Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease that causes progressive damage to the macula. This is the central section of the retina that allows people to see fine details. According to agingeye.net “When the macula degenerates, people experience blurring or darkness in the center of their vision.” This impairs the ability of people to read, drive, or even recognize faces. It develops when a membrane at the back of the eye starts to clog up with natural waste. In young people enzymes remove the waste but in some elderly people this system shuts down.
The condition affects “Approximately 10 percent of patients 66 to 74 years of age will have findings of macular degeneration. The prevalence increases to 30 percent in patients 75 to 85 years of age.”
Enhanced Risk Factors for Macular Degeneration
People who smoke are two to three times more likely to suffer from this progressive ailment.
There also appears to be a genetic predisposition to AMD; agingeye.net reports “If you have a first degree relative who has macular degeneration, then your likelihood of developing macular degeneration is about 2.5 times greater than someone who does not have a relative with macular degeneration.”
The disease is slightly more common among women and non-Hispanic white people.
Other factors that may increase the likelihood of macular degeneration are:
- Exposure to sunlight;
- Hypertension; and,
- High cholesterol and obesity.
New Laser Treatment Shows Promise
According to BBC News (July 6, 2009), “There is currently no treatment for the most common form of AMD...” However, Professor John Marshall of King's College London has developed a laser treatment that seems to delay the onset of the problem.
The laser treatment boosts the enzymes that clean away debris that builds up behind the eye. The non-invasive treatment is painless and does not damage the cells needed for sight.
Professor Marshall, told The Daily Mail (July 6, 2009): “It is really exciting news. It won’t bring back damaged eyesight but it may prevent AMD.”
Early Testing Display Positive Results
The first trials of the technique were carried out on people with diabetic eye disease. These patients were chosen because AMD develops faster in this group.
Daily Mail reporter David Derbyshire wrote that “Professor Marshall will now treat up to 200 people with AMD in one eye as part of a second trial. Such patients usually get the disease in the other eye within three years.
“He wants to see if the laser prevents the good eye losing its sight. ‘If you can delay the onset by three, four, six, seven, or ten years, it’s proof of the principle,’ he said.”
The BBC interviewed Tom Pey, Director of External Affairs for Guide Dogs for the Blind, which funded the research. The news organization quotes him as saying “This is potentially a huge breakthrough for millions of people across the world.”
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