UK Doctor Develops "Groundbreaking" Treatment for Macular Degeneration
"This is potentially a huge breakthrough for millions of people across the world."
(London, England)—The Guardian UK reports that millions of people could have their eyesight saved thanks to groundbreaking laser treatment that has the potential to eradicate the most common cause of blindness, macular degeneration (AMD).
When the eye ages, tiny particles of debris reportedly cloud one's vision. To correct the problem, a UK doctor is using a painless "short pulse" laser to "help the eye's waste disposal system do its job." (Photo: Getty)
According to the report, Professor John Marshall, ophthalmologist at King's College, has developed a way of "cleaning" eyes that is showing promise in both preventing and reversing the onset of the disease, "allowing the eye to return to something like its youthful, uncluttered state."
The report states that eye specialists say Marshall's discovery could mark a breakthrough in tackling the condition, as there is currently no effective treatment for AMD.
Unlike ineffective, older lasers, "The laser I've used," says Marshall, "is a totally new soft-pulse laser which doesn't cause any damage to any of the nearby tissues, unlike conventional lasers. All it does is stimulate the required chemical reaction. And it treats both 'dry' AMD and the effects of aging."
Tom Pey of Guide Dogs for the Blind, which funded the work, said: "This is potentially a huge breakthrough for millions of people across the world."
