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Major cause of blindness linked to calcium deposits in the eye

By Guest PostJanuary 22, 2015Healthage related, alzheimer's disease, amd, amyloid beta, andres de los, blue diamond, calcium deposits, evan smith, geologische stoerungen, helping students, macular degeneration, mystery, photoreceptors, retina, reyes, school context, stefan walser, steven shirey, vision, wellenfront des lichts

Microscopic spheres of calcium phosphate have been linked to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of blindness, by UCL-led research.

AMD affects 1 in 5 people over 75, causing their vision to slowly deteriorate, but the cause of the most common form of the disease remains a mystery.* The ability to spot the disease early and reliably halt its progression would improve the lives of millions, but this is simply not possible with current knowledge and techniques. (more…)

One-two punch could be key in treating blindness

By Guest PostMay 1, 2013Scienceachromatopsia, andras komaromy, blindness, central nervous system, cntf, fido, humans, michigan state university, model disease, molecular therapy, most younger dogs, photoreceptors, protein, treatment, university of miami, veterinary ophthalmologist

Researchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man’s best friend, the treatment could help restore vision in people, too.

Published in the journal Molecular Therapy, the study builds on earlier work by Michigan State University veterinary ophthalmologist András Komáromy and colleagues. In 2010, they restored day vision in dogs suffering from achromatopsia, an inherited form of total color blindness, by replacing the mutant gene associated with the condition. (more…)

Photoreceptor Transplant Restores Vision in Mice

By Guest PostApril 19, 2012Scienceblindness, brain, central nervous system, cones, degenerate retina, degenerative eye diseases, degenerative eye disorders, diabetes, embryonic stem cells, institute of ophthalmology, macular degeneration, mice, photoreceptor transplantation, photoreceptors, rachael pearson, retinitis pigmentosa, rob buckle, robin ali, rods, stem cell therapies, transplanting photoreceptors, ucl, vision, visual information, visually impaired

Scientists from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology have shown for the first time that transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually impaired mice can restore their vision.

The research, published in Nature, suggests that transplanting photoreceptors – light-sensitive nerve cells that line the back of the eye – could form the basis of a new treatment to restore sight in people with degenerative eye diseases. (more…)

Tag Archives: photoreceptors

Major cause of blindness linked to calcium deposits in the eye

One-two punch could be key in treating blindness

Photoreceptor Transplant Restores Vision in Mice