- Latest news▼
-
18:00, April 18 Daily Mail: Elderly woman in China gets infected with brain-eating amoeba
-
14:19, April 18 Obesity: exercising before breakfast helps you lose weight faster
-
10:42, April 18 The Conversation: childhood trauma can cause pathological hoarding
-
08:37, April 18 Daily Mail: Satiating food reduces cravings for sweets, nutritionist says
-
18:22, April 17 First Armenian-German Conference entitled “Heart Failure Spring School”
-
08:38, April 17 Why do kids usually recover from COVID-19 more easily than adults?
-
14:37, April 16 Daily Mail: intermittent fasting is not suitable for children and women before their periods
-
16:41, April 15 Cell: in carriers of defective BRCA2 gene, sugar consumption increases cancer risk
-
15:04, April 15 305 cases of measles recorded in Armenia so far in 2024
-
14:38, April 15 Food and Environmental Virology: tea contributes to effective coronavirus control
-
12:41, April 15 Daily Mail: vitamin A, B3 and E supplements can be dangerous
-
10:56, April 15 Diabetes Care: evening physical activity is good for the heart
-
08:27, April 15 Women are more susceptible to blood loss and death during bypass surgery than men, researchers say
-
18:42, April 13 WHO: Nigeria pioneers revolutionary meningitis vaccine
-
16:43, April 13 One-third of women experience menstruation-related migraines, most often during premenopause - study
All materials
Stem cell transplant offers new hope for people with age-related macular degeneration
British surgeons have developed a groundbreaking surgery that may help restore vision of people diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Age-related macular degeneration is a vision loss characterized by the gradual or sudden damage on the macula, a part of the retina that is responsible for central vision. Without it, a person would lose the ability to see straight ahead. Although it can develop at any time, macular degeneration occurs usually during old age, specifically when men and women are already 50 years old and above. It is the most common cause of vision loss among this age group.
AMD, which comes in different forms and stages, doesn't have any cure. Treatments such as AREDS and AREDS2 are based on the combination of certain supplements like beta carotene, zinc, and vitamin C. No treatment can be applicable to people who have been diagnosed in the early stages of the disease.
But there may be hope.
Doctors at Morofields Eye Hospital are currently conducting a trial using embryonic stem cells. These embryos came from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics that have never been utilized and have been donated.
In this novel technique, the doctors re-create the pigment epithelium cells using the stem cells. The developed cells are then the ones that are placed in the damaged areas of the macula.
So far, the technique has already been carried out in one of the ten patients who are part of the trial. The woman, 60, had a wet AMD described to be uncommon but aggressive. The surgery was successful, but since it was performed only the previous month, it may take several weeks before the actual impact of the procedure can be analyzed. Further, more studies covering a much bigger group may have to be conducted.
Nevertheless, the surgeons have already demonstrated the safety of the procedure, and in time, treatment for AMD may be as common as surgeries for cataracts.
Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter
- Video
- Event calendar
- Archive
- Most read
month
week
day
- Pediatrics: Hypoglossal nerve stimulation implant helps with sleep apnea 1361
- Health minister: Simulation educational center will be created, assisted reproductive technology capacity will increase in Armenia 1317
- WHO: Nigeria pioneers revolutionary meningitis vaccine 1169
- One-third of women experience menstruation-related migraines, most often during premenopause - study 1136
- Women are more susceptible to blood loss and death during bypass surgery than men, researchers say 943
- Food and Environmental Virology: tea contributes to effective coronavirus control 921
- Daily Mail: vitamin A, B3 and E supplements can be dangerous 920
- Cell: in carriers of defective BRCA2 gene, sugar consumption increases cancer risk 893
- 305 cases of measles recorded in Armenia so far in 2024 885
- Diabetes Care: evening physical activity is good for the heart 874
- Daily Mail: intermittent fasting is not suitable for children and women before their periods 699
- First Armenian-German Conference entitled “Heart Failure Spring School” 492
- Why do kids usually recover from COVID-19 more easily than adults? 361
- Obesity: exercising before breakfast helps you lose weight faster 345
- The Conversation: childhood trauma can cause pathological hoarding 339
- Find us on Facebook
- Poll