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Research from the University of Southampton gives new insight into possible causes of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss among people aged 50 and older.
The study, published in the journal Experimental Eye Research, discovered that a group of proteins, which are linked to Alzheimer's disease, are able to accumulate in the retina and damage it. The researchers hope that the discovery could lead to better treatments for patients.
AMD is a progressive disease that causes the death of the retinal photo-receptors, the light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye. The most severe damage occurs in the macula, a small area of the retina that is needed for sharp, central vision necessary for reading, driving and other daily tasks.
There are two different types of AMD -- 'wet' and 'dry'. In wet AMD, the growth of leaky blood vessels which damage the retina can be stopped. However, this does not work for everyone, and is a way to manage rather than cure wet AMD. By contrast, dry AMD has no approved treatment as yet.
Dr Arjuna Ratnayaka, a Lecturer in Vision Sciences at the University of Southampton, who led the study, said: "We know that AMD is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle risk factors, but this novel discovery could open up new possibilities to understand how the aging retina becomes damaged. Such advances are important if we are to develop better AMD treatments in the future.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday November 29 2016, @02:20AM
I'm up to three pairs of glasses now: one for 0-18", one for 18" to 6', and one 6' and beyond ... wait, what was my point?
(Score: 1) by anubi on Tuesday November 29 2016, @03:33AM
I consider your situation same as mine.
I do not have a problem with resolution, but I have a problem with focusing. Seems my eyes are like a camera with a stuck focus adjustment and asymetrical lenses which focus differently in the X and Y plane ( astigmatism ) , and use lenses to compensate.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday November 29 2016, @06:17PM
That's completely normal; everybody loses their ability to focus in their forties. The reason is that your focusing lens focuses by being stretched, making it flatter, but in middle age the lens becomes hard. The only people my age who can focus are ones like me with a CrystaLens implant.
TFS is about macular degeneration, which only a small unlucky percentage of the population experiences. It makes sense, because the retina (the macula is the center of the retina) is actually a part of your brain!
But you guys can have perfect vision for fifteen thousand dollars. As your eye doctor about the CrystaLens. Don't bother trying to find it on wikipedia, because as soon as someone adds the information (it was FDA-approved in 2003), other IOL manufacturers erase it (which is the trouble with wikipedia).
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org