Even though there is no treatment available for Dry Macular Degeneration (AMD) there is lots and lots of research going on all of the time. In many ways Dry AMD is similar to a disease called Stargardt's Disease in which the retinal photoreceptors, the rods and the cones, degenerate and die as a result of degeneration in the pigmented layer of the retina. This retinal pignmented epithelium (RPE) might be saved with an injection of RPE cells that are generated from Stem Cells.
Advanced Cell Technology is about to conduct a clinical trial on patients with Dry AMD in order to determine if injecting these cells is safe. The goal is to preserve RPE cells and therefore preserve vision. Pre-clinical trials on animals did show improved vision with no side effects.
While there are no FDA approved treatmenst for Dry AMD there are now at least 4 possibilities in active trials. Stay tuned here at Skyvision for the latest news!
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