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There's Hope and Help Right Near You
Dealing with the challenges of macular degeneration can be difficult. AMD Alliance International is here to be your global resource and to provide hope and help to patients with AMD.
We have more than 60 member organizations in 25 countries around the globe which include world-renowned leaders in research, ophthalmology, vision rehabilitation, and patient and senior's advocacy. Whether you are looking for a local support group, a low vision rehabilitation center near your, or someone to direct you to the latest visual aids, our members throughout the world are ready to help.
AMD Alliance International has created a great new resource to help you find a member in your country or region. On our webpage, www.amdalliance.org, click on the map at the center of the page to direct you to a listing of all of our members as well as an interactive map to help you locate a member geographically. | |
Calling All Filmmakers
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AMD Alliance International is launching a short film/video contest with a Grand Prize of $10,000. People all over the world are invited to submit videos in English (or with English subtitles) no longer than three minutes in length.
The video should help create an understanding and awareness of macular degeneration, a disease that is the most common cause of vision loss in the western world.
Videos will be reviewed by renowned producers and directors from Hollywood and will be judged on originality, creativity, effectiveness, production quality and YouTube hits.
Three winners will be selected. From the three finalists, a Grand Prize winner will be awarded $10,000 USD. Second place will receive $2,000 and third place will receive $1,000. AMDAI will use the video contest to promote awareness of macular degeneration throughout the world through traditional and social networking media.
The contest will end on February 28, 2010. Winners will be announced on March 31, 2010. Details and rules are available on our website
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AMD Research
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Could Gene Therapy Help AMD Patients?
In 2008, it was reported that a small number of patients with a retinal disease known as Leber congenital amaurosis had their vision restored through a single gene therapy treatment. Now a year later, researchers at the National Eye Institute in the United States report that those patients are healthy and have maintained their early visual improvement. In addition, one patient also noticed a visual improvement that helped her perform daily tasks. Scientists described these findings in a recent letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine.
But what does this mean for patients with other vision-robbing diseases? Could gene therapy work for macular degeneration?
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| Living with AMD |
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New Study in the US to Find Ways for People with AMD to Better Cope with Depression
Learning that you have macular degeneration can be overwhelming. Many people diagnosed with the disease often experience varying degrees of depression. In fact AMD patients are two to three times as likely to experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression than others in their age group.
What is surprising, though, is that until just a few years ago, very little attention was given to the relationship between depression and AMD. Thankfully, that is changing.
Two years ago, a study on preventing depression in patients with age-related macular degeneration was conducted to help determine whether problem-solving treatment can prevent depressive disorders in patients with recent vision loss.
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Laser Therapy |
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New Type of Laser Treatment Shows Potential for AMD
Very early results from a study on a new laser technique being tested at Kings College London are suggesting a new approach for future AMD treatment.
This particular laser method, which experts believe is at least five to ten years away if all goes well, revitalizes a certain component in the retina that will hopefully preserve useful function in the light-sensitive cells that normally die as a result of aging and from the dry form of AMD.
The laser works by stimulating enzymes to clean away waste material from an area of the eye known as Bruch's membrane. The thickness of Bruch's membrane increases as we get older. This may impede some of the transportation of waste material which can cause a build up of deposits known as drusen. The presence of larger and more numerous drusen is a common early sign of age-related macular degeneration.
In essence, Professor John Marshall and his team are trying to reset the visual clock by returning the aging retina to a more youthful state, before vision loss can occur.
Read more
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AMD Alliance International
Bringing Hope and Help to People Living with AMD
AMD Alliance International is the only international organization in the world dedicated exclusively to promoting awareness, treatment and research into macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in the developed world. With more than 60 organizational members in 25 countries, we are comprised of the worlds' leading vision, seniors and research organizations.
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