Promising Hope For Macular Degeneration

Marp2 · ‎01-31-2012

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A class of drugs used for three decades by people infected with the virus that causes AIDS may be effective in treating a leading cause of blindness among the elderly.

HIV drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), including AZT and three others, blocked age-related macular degeneration in mice and worked well in experiments involving human retinal cells in the laboratory, researchers said on Thursday.

In HIV-infected people, NRTIs block an enzyme the virus uses to create more copies of itself. The new research shows the drugs also block the activity of a biological pathway responsible for activating inflammatory processes in the body.

It is that previously unrecognized quality that makes NRTIs promising for treating macular degeneration as well as graft-versus-host disease, a rarer ailment that can occur after a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, the researchers said.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/hiv-drugs-show-promise-treating-common-eye-disease-190837700.html

Teacups · ‎04-13-2010

that is great news ....My MIL had it very bad.

June Lands · ‎11-13-2014

About time! The government needs to make this more of a priority! No research is being done.

JuJu Squeezie · ‎08-16-2013

Excellent news, I hope it keeps coming.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

If you can block inflammatory processes in the body then you could help MANY diseases that start out as inflammation. Arthritis come most immediately to mind.

Free2be · ‎03-10-2010

Good news. The politics of research, testing, approvals and marketing is beyond my knowledge except that there are barriers left and right. I wish it could be given a green light all the way with safety the first consideration.

Topaz Gem · ‎03-10-2010

My mother had macular degeneration and it was so sad, because she loved to read and especially missed reading her Bible. I'm so glad that there's hope for others who are suffering from the disease.

"Summer afternoon-summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~Henry James

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

On 11/20/2014 Topaz Gem said:
My mother had macular degeneration and it was so sad, because she loved to read and especially missed reading her Bible. I'm so glad that there's hope for others who are suffering from the disease.

Topaz my mom had it also, she voluntarily gave up driving because of it, couldn't read like she used to or knit or crochet anymore.

Preds · ‎12-17-2012

Wonderful news! So hope it keeps working and more can be done with it.

Fate whispers to her, "You cannot withstand the storm." She whispers back, "I am the storm."

ShowMe · ‎09-06-2010

About 3 months ago my eye doctor was checking me for my glaucoma pressure, and at that time he recommended that I see a retina specialist because he was not sure, but was suspecting the beginning of macular degeneration.....so he arranged for me to have an appointment with a very good one...... After numerous hours in the retina specialist's office, he said I could go home and sleep well that night because I don't have it. But to be double sure, he wants me back in 6 months (3 months now) to be on the safe side. Have so much with my eyes all my life, and you have no idea how scared I was with that news from my eye doctor. The specialist told me my doctor had seen some black spots in my eye, and that is why he was thinking MD......but the specialist said what is happening to me is part of the aging process.

It would be fantastic if they could stop this from happening......

I too know several folks that have it........