Archive for the ‘Macular Degeneration’ Category
Cataract surgical patients may lose some visual acuity 2 years after surgery
01.17.2012
One in eight cataract surgical patients lost at least two lines of visual acuity within the first 2 years after their surgery. The Cataract Surgery and Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study involved 1,936 patient who were age 65 years and older.
Visual acuity data was available for 1,809 of the study participants at 1 month post-operative and for 1,294 of the patients at 2 years. The cataract surgery was performed between 2004 and 2007 and researchers evaluated both presenting and pinhole visual acuity as well utilized retinal photography.
After 2 years, 71.9% of the patients maintained the visual acuity that they had at 1 month. 15.4% of participants actually had an improvement in their pinhole visual acuity while 12.7% recorded a reduction in visual acuity. Researchers noted that the strongest risk factor in reduction of vision after the surgery is the age of the patient and the presence of macular lesions.
Will Magnets offer new method of treating AMD?
01.14.2012
Researchers at the Sheba Medical Center are pleased with the initial results from an animal study being conducted to determine the effects of electromagnetic stimulation for retinal degeneration. Details of the study’s report were published in the Ophthalmology Times and results were presented at the International Symposium for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Vienna.
The study involved the use of a transcranial magnetic stimulation system which was developed by Brainsway Ltd. and there were two phases of the study. The first phase of the study involved fifteen rats. Over a 2 week period, eight of the rats received active stimulation while the remaining seven received a sham treatment. An improvement in the retina’s response to light was noted in the rats who received the active stimulation although it was a short-lasting improvement.
The treatment period was extended to 4 weeks in the second phase of the study and involved sixteen rats. Half of the rats received the real stimulation and the other half received sham stimulation. The extended treatment period resulted in greater and longer-lasting improvement in the retinal function of the rats receiving the real stimulation. An improvement in the photoreceptor function was also noted in this second phase of the study which was not indicated in the initial phase.
The study’s promising results will lead to further research. The additional research will involve testing the eye tissue and optimizing the treatment protocol. Clinical testing will also be done on human participants who have macular degeneration-induced blindness.
Time-released steroids offer a new way to treat AMD
01.12.2012
A collaboration between researchers at Wayne State University, the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Medicine resulted in the discovery that dry age-related macular degeneration could be treated by attaching steroids to nanoparticles called dendrimers. These steroids are delivered directly to the retina where they are delivered in a sustained-release manner and only target the cells that cause neuroinflammation and leave the rest of the eye alone.
The study which was published in the journal Biomaterials was conducted using rats and the results showed that one intravitreal injection of the nanoparticles offered neuroprotection for one month. Not only did the treatment reduce neuroinflammation in the rats but it also protected their vision by keeping the photoreceptors in the retina from being injured.
The treatment would benefit both dry age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Researchers acknowledge that the protection provided by the steroid is only temporary but that overall treatment provides sustained relief from neuroinflammation.*
Stay away from rice and potatoes, macular study says
01.10.2012
A study conducted at the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University reveals that a diet that is low on the glycemic index (GI) could help delay the onset of AMD.
Middle-aged mice that were fed either a lower or higher GI diet were evaluated in the study. The mice that were fed the lower GI diet developed fewer and less-severe age-related lesions in the retina than those that were fed the higher GI diet.
Those lesions that developed included basal laminar deposits which usually develop in the human retina after the age of 60. These deposits are the earliest warning sign of AMD. This is the first study to demonstrate a connection between a delay in the development of AMD-like lesions and a lower GI diet.*
Taking zeaxanthin improves vision in elderly, VA Hospital proves
12.14.2011
A recent military study revealed that elderly people have improved night vision and improved ability to discern fine details when they are taking zeaxanthin. Sixty elderly war veterans with early signs of age-related macular degeneration were evaluated over a 12-month period.
The study participants were given 8 mg of zeaxanthin daily and over the course of the study, their ability to drive at night improved and they had an average improvement of 1.5 lines on an eye chart. In addition, blind spots disappeared.
The Veterans Administration Hospital in Chicago conducted the study which was published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Optometric Association. Study participants were given either 8 mg of zeaxanthin, 9 mg of lutein or a combination of both over the course of a year.*
VisiVite.Com has a special page devoted to explaining Zeaxanthin. You can reach it by clicking here.
