4 / 30
Sensor100
July 2015
4
First AMD Patient Receives Retineal Implant
It has been said that the human body is designed to live for 45 to 50
years. Today, in developed countries, male life expectancy is around
80, and female up to 85. It is not therefore surprising that signs of
wear and tear begin to appear; osteoarthritis, cardiac disease, and
neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s become in-
creasingly common in old age. Many cancers too show increasing
incidence in the ageing population. Most of these diseases require
long term management, rather than being amenable to a quick and ir-
reversible cure; biopharmaceuticals which target specific diseases are
the golden grail for research, but are not yet available for clinical use.
About 1 in 2000 non-diabetic people worlwide begin to experience
sight problems from age 65 onwards, as the macula, a central spot in
the retina, deteriorates, leading to loss of central vision, while periph-
eral vision remains. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the
commonest reason for blindness in non-diabetic patients over 65.
There are two types of AMD - “Dry” AMD is commonest and leads
to a loss of central vision over a number of years, but not total blind-
ness; “Wet” AMD occurrs in 10-15% of patients, can develop very
quickly and lead to total blindness but is treatable.
Position of the macula
Image: National Eye Institute
View of Tower Bridge as seen by
patient with AMD
Image: Macular Society