Are you worried that you might lose vision from macular degeneration?

Because vision loss can be irreversible, detecting early macular degeneration is essential to proper treatment!

Macular degeneration is the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness among elderly people. Detecting early macular degeneration can be difficult, since most studies, including the National Eye Institute’s Age Related Disease Study, have looked primarily at macular degeneration that is of medium severity or worse. Early macular degeneration, while predominantly an issue of senior eye health, can be seen in younger individuals. Detecting early macular degeneration may disclose the following subtle examination findings: (continue reading…)

The following story was submitted by one of our readers and I think we can all agree that Babe is a true inspiration and a perfect fit for this section. Our thanks go out to her son who was kind enough to share this with us.

“My mother will be 99 years young in September 2010. When she was 91 she had been reading (one of her most favorite things to do) and she suddenly felt a pain in her eye. She lost clarity and things became hazy to the point she could no longer read her book.” (continue reading…)

Travel Tips For People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Plan ahead. Read about your destination before your trip so you know what to expect and what sights you’ll want to visit. Make reservations whenever possible. Call airports and airlines ahead of time to find out about services, including seating arrangements, special meals and shuttle services. (continue reading…)

By Denise DeWitt

A new product just approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is offering new hope to elderly patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The implantable, miniature telescope is considered breakthrough technology to help offset the effects of AMD, which results in functional vision loss and is the leading cause of blindness in older Americans.

(continue reading…)

A famous local artist, Virginia Doyle, has graciously lent her work to Benetech/Bookshare for display on conference room and hall walls.

The unique aspect of this display is that in 2002, Virginia was diagnosed with macular degeneration, a medical condition of the eye that makes it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces.  This disease is a leading cause of blindness among older citizens due to the loss of light sensing cells in the retina. (continue reading…)

WVU mascot uses technology that keeps him focused

When Derek Fincham was 2 months old, his parents noticed something wrong with his vision. His eyes were crossed and constantly moved back and forth.

An eye specialist diagnosed his problem as ocular albinism, the absence of pigment in the eyes, which causes a variety of problems.

At age 23, Fincham is in his second year as the West Virginia University Mountaineer mascot. His eyes are extremely sensitive to light and he also has a condition called nystagmus, which means his eyes move constantly. (continue reading…)

Here’s one head-to-head drug test that should have been a slam-dunk and wasn’t.

National Eye Institute / Wikimedia Commons

The mottled pattern in this picture indicates age-related macular degeneration.

A few years back the government funded a clinical study of two drugs — one very expensive and the other not so much — to treat a leading cause of blindness. But the problems along the way should give everyone pause about how hard it will really be to figure out which medicines and treatments are better values, the idea behind so-called comparative effectiveness research.

At issue are two treatments for age-related macular degeneration. In 2005, the FDA approved Genentech’s Lucentis, a modified cancer drug, as the first-ever treatment for so-called wet AMD. The big downside? It costs $2,000 for a monthly dose.

Almost immediately, opthalmologists began using Avastin, the original cancer drug also from Genentech, which wasn’t approved for macular degeneration, instead. It cost only $50 per dose, and doctors who used it said it appeared to work just as well.

With the obvious need for a head-to-head comparison, particularly since 95 percent of wet AMD patients are on Medicare and thus treated at taxpayer expense, the National Eye Institute approved funding of a clinical study, called CATT for short, in 2006.

But that was the last part of the process that was simple, some of the study’s lead researchers write in a piece in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine. “Our experience with CATT highlights important roadblocks and dramatic changes needed in federal infrastructure for (comparative effectiveness research) to be conducted efficiently,” wrote the authors from the Cleveland Clinic and University of Pennsylvania.

The first obstacle came in figuring out who would pay for the drugs when there was no drug company to sponsor the research. Existing Medicare policy didn’t allow payment for the drugs; it took a specific change in policy which didn’t happen until 2007.

Then there was the problem of patient co-payments. The differential was obviously enormous between a drug that costs $2,000 a dose and one that costs $50 per dose, presenting a challenge not just for recruiting patients who would not want to be in the more expensive group, but for keeping the research “blind.” In other words, even patients with supplemental insurance would be getting “explanation of benefits” statements that would make it clear which drug they were getting.

