Technology Review: Molecular Sunglasses for Macular Degeneration Dampening a light-sensing reaction in the eye might slow a common cause of blindness.

Description

Molecular Sunglasses for Macular Degeneration

Dampening a light-sensing reaction in the eye might slow a common cause of blindness.

Molecules designed to slow the production of toxic byproducts in the eye by making it less sensitive to light are now being tested in patients with macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people age 50 and older. If successful, the compounds would provide a much needed therapy for the disease, which affects more than 15 million people in the United States.

In macular degeneration, cells in the center of the eye, called the macula, deteriorate. A handful of new treatments for the more ...

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http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23835/

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23835/