Certainly one of the worst things that can happen to anyone is to lose one of your major senses. And the loss of sight is especially devastating to anyone of advancing years. I have seen this with my own mother losing her sight to Macular Degeneration. This is the major cause of blindness in over 60′s in the western world.
I’m encouraged by news of a possible laser surgery technique developed by Professor John Marshall of Kings College London. The technique works by clearing away the natural waste products that build up in the membrane at the back of the eye. This waste material, produced by the light sensitive cells, clouds the vision. In younger healthier eyes it’s dispersed naturally.
The painless “short pulse” laser works by boosting the release of the enzymes to clean away the waste without damaging the cells that enable us to see.
Unfortunately it cannot restore the sight to people that have already been affected by Macular Degeneration, but it could be of benefit to those in the early stages for whom there is currently no effective treatment
BBC NEWS | Health | Laser cure for old-age blindness
TweetTags: AMD, blindness, eye disease, laser treatment, Macular degeneration