Blindness may be halt through Laser
Million of people every year go blind due to the lack of knowledge regarding the treatments available to prevent the eye sight. A new revolutionary laser treatment could save the sight of millions. The process is said to stop the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is one of the common forms of blindness that leaves the victim unable to read, drive & live independently.
This treatment can be carried out in just fifteen minutes by an expert ophthalmologist. It does not cure blindness but it could prevent a generation from having to put up with declining vision in old age. The technique is said to be safe & painless & could save people in treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is caused by damage to an area at the centre of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for our central vision.
It could even stop the disease getting worse in existing patients. There is no treatment for the most common 'dry' form. The more aggressive 'wet' version, in which new blood vessels cause bleeding & scarring behind the retina, can be stabilized with drugs. Professor John Marshall the inventor of this technique said, “It is really exciting news. It won't bring back damaged eyesight but it may prevent AMD. The technique rejuvenates the 'Bruch's membrane' - a thin layer that lies behind the retina.”
Bruch's membrane provides the retina's light-sensitive cells with nutrients & removes waste created as a by-product of the way retina cells renew themselves. But the membrane's cells eventually lose the ability to take waste away, allowing deposits to build up. It can then become so damaged that the retina's light sensitive cells start to die off. After the cells were energized by the laser, they began to clean up the waste again.
Using a laser stimulated the membranes’ tired, ageing cells into action. Patients also said the treatment led to a marked improvement in their sight. The non-invasive operation uses a laser modified to give pulses of light that do not damage the eye's light-sensitive cells or cause any dangerous heating of the target area. This research might prove a huge breakthrough for millions of people.
This treatment can be carried out in just fifteen minutes by an expert ophthalmologist. It does not cure blindness but it could prevent a generation from having to put up with declining vision in old age. The technique is said to be safe & painless & could save people in treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is caused by damage to an area at the centre of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for our central vision.
It could even stop the disease getting worse in existing patients. There is no treatment for the most common 'dry' form. The more aggressive 'wet' version, in which new blood vessels cause bleeding & scarring behind the retina, can be stabilized with drugs. Professor John Marshall the inventor of this technique said, “It is really exciting news. It won't bring back damaged eyesight but it may prevent AMD. The technique rejuvenates the 'Bruch's membrane' - a thin layer that lies behind the retina.”
Bruch's membrane provides the retina's light-sensitive cells with nutrients & removes waste created as a by-product of the way retina cells renew themselves. But the membrane's cells eventually lose the ability to take waste away, allowing deposits to build up. It can then become so damaged that the retina's light sensitive cells start to die off. After the cells were energized by the laser, they began to clean up the waste again.
Using a laser stimulated the membranes’ tired, ageing cells into action. Patients also said the treatment led to a marked improvement in their sight. The non-invasive operation uses a laser modified to give pulses of light that do not damage the eye's light-sensitive cells or cause any dangerous heating of the target area. This research might prove a huge breakthrough for millions of people.
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