Stem cell therapy What are stem cells? Stem cells are cells that are naturally found in the body. These cells have the special ability of being able to form many different cell types. Researchers have also found ways of taking normal human cells, such as skin cells and turning them back into stem cells to…
“Most cases of macular degeneration are dry, meaning that the macula tissues have thinned or deteriorated, or have formed abnormal deposits called drusen,” says Dr. Pace.
When your eyesight begins to fail, daily activities — taking medication, reading, driving — can become much more challenging. But a low-vision specialist can teach you tools and lifestyle modifications to help you see more clearly.
Dry AMD can progress to wet AMD. When this occurs, symptoms start to affect your vision. “Most specifically, [wet AMD affects your] ability to read, watch TV, and see other peoples’ faces,” Dr. Khurana notes.
Logging your symptoms can take any form that’s convenient for you, whether that’s a paper notebook, notes on your phone, or an app designed to track vision symptoms.
Researchers are working on a number of innovative approaches to assist the 11 million Americans with some form of AMD.
They need to know that total vision loss with wet AMD is extremely rare. Even in the worst cases, where patients lose part of their central vision in both eyes, the peripheral retina usually remains unaffected.
If you were a fish and your retina was damaged, it could repair itself and your vision would be restored in a few weeks.
“… cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a major role in optic nerve degeneration and blindness.”
“… Therefore, astaxanthin may be developed as a new drug to treat Diabetic Eye Disease from oxidative stress.”
An injection of stem cells into the eye may soon slow or reverse the effects of early-stage age-related macular degeneration, according to new research from scientists at Cedars-Sinai.
AMD appears to be associated with oxidative changes in the eye that are associated with the aging process. Also, many severe cases of macular degeneration have a genetic cause.