Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Red – retinal arterioles, hemorrhaging, neovascularization, vascular anomalies, vascular tumors, retinal breaks, holes in retinoschisis, cilioretinal artery, and inner portion of thin areas of retina

Since AAV2 vectors do not eliminate or repair the faulty gene, the therapeutic effects may not be permanent. In several studies, improvement of visual sensitive peaked a few

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is one of such currently untreatable causes of blindness. RP, along with Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) are amongst the more frequent causes of blindness in the developed world (Greenwald 2009), while RP itself is the leading cause of inherited blindness (Palanker 2004).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness for people 60 years of age and older in the developed world. Vision loss is caused by the destruction of the cone photoreceptors, located in the macula, that are responsible for color/central vision. The underlying cause of AMD is the loss of the monolayer of pigmented epithelial cells located just below the photoreceptors, known as the retinal pigmentum epithelium (RPE). The main role of the RPE is to maintain the function of the photoreceptor layer by secreting nutrients, absorbing stray light, and recycling debris used during the visual cycle. As a person ages the efficiency of the RPE layer is diminished causing a build up of toxic by-products. These toxic build-ups, known as drusens, result in the separation and death of the photoreceptor and RPE layers. AMD is speculated to result from as many as 20 different genetic mutations and as a result there is no known cure for the disease (CITE), but recent advances in stem cell therapy is a hopeful step in the right direction.

Macular Degeneration is a disease of the eye that gradually causes loss of a person’s central vision. Approximately 1.75 million Americans suffer from vision loss associated with the disease (All About Vision 1). The leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60, Macular Degeneration, exists in two types (National Eye Institute 1). Both the wet and dry versions of the disease have similarities in risk factors, but differ in symptoms and treatments.

The research topic I will be introducing is Age-Related Macular Degeneration. This has been classified as a degenerative disorder that distresses the macula in one’s eye. AMD is unfortunately a common illness that individuals over 65 suffer from and that is a central cause vision loss. AMD doesn’t have a set disease pathway, in some individuals it advances slowly so that loss of vision does not arise for a long time. The disease can also advance much quicker and may lead to lack of vision in either or both eyes. The disease begins a blurry area near the center of one’s vision which grows larger and larger possibly causing a blank space in the eye (Boyd, 2013). Research is being done on AMD because it is a prevalent illness and has extreme consequences.

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody to VEGF and binds to VEGF re-ceptor and prevents binding of VEGF to the receptor7. Various studies have shown the decrease in VEGF levels after intravitreal injection of bevacizumab8. The advantages of bevacizumab are the intravitreal injec-tion is a short procedure. In most cases single injection was effective8. In cases where rubeosis iris, rigid pupil or poor visibility precludes use of Laser, avastin can be used. The drug is relatively impermeable to blood retinal barrier9. Thus the systemic absorption is less. In a 5 year follow up study after Avastin injection - no systemic effects was found10. Only ocu-lar effect reported was myopia11.

Researchers have demonstrated a significant thinning of the RNFL in AD patients who have not expressed visual impairment. Similar results have been found in other studies; however, the efficiency and sensitivity of the SD-OCT have allowed identifying that the majority of these changes affect the superior quadrant, where there was decrease of approximately 10 µm, compared to healthy controls. An accessible biomarker, such as the change in RNFL thickness, gives clinicians the opportunity to provide neuroprotective therapies during early stages of the disease, and may be of use for further research on new treatments.

Macular Degeneration is a disease that affects the retina of the eye. The retina is a layer in the back of the eye that helps us to see. It is also the lining of the eye that helps us respond to light. However, when having macular degeneration there are major changes in a person's central vision. The disease causes central images to appear blurred and then dark spots may begin to appear that get larger and larger. It may also be very hard to see straight lines as Macular Degeneration may cause them to be curved. When having this disease color may appear to be darker and less vivid than normal.

Visual impairment is a state wherein an individual experiences difficulty in seeing or not being able to see anything physical presented to them. According to Mandal, MD (2013) It is a state where a visually impaired person’s eyesight cannot be corrected back to a “normal level”. Visual impairment is often associated with old age. In Europe, an estimated 15.5 million people have visual impairment and in seven countries in Europe, about 50% of blindness is caused by age-related macular degeneration. (Dibb,

AMD is a neurodegenerative disease that preferentially affects the macular (central) region of the retina, although the reason for this is not clearly understood. The disease is categorized into early, intermediate, or advanced stages based on the severity of symptoms, including the number and size of drusen accompanied by hyper- or hypopigmentary changes and the presence or absence of choroidal neovascularization. The yellowish lipid-rich, protein-containing drusen deposits accumulate between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and Bruch’s membrane and are symptomatic of early disease. Drusen are considered the “hallmark” of AMD. The term “dry AMD” refers broadly to early or

Vascular activity goes down dramatically within 24 hours of Avastin injection in virgin eyes and the effect is sustained. However, this treatment is not nearly as effective in salvage therapy of eyes having prior ablation. Once neovascularization resolves and intrinsic vessels cross the ridge (usually within one to two weeks), the growth delay can be variable, making follow up all the more critical in these patients. Per BEAT ROP, bevacizumab therapy is associated with fewer recurrences than laser therapy during the first 52 weeks of life. However, when we have followed these eyes over subsequent months, late recurrences have been seen with increased frequency in bevacizumab treated eyes. Recurrences arise at two distinct locations, the leading

As humans, we don't always see with our eyes, but often with our imagination (Grunwald, 2016). Often times as people we never realize how useful our vision really is to us. You really don't think about something like that until it would actual happen to you. Throughout this essay, you will learn how the body is affected by Macular Degeneration (MD). Different signs and symptoms, as well as the etiology of MD, will be discussed. In the following, diagnosis tests and treatments may also be listed in order to help others who would like to know more about MD. Not to mention, you will learn the incidence and progression of MD. Furthermore, information though agencies and associations, as well as new research about MD will be given.

Diabetic retinopathy cause change in retina such as changes in blood vessel diameter, hemorrhages (tiny spots of blood that leak into the retina), macular edema(swelling or thickening of the macula caused by fluid leaking from the retina's blood vessels) and new vessel growth. Diabetic retinopathy can be classified according to presence or non-presence of abnormal neovascularization as nonproliferative (NPDR) and proliferative(PDR). NPDR is the early stage of disease which it causes shrinking and sweelling of the blood vessels and changing the diameter. This random change in diameter affects blood flow to the retina. This variance of blood flow can also affect other areas of the eye - some areas do not get enough blood while other areas

     Macular Degeneration is a problem in the part of the eye that controls your sharpest central vision. It is a group of diseases that result in a loss of detailed vision. The brain will not just leave the spot empty, so it learns to fill it in with spotty macular cell damage. People most of the time don't tell their doctors (opthalmologists) about it until it is well in advance.