A study was conducted by Dr Akiyama & associates from the Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka in Japan to evaluate the treatment effect of topical unoprostone isopropyl (unoprostone) (in the form of eye drops) on patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). This medication is currently used in glaucoma.
Forty patients with typical forms of RP were included in the study, out of which 17 patients were treated with 0.12% topical unoprostone twice daily in a randomly selected eye. The efficacy of the treatment was monitored by visual acuity and visual field testing using the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA). In addition, 12 RP patients who were included this study and 12 normal subjects were evaluated in terms of their macular blood flow of both eyes after instillation of unoprostone using the laser speckle method.
Retina India is a not-for-profit organization, registered with the Charity Commissioner, Mumbai, India, established for empowering people with retinal disorders, and bringing them and their families on a common platform with physicians, researchers, counselors, low vision and mobility experts and other specialists.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Is Valproic Acid effective in treating patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa?
There have been some reports in academic journals about the use of Valproic acid (VPA) in Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). We thought we can review the current status of these trials and evaluate where we stand in the outcomes.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Is docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) effective as treatment for patients with X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa?
X-linked retinitis pigmentosa is a severe inherited retinal degenerative disease with a frequency of 1 in 100,000 persons. Because no cure is available for this orphan disease and treatment options are limited, slowing of disease progression is considered to be a meaningful outcome.
A study was conducted in Dallas, Texas, at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, and others, to determine whether high-dose docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, slows progression of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa as measured by cone electroretinography (ERG).
A study was conducted in Dallas, Texas, at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, and others, to determine whether high-dose docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, slows progression of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa as measured by cone electroretinography (ERG).
Iodine supplement may limit or reduce extent of macular thicking in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Current treatments for cystoid macular edema (CME) in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are not always effective, may lead to adverse effects, and may not restore visual acuity. The present research lays the rationale for evaluating whether an iodine supplement could reduce CME in RP.
A study was orgnized at the Berman-Gund Laboratory for the Study of Retinal Degenerations, in the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in Boston, to determine whether central foveal thickness (CFT) in the presence of CME is related to dietary iodine intake, which was inferred from urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in nonsmoking adults with RP.
A study was orgnized at the Berman-Gund Laboratory for the Study of Retinal Degenerations, in the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in Boston, to determine whether central foveal thickness (CFT) in the presence of CME is related to dietary iodine intake, which was inferred from urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in nonsmoking adults with RP.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Blind veteran shows how he sees world through photography
By the time an inherited eye disease crossed into legal blindness in 2009, Ed Waldrop had already lost the ability to drive and he feared countless other freedoms would soon be next. But what he lost in sight, he gained in a seize-the-day attitude that revived a long-buried, if now unlikely, ambition to make visual art.
In the past three years, the Augusta Air Force veteran, who serves as the health chaplain at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, has used what free time he has to transform nature, architecture and vintage cars into unique compositions consistent with how he sees the world.
To read more, read the article in The Augusta Chronicle.
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| (c) JON-MICHAEL SULLIVAN |
In the past three years, the Augusta Air Force veteran, who serves as the health chaplain at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, has used what free time he has to transform nature, architecture and vintage cars into unique compositions consistent with how he sees the world.
To read more, read the article in The Augusta Chronicle.
Friday, May 23, 2014
epiCam, a camera for screening diabetic retinopathy being developed by Epipole, may save sight of millions
Epipole is building a mass market diabetic retinopathy monitoring and screening platform usable by both clinicians and non-clinicians in a home or social environment. The system will provide monitoring capabilities as well as a portable, low cost tool for clinicians for tele-medicine applications.
The platform consists of three parts:
- A retinal fundus camera tuned specifically to this task.
- Safe Cloud based storage for all images.
- A sophisticated piece of software usable by non-clinicians which can run in limited-compute environments.
- 100.8 (154.9) million people with diabetic retinopathy
- 20.6 (31.7) million with proliferative diabetic retinopathy
- 21.3 (32.8) million with diabetic macular edema and
- 33.4 (51.3) million with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy.
More about epiCam here.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Launch of a new alliance for global assessment of diabetic retinopathy
A new project has been launched to assess the awareness, treatment and implications of diabetic retinopathy globally. Results are intended to inform decision-making and policy development around this common and serious complication of diabetes.
Project partners, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), working in collaboration with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) will gather evidence on knowledge, policies, standards of care, and supportive services for retinopathy across 40 countries.
Retinopathy is one of the most common complications associated with diabetes and one of the major causes of adult blindness. Up to 11% of adults with diabetes have Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), a specific type of diabetic retinopathy. According to the IDF Diabetes Atlas 6th edition, there are large variations in the estimates of retinopathy prevalence in people with known diabetes, with estimates ranging from 11 to 45% worldwide in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The global assessment of retinopathy has two substantive and connected phases:
1. Phase I comprises approximately 120 interviews in eight countries representative of low, middle and high socio-economic status to better understand the level of awareness of: retinopathy as a condition and common complication of diabetes; the access, availability and pathway to retinopathy services; and the existence and content of relevant governmental policy.
2. Phase II is the implementation of a survey in 40 countries, which will be formulated based on the data gathered in Phase I. The survey aims to garner statistically significant evidence intended to assist in the development of effective governmental policy.
The project will culminate in the production of a barometer report and a compendium of resources designed to increase awareness, as well as to inform policy and practice related to diabetic retinopathy and vision loss across countries.
This project is financially supported by Bayer Pharma AG. Bayer is not involved in the analysis of the findings.
Source
Project partners, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), working in collaboration with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) will gather evidence on knowledge, policies, standards of care, and supportive services for retinopathy across 40 countries.
Retinopathy is one of the most common complications associated with diabetes and one of the major causes of adult blindness. Up to 11% of adults with diabetes have Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), a specific type of diabetic retinopathy. According to the IDF Diabetes Atlas 6th edition, there are large variations in the estimates of retinopathy prevalence in people with known diabetes, with estimates ranging from 11 to 45% worldwide in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The global assessment of retinopathy has two substantive and connected phases:
1. Phase I comprises approximately 120 interviews in eight countries representative of low, middle and high socio-economic status to better understand the level of awareness of: retinopathy as a condition and common complication of diabetes; the access, availability and pathway to retinopathy services; and the existence and content of relevant governmental policy.
2. Phase II is the implementation of a survey in 40 countries, which will be formulated based on the data gathered in Phase I. The survey aims to garner statistically significant evidence intended to assist in the development of effective governmental policy.
The project will culminate in the production of a barometer report and a compendium of resources designed to increase awareness, as well as to inform policy and practice related to diabetic retinopathy and vision loss across countries.
This project is financially supported by Bayer Pharma AG. Bayer is not involved in the analysis of the findings.
Source
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