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News items on 'Senile Macular Degeneration'
(Daily Express 15/09/2009)
WHEN a treatment for blindness was made available on the NHS, 250,000 people had their quality of life restored. SIAN GRIFFITHS's mother was one of them. It Is Tuesday afternoon at the Amman Valley Hospital in Ammanford on the south western edge of the Brecon Beacons. Its Wet AMD treatment centre has just opened for its theatre session and today 24 patients are booked in. My mother Shirley, who is 84, is one of them and expects to receive her fifth (and hopefully) last eye injection.
Parents 'ignoring eye sun danger'
(BBC 18/08/2009)
Three in four parents are risking their child's eyesight by exposing them to bright sun without appropriate protection, experts warn. Nearly a third of parents in Britain do not buy their children sunglasses, a poll of 2,000 people for the College of Optometrists revealed. Of those who do, nearly half put price before protection and only a quarter buy sunglasses from a trusted brand. The College recommends choosing dark glasses with a CE mark for quality.
(The Scotsman 06/07/2009)
THE surgeon who pioneered laser eye surgery to cure short-sightedness has unveiled a new technique which could prevent millions of older people from going blind. Professor John Marshall, a senior ophthalmologist at King's College, London, has developed a laser technique which can delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in over-sixties in the western world. Prof Marshall said he hopes the treatment will be available in two to five years.
New hope for elderly facing sight loss
(The Scotsman 19/06/2009)
Scientists in Belfast and Waterford in the Irish Republic found that antioxidants in fruit and vegetables may slow sight loss in elderly people. Professor Usha Chakravarthy, from the Queen's University Centre of Vision and Vascular Science, co-ordinated a five-year study of nutritional supplements for patients with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and found they helped sharpen vision. AMD is an incurable eye disease which blurs vision by damaging the macula.
Oily fish 'can halt eye disease'
(BBC 08/06/2009)
People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) should eat oily fish at least twice a week to keep their eye disease at bay, say scientists. Omega-3 fatty acids found in abundance in fish like mackerel and salmon appear to slow or even halt the progress of both early and late stage disease. The researchers base their findings on almost 3,000 people taking part in a trial of vitamins and supplements. An estimated 500,000 people in the UK suffer from AMD, which destroys central vision.
Stem cell therapy hope for blind
(The Scotsman 19/04/2009)
BRITISH scientists are reported to have developed the world's first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness. Surgeons have predicted that the treatment for age- related macular degeneration (AMD) will become a routine, one-hour procedure that will be generally available in six or seven years. The procedure involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells.
Eye 'compensates for blind spot'
(BBC 10/04/2009)
Partially sighted and registered blind people can be taught to read and see faces again using the undamaged parts of their eyes, say experts. When only the central vision is lost, as with the leading cause of blindness, age-related macular degeneration, peripheral vision remains intact. And patients can be taught to exploit this, the Macular Disease Society says. It has developed a training scheme and is calling for professionals to adopt the system across the UK.
Too much red meat could lead to blindness claim scientists
(Telegraph 18/03/2009)
Researchers have shown that those who consume 10 portions or more a week are nearly 50 per cent more likely to experience deterioration of the retina in old age. But tucking into chicken at least three times a week can have a protective effect, reducing the risk of blindness by more than half [more research required].
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Almost half of over 50s 'unaware of leading cause of blindness'
(Telegraph 16/02/2009)
A study found that 44% of people aged 50 and over said that they knew nothing about Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Many were confused about the symptoms and causes of the disease, the findings show. Experts warned that the lack of awareness could lead to a late diagnosis and limited treatment options. Everyone should have regular eye checks to minimise the risk, they recommended.
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