Eye Conditions

My father-in-law who has wet macular degeneration was recently put on a new prescription medication.   Within 24 hours of starting his new medication he could tell a stark difference in his vision which had become severely blurred.  Thankfully it scared him and he contacted his doctor who instructed my father-in- law to stop taking the […]

“Light at night is bad for your health, and exposure to blue light emitted by electronics and energy-efficient light bulbs may be especially so.” Blue Light Has A Dark Side Harvard Health Letter MAY 2012   Blue light exposure may affect our health in two significant ways:   Interferes with melatonin production and sleep circadian […]

Anyone who gets frequent eye injections for wet AMD or diabetic macular edema would be quick to agree that if there was a treatment that made it possible to get the same results with a once a year visit to the eye doctor, they would be first in line. My mother and father-in-law know first […]

Retinal implants are becoming available in many different forms, from intraocular lenses and telescopes to drug delivery systems. NeuroTech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. out of Cumberland, Rhode Island specializes in chronic eye diseases and has developed an implant that provides continuous medication to the back of the eye through a one or 5 chamber implanted device. Encapsulated […]

Living with Diabetes is a growing concern for doctors and patients of all ages, as the number of Americans suffering with Diabetes continue to rise. It’s a disease that affects a long list of the body’s various organs, including our eyes. As Diabetes progresses, visual impairments can occur as a result of Diabetic Retinopathy, which […]

Currently, over 4 million Americans are suffering from Glaucoma. This low vision disease, a leading cause of blindness which typically affects older people, is referred to as “the sneak thief of sight”; it’s early stages often go undetected. Early detection is paramount, as doctors and specialists can possibly restore lost vision, or maximize their remaining […]

Recently I joined a new low vision support group. I knew no one in the group of 200 women. They did not know me either and only the person who invited me knew that I had a visual impairment. Since my format would need to be adjusted so that I could participate, she told the […]

Positive results from a Phase II advanced dry macular degeneration study has opened doors to a Phase III clinical trial  involving more than 900 patients in 20 countries.  The study will run for two years. The drug Lampalizumab “slowed progression of dry, aged related macular degeneration in patients with advanced disease, shrinking the area of […]

In a recent blog by ophthalmologist and low vision specialist,  Lylas Mogk, MD., she reports that “about 30% of people with vision loss experience Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) for a year or two, in which they see clear, colorful images of people, animals, flowers or buildings, for example, that aren’t really there. The person seeing […]

There has been lots of activity in the research world using embryonic and adult stem cells to treat not only macular degeneration, but other eye diseases as well, such as Stargardts macular dystrophy, optic nerve disease and glaucoma.   These early Phase I clinical trials enroll very small numbers of patients, leaving the rest of the […]