British researchers believe that vitamin D may hep prevent or reverse age-related macular degeneration. The study results offered hope to patients dealing with the eye condition. Macular degeneration is caused by clogs in the blood vessels that connect to the retina which in turn causes inflammation and decreased vision and can lead to complete vision loss.

Mice that were used in the study were fed a supplement of vitamin D and safflower oil every three days. In as little as six weeks, researchers noted signs of improvement in their vision as well as a reduction of the toxic molecule amyloid beta. Amyloid beta is a protein that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers stress that full clinical trials in humans need to be conducted before any recommendations for older adults to start taking vitamin D supplements can be made.  Sources of vitamin D include exposure to the sun, and foods like oily fish and dairy products. sun

Dr. Paul Krawitz performing a dilated retinal examination

A recent study suggests that it would be more cost effective for new Medicare enrollees to receive dilated eye exams in place of visual acuity screenings. Currently, when people are enrolled in the Medicare program, they receive a visual acuity screening along with other preventive healthcare checks.

The study involved 50,000 simulated patients with demographic characteristics matched to people 65 years of age. Diabetics were excluded because visual acuity screenings had already been determined to be cost effective and patients with diagnosed eye disease were also left out.

Researchers found that when compared to a no-screening policy, dilated eye evaluations increased quality-adjusted life years by 0.0008 and increased costs by $94. The quality-adjusted life years for those who had visual acuity screenings increased in less than 95 percent of the simulations and the total costs were increased by $32 per person.*

Two separate research teams were forced to temporarily halt their studies which showed how to produce a version of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu virus that is easily transmissible in mammals. The findings led a U.S. government agency to request that only the results be published, leaving out the methods.

The H5N1 virus, although easily transmitted among birds, is not very contagious among humans. But the virus is very dangerous when do humans catch it –  343 of the infected people have died of the disease.

As a result, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (part of the National Institutes of Health) requested that the methods used in the experiments not be published.

A new study suggests that eating grapes might slow down or prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration. Researchers believe the antioxidant effects of grapes are what offer the protection.

The research was conducted at Fordham University and funded by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutues of Health and the California Table Grape Commission. The study compared the influence an antioxidant-rich diet had on vision using mice to conduct the study. The mice were divided into three groups with one group receiving a grape-enriched diet, one with added lutein or just a normal diet.

Researchers found that the grapes offered remarkably more protection than lutein and that the grapes offered benefit for vision even if the grapes were eaten at a young age. The study also indicated that age-related vision loss is a result of collective, oxidative damage over time. It was also noted that to achieve the benefits from eating antioxidant rich foods, they need to be consumed prior to the onset of advanced age.

Reziva, Dr. Krawitz’s trademarked French red grape formula, offers as much trans-resveratrol as 30 glasses of wine.

The discovery of a new source of stem cells at the back of the eye offers hope of possibly one day being able to repair the damage from age-related macular degeneration. Researchers discovered the central nervous system stem cells in a the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) which lies behind the retina.

Stem cells from the RPE layer were taken from they eyes of more than 100 deceased donors who ranged in age from 22 to 99. However, the cells would also be able to be taken from living people by inserting a needle in the eye and removing the cells from the sub-retinal space.

Using these retrieved cells, researchers were able to get about 10% of the stem cells to grow in the lab. Researchers believe that with additional manipulation, it would be possible to create other types of central nervous system cells and neural retinal cells in particular. RPE cells and photoreceptors are important cell types for age-related macular degeneration.*