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THE MAGNIFIER Issue #37, November 30, 2005
Newsletter from the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 531313 Henderson, NV 89053
http://www.eyesight.org
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Acuity Medical Proceeds
with FDA Pre-market Approval Application for TheraMac(TM)
Monday October 17, 2005 9:45 am ET
BRIGHTON, Mich., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ - Acuity Medical is working with the FDA to design the pivotal pre-market approval
(PMA) clinical trial for TheraMac(TM), a medical device for the treatment of dry macular degeneration. Currently there is no approved treatment for dry MD. The proposed trial will have a 3-month efficacy endpoint and a
6-month safety endpoint and will include approximately 300 patients. The PMA trial will assure TheraMac's safety and effectiveness for its intended use and that it will be manufactured in accordance with current good
manufacturing practices. TheraMac(TM) received CE Marketing in Europe in 2002.
Acuity Medical has already successfully completed a proof of concept FDA trial of TheraMac(TM) which showed that in two weeks 26% of the eyes
treated had improved vision by 10 letters or more, the equivalent of two lines on the eye chart. There were zero serious adverse events. Acuity Medical has also completed an open label study on 404 patients. Acuity Medical,
located in Brighton, Michigan, is a therapeutic technology company that is developing treatments for all aspects of macular disease.
At this time, Acuity Medical is not treating patients nor are they selling medical devices.
Interested clinical participants should monitor Acuity Medical's web site, www.acuitymedical.com in the coming months for patient recruitment information. For more information, contact Tom McColley at (810) 229-5828 or at
tom.mccolley@acuitymedical.com.
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LETTERS TO LIZ:
Eunice from Australia Comments: "I get so much comfort from my issues of The Magnifier. Without those first few issues I
would not have been strong enough to cope with the sudden deterioration of sight in my left eye, and the prognosis of three different problems with my eyes. I have taken the steps suggested, take the vitamins suggested, and
my sight has actually improved mildly. My specialist calls me his 'Wonder Patient'. The deterioration is now very slow, thank God, and at 59 I am continuing to write my books, and get articles published. Yes there
are times when I get disorientated in strange places, but by asking for assistance I meet some very nice people! I do so agree with your words on being positive. I also keep saying 'God is healing my sight', and it works!"
Best Wishes, Eunice
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Bacterium Present in Eyes with "Wet" Macular Degeneration
Source: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
http://www.meei.harvard.edu
Founded in
1824, MEEI is an international center for treatment and research and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. For more information, call (617) 573-3700 or TDD (617) 523-5498.
Released: Mon 07-Nov-2005
Newswise-
Researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) have found that Chlamydia pneumoniae, a bacterium linked to heart disease and capable of causing chronic inflammation, was present in the diseased eye tissue of five out
of nine people with neovascular, or "wet," macular degeneration. However, it was not found in the eyes of more than 20 individuals without MD, providing more evidence that this disease may be caused by inflammation.
The study is described in the November issue of Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.
MD is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over the age of 55. The majority of vision loss is due to
neovascular MD, the advanced form of the disease characterized by the formation of blood vessels in the macula, the center part of the eye's retina. These blood vessels often leak, thus giving neovascular MD the name of
"wet" MD."
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Red Wine Drinkers Decrease Risk of Cataracts
August 15, 2005 - Red wine consumption decreases the risk of cataracts but beer does not seem to work, say
researchers who studied older people in Iceland. That is the conclusion of researchers in the Reykjavik Eye Study. The study was designed to look at the deterioration of eyesight in 1,379 people age 55 and older. These
researchers at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik followed the health and diet of a group over 55 year olds for a period of five years. The study examined the progression of age-related eye disease in Iceland and was mainly
concerned with cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.
The alcohol consumption research was designed to look at whether there was an association between cataract development and alcohol use. Results showed
that non-drinkers and heavy drinkers of any sort of alcohol had a substantially increased risk for cataract development, while moderate red wine drinkers had only half the risk. For red wine drinkers, moderate consumption was
anything between two glasses per month to two or three glasses per day. Moderate red wine drinking had the largest protective effect.
In addition, there is evidence that moderate red wine consumption may also have benefits
which protect neurons or other brain cells against cerebral ischemia, macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, and possibly Parkinson's disease. Quercetin and resveratrol have also been shown to have protective effects in
neurotoxicity. Now, a recent study done at McGill University in Canada provides new evidence that moderate wine consumption may protect against certain neurological disorders, especially age-related
neurodegenerative disorders such as memory loss and dementia.
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MAGNIFIER NEWSLETTER - AUDIO VERSION
An audio version of the current Magnifier is now available online from
the Foundation's "Newsletter" web page. Look for a gray arrow next to the archives. Most browsers able to show a FLASH video will stream and play the audio file.
http://www.eyesight.org/Newsletter/newsletter.html
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CONTACTING MDF
To speak to a support representative directly, you may call 1-888-633-3937. If you reach our
voice mail, please speak slowly and distinctly.
ORDERING BOOKS & TAPES
When purchasing items from Amazon.com, please remember to use the MDF search box located at http://www.eyesight.org/Books/books.html . By
simply originating your search from our website, Amazon rewards the Foundation with a small commission from each product you order. Thank you.
MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS:
Please make checks payable to Macular Degeneration
Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 531313, Henderson, Nevada 89053, or you may use your credit card on our web site http://www.eyesight.org/Donations/donations.html . Your contributions make our services available as a support system
for macular degeneration patients in the following ways:
1. We provide toll-free lines for personal contact assistance.
2. We mail brochures and other printed materials upon request.
3. We support an award-winning web
site that provides the latest up-to-date information.
4. We fund research proposal grants to provide therapies for both the wet and dry form of AMD. Contributions marked "research" are used 100% for research.
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MDF was founded in 1992 by Edmund J. Aleksandrovich Ph.D (a victim of macular degeneration). It provides MD patients and their families with the information necessary to
understand the disease, the latest news concerning ways to cope with the disease, and supports the efforts of researchers to find a cure.
Subscribers who wish to cancel their subscription or change their email address may
visit: http://www.eyesight.org/Newsletter/newsletter.html .
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