Irv Arons is the creator of – and driving force behind – Irv Arons’ Journal, an online compendium of the latest information on ophthalmics, medical lasers, clinical trials, developments in stem cell therapy and gene therapy, and emerging drug therapies and treatments for retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration. Until his retirement in 2005, Irv … Continued
Gislin Dagnelie, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the associate director of the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center, a division of the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. His work over the last 20 years has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of … Continued
During the past several years, there has been much “buzz” in the popular press about the capabilities of the so-called “bionic” eye, described variously as “miraculous,” “restoring sight,” and “letting me see again.” At VisionAware, we have followed the development of “bionic” or “prosthetic” vision closely, avoiding hyperbole and striving to report factual, research-based information … Continued
The International Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Genomics Consortium, which includes 26 centers worldwide, has published new data and information about the role of genes and their contribution to the risk of macular degeneration. Previously, researchers had identified 21 regions of the human genome – called loci – that are associated with an increased risk of … Continued
Gene therapy for the treatment of specific eye and retinal disorders, such as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), has shown promise, but research has produced uneven results thus far and has not produced a cure. To date, gene therapy studies have raised concerns among researchers, including inconsistent initial and longer-term results, such as this LCA gene … Continued
Results from a new clinical trial have revealed that the injectable drug Lucentis is highly effective in treating proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a serious vision-related complication of diabetes. “These findings,” said Dr. Paul Sieving, Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), “provide crucial evidence for a safe and effective alternative to laser therapy against proliferative diabetic … Continued
Although the advent of anti-VEGF therapy (also called eye injections, explained below) has revolutionized the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), there are still a number of persons – although in the minority – who do not respond to treatment. It is these “non-responders” or “reduced responders” who continue to pose significant challenges to … Continued
The PIVOT Study (Patient-centric Innovative Vision HOme Testing) is a new clinical study that is being initiated to determine if persons with diabetic macular edema (DME) or wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) can use the myVisionTrack™ (mVT™) mobile medical application (also called an “app”) on a smart phone (Apple iPhone) or digital tablet (Apple … Continued
Please note: This is an older post and there have been setbacks and significant changes in stem cell research for eye disease since this was first published. For more current information, see Our Readers Want to Know: What Is the Progress of Stem Cell Research for Eye Disease? Answer: It Has a Very Long Way … Continued
Researchers from the National Eye Institute and New York University have published new research that implicates the normally beneficial and protective “trash-collecting” central nervous system cells in the accelerated cell death associated with retinitis pigmentosa. Please note that this research is in its earliest stages and has been conducted thus far only with laboratory mice. … Continued