Macular Degeneration News and Research

Latest Macular Degeneration News and Research

Tiny microneedles to treat macular degeneration

Thanks to tiny microneedles, eye doctors may soon have a better way to treat diseases such as macular degeneration that affect tissues in the back of the eye. That could be important as the population ages and develops more eye-related illnesses - and as pharmaceutical companies develop new drugs that otherwise could only be administered by injecting into the eye with a hypodermic needle.

23 Jul 2012

Foundation Fighting Blindness grants US$125,000 to Oxford BioMedica for UshStat Phase I/IIa trial

Oxford BioMedica plc, the leading gene-based biopharmaceutical company, today announces that the US non-profit organisation, the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), has granted an award of US$125,000 to the Company via its translational research arm, the Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Research Institute (FFBCRI) formerly known as the National Neurovision Research Institute (NNRI).

23 Jul 2012

Number of blind persons decline in Germany

The numbers of people in Germany who are blind or visually impaired is going down. Robert P. Finger and his co-authors present their findings in the current edition of Deutsches -rzteblatt International.

21 Jul 2012

RPB awards $110,000 grant to Mass. Eye and Ear and HMS for research into blinding diseases

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded a grant of $110,000 to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. The research will be directed by Joan W. Miller, M.D., Chief of the Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass. General Hospital's Departments of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

21 Jul 2012

Otsuka, Acucela commence rebamipide ophthalmic suspension Phase 3 trial in dry eye syndrome

Acucela Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing new treatments for blinding eye diseases, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., today announced the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate rebamipide ophthalmic suspension in patients with dry eye syndrome.

19 Jul 2012

ACT treats fourth patient in U.S. clinical trial for Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, today announced treatment of the fourth patient, the first in the second patient cohort, in its U.S. clinical trial for Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD).

13 Jul 2012

Nottingham researchers to lead Avastin clinical study for AMD

Nottingham researchers are leading a study to test the effectiveness of a controversial drug in the treatment of a common loss of vision.

12 Jul 2012

As needed ranibizumab effective for exudative AMD

Study findings suggest that ranibizumab significantly improves visual acuity in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration when administered initially on a monthly basis and followed by re-treatment if needed.

10 Jul 2012

Senior citizens report fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts

Today's senior citizens are reporting fewer visual impairment problems than their counterparts from a generation ago, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Improved techniques for cataract surgery and a reduction in the prevalence of macular degeneration may be the driving forces behind this change, the researchers said.

29 Jun 2012

Cheaper drug to treat wet AMD increases risk of serious eye inflammation

A Queen's University study of two eye drugs used to treat wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) has determined the cheaper of the two could lead to eye inflammation, a potentially blinding adverse effect.

19 Jun 2012

Positive results from Salutaris’ episcleral brachytherapy trial on Wet AMD

Positive results from a trial of episcleral brachytherapy to treat Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (Wet AMD) were presented today at the ARVO Drug and Gene Delivery to the Back of the Eye Conference.

15 Jun 2012

Ophthotech’s Fovista anti-PDGF combination therapy superior to Lucentis for wet AMD

Ophthotech Corporation today announced results from the first clinical trial to show statistically significant superior efficacy over Lucentis (ranibizumab) monotherapy for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

14 Jun 2012

VisionCare expands CentraSight telescope implant provider teams

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc., developer of the first FDA-approved ophthalmic telescope implant indicated to improve vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), announced today the expansion of its CentraSight™ provider teams nationwide.

8 Jun 2012

DHA prevents age-related vision loss in lab tests

An omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, known as DHA, prevented age-related vision loss in lab tests, demonstrates recently published medical research from the University of Alberta.

31 May 2012

Study examines effects of UV-blocking contact lenses on macular pigment density

Blocking the transmission of ultraviolet light (UV) through a contact lens may have an effect in maintaining the eye's macular pigment density, according to new research presented today at the 2012 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference. Existing research suggests that a higher level of macular pigment appears to have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of severe vision loss for people over the age of 55.

25 May 2012

Optogenetic Therapies for Vision workshop to be held on June 1

The Foundation Fighting Blindness and Massachusetts Eye and Ear will host the Optogenetic Therapies for Vision workshop on Friday, June 1, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., in Boston.

24 May 2012

GE Healthcare, KUH partner to drive advances in cell therapy technologies

Karolinska University Hospital Sweden and GE Healthcare Life Sciences today announced a joint research collaboration to drive advances in technologies and workflows for use in the rapidly emerging field of cell therapy.

22 May 2012

Human cytomegalovirus associated with neovascular AMD

A team of researchers, including a scientist from the Viral Immunology Center at Georgia State University, have found that a type of herpesvirus infection of the eye is associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that causes blindness in the elderly.

22 May 2012

More than 55% of U.S. adults lose or break their sunglasses every year

More than 55 percent of adults in the United States lose or break their sunglasses every year, according to a new report by The Vision Council.

18 May 2012

Researchers create prosthetic retina for patients with AMD

A device which could restore sight to patients with one of the most common causes of blindness in the developed world is being developed in an international partnership.

18 May 2012