Possible New Treatment for Dry Macular Degeneration

Patients with dry macular degeneration (dry MD) may be one step closer to a treatment with an LT-300 light delivery system developed by American company LumiThera. Althought this treatment is in its very early trial stage it is news worth sharing.

This device uses photobiomodulation (PBM), which involves noninvasive lightemitting diodes for the treatment of ocular diseases. “LumiThera can begin commercialisation in European sites which coincides with the LIGHTSITE II Clinical Study in the upcoming months,” said Dr. Clark Tedford, LumiThera President and CEO. “We are excited to be able to offer a safe and effective early stage clinical intervention for patients with dry AMD.”

“It is very exciting to see the development of PBM treatment for dry AMD patients,” said Dr. Samuel Markowitz, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto. “These patients have limited options and losing their central vision is horribly debilitating to their quality of life. Previous studies showed PBM therapy was most beneficial in early stage dry AMD patients. It was also determined that retreatments will be needed to maintain clinical benefits.”

“PBM may change the way we think about treating dry AMD,” said Dr. Robert Devenyi, University of Toronto. “Until now we just waited and watched the patients lose vision with limited options. Now we may have a treatment that can target improvement in visual outcomes and reduce a key component of the pathology. The next step is to confirm the early results in the multi-center LIGHTSITE II trial and work with the ophthalmology medical community in establishing best treatment practices.”

Macular Disease Foundation Australia CEO Dee Hopkins cautions that more research is required. “Researchers are working hard to develop treatments for patients with dry AMD” said Ms. Hopkins. "While the initial results showed some improvement in a small sample of patients, we can’t draw too many conclusions at this stage. Further well conducted research is necessary.”

TheraTears® Drops are back!

After a long break we now have TheraTears® Eye Drops back on our shelf. The options for dry eye drops can seem overwhelming, but we have found TheraTears® Eye Drops have a loyal following. Our TheraTears® users have had to use other drops for the last while, but most are switching back again. 

Successful products are often developed by someone trying to find a new solution. In this case it was a young medical student at Columbia University.  Dr Jeffery Gilbard was astonished by the lack of dry eye treatments available in 1976. He was the youngest scientist in history to receive project grant funding from the National Eye Institute, and his summer research project turned into one of the most productive dry eye research programs in the world.

Dr. Gilbard’s research program had one goal: to develop a profound understanding of dry eye and a treatment that could offer true relief. After completing his ophthalmology residency at Harvard Medical School in the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr Gilbard remained as a Head Fellow in Cornea. 

His light-bulb moment came in the form of a question: “Why do the living cells on the eye surface need a tear film–and what do they need from the tear supply?” The answer: oxygen and electrolytes. Supplying oxygen and electrolytes restores the eye’s natural balance, called Osmo-Correction® (read more about Dry Eye). This discovery led to TheraTears® Eye Drops.

How fortunate we are today to benefit from his research and being able to use these drops.     

          **********************

We have been sending TheraTears®  Eye Drops sister product TheraTears® Eye Nutrition Capsules around the country, through our online shop, this may offer a more convenient option for you.