Eventually, Congress passed a bill to create payment mechanisms needed to carry out such trials; a bill that didn’t pass until July 2008. That came too late for the CATT study, which finally got underway in early 2008, and reached its patient capacity in late 2009.

But the delays weren’t without cost, the authors noted. “The roadblocks delayed study initiation by more than a year, while another 200,000 patients and their doctors had to make decisions without important information about relative efficacy and safety,” they wrote.

And without a more comprehensive policy to cover both federal and private insurers about who will pay for drugs being tested in such trials, they note, “it is difficult to imagine that the $1.1 billion” included in the 2009 stimulus bill for comparative effectiveness research “will be used effectively.”

Link to original article at NPR.org www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/06/04/127480093/future-looks-blurry-for-comparative-effectiveness-research

What is Macular Degeneration

Age Related Macular Degeneration is a degenerative disease of the retina that causes progressive loss of vision in the center of the eye. People describe it as having a spot or blurry space in the middle of their vision that interferes with daily tasks like reading and driving. There are two types of macular degeneration, dry and wet.

Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration results when yellow-white deposits called drusen accumulate under the macula, which is the central portion of the retina. Scientists don’t know exactly why this occurs.

In Wet Age Related Macular Degeneration, abnormal blood vessel growth forms under the macula and leaks fluid damaging photoreceptor cells. Wet Age Related Macular Degeneration can progress rapidly and cause serious damage. If it’s caught early, however, laser surgery may be able to prevent extensive vision loss.

The risk of developing macular degeneration increases with age and the disease is the most common cause of vision loss in people over the age of 55, particularly women. While it significantly reduces vision, Age Related Macular Degeneration does not cause total blindness.

If you have suffered vision loss due to Age Related Macular Degeneration your doctor will probably refer you to a low vision specialist. This dedicated eye care professional will be able to evaluate your available vision and refer you to other specialists who can assist with rehabilitation and resources.

To learn more about vision rehabilitation please read our article called: “Vision Rehabilitation is the Key”.

Most of all, realize that you are not alone. Millions of Americans experience low vision through various eye diseases, like Macular Degeneration, and there are many organizations, professionals and resources available to you. In addition to these resources there are products, like digital magnification, which allow you to maintain your independence through the vision loss process.

Please visit our low vision products page to view our complete line of vision enhancement products to fit your individual needs.

Who turned on the lights?

After spending three years in the dark, a 90-year-old great-great-grandfather from Oregon who had been declared legally blind claims he’s suddenly regained much of his sight.

“God never treated anybody as good as he’s treated me,” Marty Alvey told the Daily News, three days after his vision inexplicably returned.

“When I got out of bed this morning, I looked into the mirror, and I said, ‘Hello there, Marty, nice to see you.’”

Alvey had given up reading and was forced to watch TV from a distance of 6 inches after being stricken with macular degeneration, which causes the loss of central vision.

Now the retired carpenter is hoping to go on sightseeing trips throughout the Northwest and possibly meet “a nice young gal, about 80 years old.”

“I’ve been reborn,” Alvey said, noting he can see clearly 5 feet ahead.

Alvey’s transformation came early Saturday after he awoke feeling woozy. After getting stuck in the bathroom, he crawled to his phone and called 911. On the way to the hospital, Alvey started feeling better.

When a doctor walked into his room, Alvey says he realized his vision had improved.

“He started talking to me, and I said, ‘You know, I can see you! I can see you!’” Alvey recalled. “I went crazy, completely crazy.”

A pair of ophthalmologists examined Alvey’s eyes two days ago and found no explanation for his improved vision.

“There are no anatomical changes within the eye to account for his subjective visual improvement,” said Dr. Anthony Cirino, of Kaiser Permanente in Portland, noting that Alvey’s performance on an eye exam showed no improvement. “From my standpoint, I can’t explain it.”

Alvey has spent the past few days tidying up his home in Tualatin, a suburb of Portland. The feisty nonagenarian has also relished gazing at photos of his five children and numerous grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren – and greeting his neighbors.

“Now when I meet people, I say, ‘Good morning, nice to see you,’ and I really mean it,” Alvey said. “Some people think I’m an old ding-a-ling, but that’s okay. I can see.”

Source for complete article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/08/12/2009-08-12_gramps_gets_vision_back_outta_sight.html#ixzz0OeIkxrNK