, which vary tremendously. The "best" treatment for a particular patient can't be...

Gene Therapy Transforms Eyesight Of 12 People With Rare Visual Defect A single injection in a patient's eye brings 'astounding' results. The findings may offer hope for those with macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Thomas H. Maugh II October 24, 2009 Pennsylvania researchers using gene therapy have made significant improvements in vision in 12 patients with a rare inherited visual defect, a finding that suggests it may be possible to produce similar improvements in a much larger number of patients with retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. The team last year reported success with three adult patients, an achievement that was...

Millions of people could have their eyesight saved thanks to ground-breaking laser treatment that has the potential to eradicate the most common cause of blindness. One of Britain's leading eye experts has developed a technique to reverse the disabling effects of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which leaves many older people unable to read, drive or live independently, and eventually robs them of sight in one or both eyes. Professor John Marshall has developed a way of "cleaning" eyes which, due to the ageing process, have accumulated tiny particles of debris which start to cloud their sight. His pioneering technique uses...

Former Cork club hurler Jimmy Aherne wept when he was told he would be blind within three years. The father-of-four -- who is a second cousin to hurling legend Christy Ring -- was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The condition is cruel, as it has traditionally been untreatable. For decades, thousands of pensioners who lost their sight were simply told they had "old people's blindness" and that nothing could be done for them. But today, almost 12 months after that shocking diagnosis, the deterioration in Jimmy's eyesight has been halted and his good eye has improved to the point...

A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years. US researchers have been given the go-ahead to implant the prototype device in 50 to 75 patients. The Argus II system uses a spectacle-mounted camera to feed visual information to electrodes in the eye. Patients who tested less-advanced versions of the retinal implant were able to see light, shapes and movement. "What we are trying to do is take real-time images from a camera and convert them into tiny electrical pulses that would jump-start the otherwise...

MADISON, Wis., Oct. 31 -- Regular exercise reduced the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by as much as 70%, researchers here reported. Action Points Even walking more than 12 blocks a day was beneficial, reducing the risk by 30% compared with a sedentary lifestyle, Michael Knudtson, M.S., of the University of Wisconsin, and co-authors, reported online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration may share common risk factors, such as weight, blood pressure, systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, they noted, and physical activity is known to improve the heart-risk profile. The Wisconsin team investigated...

ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- The first drug shown to significantly improve the vision of patients threatened by a major cause of blindness in the elderly won federal approval Friday. The drug, called Lucentis, treats the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, a disorder where blood vessels behind the retina leak blood and fluid, worsening vision and often causing blindness. An estimated 90 percent of the 1.4 million Americans who have lost their eyesight due to the disorder have the wet form. Lucentis, made by Genentech, Inc., a South San Francisco, Calif., biotechnology company, inhibits the growth of blood vessels when...

Eyetech Pharmaceuticals' drug to treat the leading cause of blindness in the elderly appeared to move closer to a broad government approval yesterday after an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration spoke favorably about it. The advisory panel was not asked to vote on whether the drug, Macugen, should be approved as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration. But committee members ruled unanimously that Eyetech had provided the F.D.A. with enough information to evaluate the drug. The panel members also did not seem to raise any serious new issues that would block approval. "It appears to me very...

University of Kentucky eye researchers have identified mice with two unusual genes as the first animals likely to help crack the mysteries of the nation's leading cause of blindness for people 50 and older -- age-related macular degeneration. Finding an animal with the eye disease -- or something very similar, in this case -- is a crucial first step to test potential treatments, said Dr. Jaya-krishna Ambati, UK's director of ophthalmic research. Ambati led the research and wrote about the findings in November's issue of the journal Nature Medicine, published Sunday. "In medical research and vision research this is a...

BOSTON (AP) _ To doctors' amazement, experimental new medicines are rescuing people from the brink of blindness so they can read and drive and sometimes even regain perfect vision. These lucky few are the first beneficiaries of an entirely new category of drugs that many hope will revolutionize the care of common eye diseases. Several competing medicines are in development, all based on similar principles. They are designed to stop the two top causes of adult blindness _ the ``wet'' form of macular degeneration, which affects the elderly, and diabetic retinopathy, the biggest source of blindness in working-age people. Vision...