"Early Promise For Eye Implant To Fight Macular Degeneration" - Dennis Thompson

A new stem cell transplant might help preserve or even restore vision being lost to the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, a new pilot clinical trial has shown. In the experimental therapy, a specially engineered sheet of stem cells is transplanted into the back wall of the eye to replace a layer of cells destroyed by age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  "This type of technology is very exciting considering that it aims to replace the precise layer of cells that are progressively damaged in a form of macular degeneration that affects millions of people and is one of the major causes of irreversible blindness in the U.S.,” said Avnish Deobhakta, MD, assistant professor of vitreoretinal surgery and ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and retina surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. "At present, we do not have any effective treatments for the dry form of macular degeneration that results in this sort of retinal atrophy, so this therapy has the potential to change the way we look at this disease and possibly give patients hope that at the very least we can stem the tide of disease progression,” he added.

- Avnish Deobhakta, MD, Assistant Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Retina Surgeon, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai

Learn more

Additional coverage:
U.S. News & World Report
WebMD
Doctors Lounge
Drugs.com
UPI