New research published in the journal PLos One earlier this month has many sufferers of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) hopeful for the possibility of a new treatment.
Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that gradually destroys the macula, the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision needed for seeing objects clearly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 2 million Americans over the age of 40 have poor vision caused by AMD.
The new findings experimented with a chemical PPADS (short for pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2’,4’-disulfonic acid) to repair AMD-related damage to the eye. Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts induced tissue damage and blood vessel growth characteristic of AMD in anesthetized mice and then applied PPADS daily, which resulted in the chemical healing the eye damage.
The positive implication from this is the fact that a topical application of a drug – for example, in the form of an eye drop – could ultimately be used on humans to treat AMD. Previous research sought to show that certain dietary supplements, such as lutein, were effective in reducing the risk of progressing from dry macular degeneration to wet macular degeneration. This new study has many researchers excited for the possibilities of self-administered treatments.
Ophthalmologist Thomas Henderson, M.D. explained, “If confirmed in humans, this chemical, given as an eye drop, could potentially reduce or eliminate the huge cost of and need for monthly injections into the eye to stabilize wet macular degeneration and preserve vision.”
Because this research is the first of its kind to demonstrate a topical application of a drug treating wet macular degeneration, much more research is now due in order to confirm this study’s findings.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/40387-eye-drops-could-treat-age-related-macular-degeneration.html
Photo Credit: Ross Toro, myhealthnewsdaily.com