Slowing sight loss discovery

RESEARCHERS AT Trinity College Dublin may have discovered a way to prevent one common kind of vision loss from progressing to a much worse form of the condition that can cause blindness almost overnight.

It offers fresh hope for those struggling with vision loss that a way can be found to delay or even halt the progressive blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Two to three years of research may be enough to allow human trials to begin, with proven new therapies expected within a decade.

“One in 10 over 55s will develop AMD,” making it one of the most common forms of vision loss, said Dr Matthew Campbell of Trinity’s ocular genetics unit. It starts with a “dry” form of AMD when deposits begin to build up on the central part of the retina, the cells at the back of the eye that allow us to see.

In 10 to 15 per cent of cases the dry form will progress to “wet” AMD and if this happens vision loss can be very rapid, said Dr Sarah Doyle based in the university’s immunology department.

The main treatment currently used to block the change involves regular injections into the eyeball. “Each injection carries the risk of infection, retinal detachment and other problems,” said Prof Pete Humphries, who heads the ocular unit at Trinity.

The research group believes that they have discovered something that slows the process which leads to wet AMD.