February is Macular Degeneration Month.
Encourage your friends and family to get a dilated eye exam this month!
Early detection and early treatment are critical to saving vision.
What follows are links to stories about the latest in research regarding Macular Degeneration from AMD.org. To subscribe to the AMD.org newsletter, click here.
Stem Cell Therapy for AMD Safe/Effective in Clinical Trial
The first two patients to receive stem cell derived retinal tissue had no complications and are even seeing a little better. The patients were treated at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute as part of the Advanced Cell Technology clinical trial.
Lucentis Sustained Delivery
Genentech, maker of Lucentis, has just signed an agreement to develop a drug delivery system for Lucentis that would reduce or eliminate the need for repeated injections.
Eylea - New Drug for Wet AMD
At the Retina 2012 conference, Dr. Peter Kaiser presented additional data on the new injectable drug, Eylea. Eylea was approved by the FDA in November and is currently being shipped to retinal specialists.
Genetic Testing for AMD
Dr. Michael Gorin at Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA is looking for individuals age 49-65 years old, who have at least one parent with macular degeneration. He is conducting a nationwide study of genetic and other risk factors that contribute to the development of age-related macular degeneration.
You or members of your family may be eligible to participate - and you don't have to travel at all!
Check out the Macular Degeneration Project website at AMD.org for more information, or give them a call at 888-430-9898.