Age-related macular degeneration
(AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss among people age 50 and
older. Based on the presence or absence of blood vessels, it is classified intotwo types, wet and dry. In the past decades, significant progress has been made
in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying wet AMD, and several
robust therapeutic drugs were developed to block the development of new blood
vessels and leakage from the abnormal vessels with favorable clinical effect.
In
contrast, there are no approved treatments for dry AMD and the mechanisms are
not completely known. However, it has been approved that genetics, complement
dysregulation, oxidative stress, mitochondria DNA damage were involved in the mechanisms. Variety of scientific studies, including gene replacement therapy,
retinal cell transplantation, pharmaceutical intervention and vitamin dietary
supplementation, hold promise in developing treatment to prevent or slow the
progression of the disease. In the clinical aspect, multiple clinical studies
and trials have been done to further our knowledge of AMD, and on-going studies
are raising hopes for improved treatments.
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