Cataract surgery in people with age-related macular degeneration

Cochrane: The aim of this Cochrane Review was to determine whether cataract surgery is safe and improves vision in eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) compared with no surgery. Cochrane researchers collected and analyzed all relevant studies to answer this question and included two studies. Although data from two small studies suggest that surgery to remove cataracts in eyes with AMD may improve vision without worsening of AMD, it is not possible to draw reliable conclusions from the available data at this time. Physicians must decide whether to recommend cataract surgery to their AMD patients based on clinical judgment until larger studies have been conducted and their findings published.

Excessive Iron in Cells with AMD, Other Diseases

Kentucky: In a new University of Kentucky study published yesterday in Cell Reports, a  leading scientific journal in cell biology, researchers describe a new molecular mechanism that contributes to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) due to accumulation of excessive iron within the cells of the retina. Cells of the body use iron in dozens of normal metabolic processes. However, excessive iron or "iron overload" can be very damaging to cells and tissues and is implicated in numerous diseases, including AMD. 

Lowering risk of Age-related macular degeneration with "Oriental pattern"

USDA: Major U.S. dietary patterns are associated with the risk of developing an age-related eye disease, according to a study funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic, progressive eye-disease and is a leading cause of blindness among people aged 65 and older. For the dietary-patterns study, researchers analyzed existing data from a major federal clinical trial known as the age-related eye disease studies (AREDS).

Major cause of blindness linked to calcium deposits in the eye

University College London. UK: Microscopic spheres of calcium phosphate have been linked to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of blindness, by UCL-led research.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) Overview

Source: Plos Medicine. 2013.

The third leading global cause of blindness (after cataracts and glaucoma) is age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

This group of conditions is characterized by lesions in the macular (central) region of the retina, the tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into electrical messages and sends them to the brain.

AMD, which affects older people, destroys the sharp central vision that is needed for reading or driving, leaving only dim, blurred images or a black hole at the center of vision.

AMD can be diagnosed by examining digital photographs of the retina or by examining the retina directly using a special magnifying lens (slit lamp biomicroscopy).

There is no cure for AMD, although injections into the eye of certain drugs, such as bevacizumab, that block the activity of vascular endothelial growth factor can slow the rate of vision loss caused by some forms of AMD.