Stages of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) There are three stages of AMD: early, intermediate and advanced. Patients are classified depending on the size and number of drusen and the amount of vision loss. http://ping.fm/jRqjf

Stages of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) There are three stages of AMD: early, intermediate and advanced. Patients are classified depending on the size and number of drusen and the amount of vision loss.http://ping.fm/FTLak

Bionic Eye Breakthrough
With the successful creation of a new microchip, scientists in Australia are one step closer to making the bionic eye a reality. http://ping.fm/3iPwT

Holy Mackerel! Fatty Fish Fights Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Originally celebrated as a super-food for the brain, omega-3 fatty acids find another fan in retina specialists. The building blocks of the cell membrane, these powerful unsaturated fatty acids (known scientifically as DHA) are essential for the functioning of nerve tissues in the brain. http://ping.fm/IzL5b

The Power of Peas

Now that the science celebrating carotenoids as protective agents against the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is concrete, macular patients are constantly looking for ways to increase their intake. One of the carotenoids proven to reduce one’s risk of developing AMD and cataracts is lutein, and a great source of lutein are those sweet little green vegetables known as peas.
http://ping.fm/gfuYh

A Tale of Two Eye Controversies and Macular Degeneration...

Test of Eye Drug Is Said to Show Success in Elderly..A far less expensive alternative proved roughly as effective as Genentech’s costly drug Lucentis in preserving or improving vision in elderly people with a common eye disease, according to two people familiar with the results of a closely watched clinical trial.Genentech developed Lucentis to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of severe vision loss in the elderly. While Avastin, which is a cancer drug, has not been approved for use in treating macular degeneration, it has the same mechanism of action as Lucentis. And Avastin costs only about $50 per injection into the eye, compared to roughly $2,000 for Lucentis.

Many eye doctors already are using Avastin off-label to treat macular degeneration, and many say it appears to work just as well as Lucentis. But there has never been a definitive trial to compare the two drugs. 

So the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, sponsored a randomized trial involving 1,200 patients. Results are scheduled to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The results will also be published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Safety of the two drugs will also be closely watched. However, experts say that with only 1,200 patients, the trial will be able to detect only major differences in safety. 

Another part of the trial compared injecting the drugs as needed, depending on the course of the patient’s disease, rather than on a strict monthly schedule. One source said Avastin was slightly inferior to Lucentis, but the other said the results of the two drugs were the same. 

The trial comparing the two drugs is of the type known as a comparative effectiveness study. Such studies are being encouraged under the new health reform law, though this one started before the law was enacted.

For more information about this article, to learn more about research, or about the Macular Degeneration Association, please visit us at http://www.maculardegenerationassociation.org/ As always please consult your physician before beginning a new health regime. The Macular Degeneration Association is please to announce our next educational conference: New Treatments for Wet and Dry Macular Degeneration on Saturday, April 30th, 2011 in Winter Haven, Fl. To learn more about this conference please visit us on the web. The Spring Educational Symposium will cover all the latest treatments and information about macular degeneration including genetic testing. Genetic Testing will be available for those individuals that show signs of macular degeneration or have been diagnosed with this disease. We look forward to seeing you there. Thank you for your continued support.

Resources:http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/test-of-eye-drug-shows-success-in-elderly/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Can Running Help Protect Your Eyes?

According to various medical sources, you should...Run for your life. Vigorous activity can protect you from the two leading sight-stealers that occur over time: cataracts and macular degeneration.If you run a little farther than a mile a day (that's about 2,000 of the 10,000 steps you're taking daily anyway, right?), you reduce your chances of age-related macular degeneration by an impressive 36 percent.

Bump that up to five miles a day (you've taken care of your 10,000 steps right there), and you cut your AMD risk by 54 percent. Push just a little farther, to 5.5 miles, and you cut your risk of cataracts more. (Just don't start exercising this vigorously overnight; begin slowly and build up.)

Not a runner? No worries. Any workout that pumps up your cardio-fitness protects your sight — rowing, biking, swimming, doing weight-training circuits. What you eat also has a big impact. Run up to the salad bar and load up on key sight-saving nutrients: the vitamin C in tomatoes and citrus; zeaxanthin in spinach and bell peppers; and alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) in almonds and sunflower seeds. 

Add 900 mg of DHA-omega-3 a day as a supplement from algae, or in fish oil (check the label for "DHA"), or in three 4-ounce servings of salmon or trout a week. That combo — DHA, vitamin C and zeaxanthin — also will keep your joints young when you exercise.

For more information about this article, to learn more about nutrition and your health, or about the Macular Degeneration Association, please visit us at http://www.maculardegenerationassociation.org/As always please consult your physician before beginning a new diet or health regime. The Macular Degeneration Association is please to announce our next educational conference: New Treatments for Wet and Dry Macular Degeneration on Saturday, April 30th, 2011 in Winter Haven, Fl. To learn more about this conference please visit us on the web. The Spring Educational Symposium will cover all the latest treatments and information about macular degeneration including genetic testing. Genetic Testing will be available for those individuals that show signs of macular degeneration or have been diagnosed with this disease. We look forward to seeing you there. Thank you for your continued support.

Resources:http://www.kansas.com/2011/04/26/1822651/as-hens-eat-better-eggs-get-healthier.html