VISION LOSS BREAKTHROUGH!
(Retinal implants to restore sight impaired by age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Anna Kuehl was scared. Ever since a diagnosis of dry macular degeneration in her late 40s—younger than most patients—she had been monitoring her sight, using a special tool known as an Amsler grid. One day a large black area appeared in her left eye, and she went back to her doctors at the University of Southern California for help. There she discovered that a team of researchers was working on a promising treatment for her condition that involved stem cell-based implants. Even as she began taking the required immune-suppressant medication leading up to the surgery, she says, “I wasn’t scared anymore. I was looking forward to it.”
Surgeons implanted the tiny device—about the size of a human red blood cell—into the retinas of 15 patients, including Kuehl. Now that some participants have passed the key one-year mark with improving vision, the procedure has cleared the way for a larger clinical trial.
The treatment uses an ultrathin layer of specialized retinal cells to slow the progress of dry AMD. In some cases, the procedure actually improves vision. That’s what happened to Kuehl. She can now read her watch and see her entire face in the mirror. “Shortly after the surgery, I turned to my husband while we were watching TV and said, ‘I can see all their faces!’” Doctors say FDA approval is about five years away.
(October/November 2020, AARP The Magazine)