A pioneering eye patch improves vision in people with severe age-related sight loss, new research suggests.
When
implanted at the back of the eye of people suffering from dry macular
degeneration, all experienced improved or stabilised vision, a US study
found.One woman, aged 69, was even
able to read 24 letters on an eye chart after having the device fitted,
compared to just seven before, the research adds. The
device involves placing a wafer-thin patch coated with
healthy embryonic retinal cells on the tissue near the optic nerve,
which sends impulses to the brain where images are formed.
Dry
macular degeneration affects around 1.75 million people in the US alone
and causes reduced central vision due to thinning of the part of the
retina responsible for people's direct line of sight.
The
researchers, from the University of Southern California, placed the
patch, measuring 6x4mm, on the retinas of four people with advanced dry
macular degeneration.
Each of the participants only had one eye tested, while the other served as a control.
One
year on, the patch stabilised the disease in all of the participants'
treated eyes, while those that had not received the patch continued to
deteriorate.
Two of the participants were better able to maintain their vision on a single object a year after the implant was fitted.
The
researchers believe their findings suggest the patch improves the
vision of people with severe age-related dry macular degeneration, at
least in the short term.
They plan to conduct a larger trial that tests the device on patients at an earlier stage of the disease.
The findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Eating plenty of salmon and mackerel protects against sight loss
This
comes after research released last December suggested eating plenty of
salmon, sardines and mackerel may protect against sight loss.
A
chemical in oily fish boosts the survival of cells that are critical to
vision, protecting against age-related sight decline, a study by
Louisiana State University found.
Omega-3 oils 'precondition' cells in the eye to withstand 'stress', such as a loss of blood supply, according to researchers.
In
laboratory tests, human eye cells exposed to constant light withstand
damage if they are supplemented with such oils, the research adds.
Although
fish oil contains omega-6 AA, which is inflammatory and could therefore
cause damage, the fatty acid omega-3 DHA is thought to alter the former
substance's effects.(DAILYMAIL HEALTH)
