Filenews 26 December 2021
Hopes for the possibility of early diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration before patients experience vision disorders are given by new research from the University of Southampton published in Scientific Reports.
Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that causes progressive loss of central vision and is one of the main causes of a decrease in visual acuity. Macular degeneration in advanced form can lead to blindness with visual acuity of less than 1/10 – but it does not result in total loss of vision since peripheral vision remains intact.
The research evaluated the medical records of 30,000 patients who had had macular OCT OCT (optical coherence tomography OCT is the most frequently applied imaging examination of the retina and specifically of the macula), while at the same time the data of their gene profile were registered in the British biobank UK Biobank. There are 34 known genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration, and the researchers compared the OCT of those who had genetic risk factors with the OCT values of those who did not.
It is noted that the damage caused by macular degeneration is difficult to reverse, so early diagnosis and treatment are vital in order to reduce vision loss and stabilize the condition. Equally important is the adoption of preventive measures regarding the factors associated with the onset of the disease, including a healthy and balanced Mediterranean diet, exercise and smoking cessation.
Previous research has not fully explained which cells of the eye are the first to be affected by macular degeneration. Further examination of the available OCT retina in the biobear showed that the thickness of the photoreceptors was thinner in patients with genetic risk factors for macular occurrence.
According to the research team, these are findings that help to further understand the early stages of the disease and will help identify the cells that should target further research.
Although more research will be needed to plan a possible treatment, the ability to identify early symptoms of macular degeneration allows those in the risk groups to make the necessary lifestyle changes that can protect their vision.
