Imaging waking up one day and suddenly noticing that right lines look a bit wavy or colors appear a bit duller than usual. For millions of seniors all over the world, this minor change could be a sign of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This condition slowly impairs central vision and interferes with simple pleasures like reading, driving, or recognizing faces. Patients could only rely on observation for their condition in the past. Though, a new breakthrough in Finland is about to change the situation completely.
At Aalto University, researchers have created a mild laser heat treatment that can slow down or even stop dry AMD (age-related macular degeneration) from worsening if applied in the very first stages. Targeting the dry variety, which is not only the most prevalent form but also the one without any previous treatment possibilities, this method, compared to the limited options for the “wet” advanced stage, will reawaken the healing powers of the eye.
Lately, each cell in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a thin layer of the retina’s nourishing cells, undergoes a decrease of the waste clearing and anti-oxidative capabilities which cause drusen accumulation and Next, vision loss. Professor Ari Koskelainen and his researchers unveiled that moderate heating – only a few degrees above the normal body temperature – of these cells can stimulate the formation of protective measures. It also induces the synthesis of heat shock proteins working as molecular chaperones that maintain protein homeostasis, and the activation of autophagy, the cell’s system for degrading harmful components.
This method is characterized by high accuracy and safety. The squad relies on a near-infrared beam directed through the pupil. Then, a thermal dosimetry procedure based on electroretinography is employed in real-time to monitor the precise temperature during the short treatment session, ensuring that it remains far below the threshold that might cause damage. With the aid of preclinical testing on mice and pigs, the technique was able to induce healing without destroying the tissue around.
This means those diagnosed with the early phase of dry AMD may virtually extend their useful vision span whereas the procedure, lasting just a few minutes, has no physical contact and can be made several times over the patient’s lifetime.This development couldn’t have come at a better time. Dry AMD is when 1 in 3 of the elderly population develops vision impairment, globally. Changing one’s lifestyle like quitting smoking, eating leafy greens, and having specific nutritional supplements are the only “management” methods for the disease but the disease has not stopped progressing. But, the situation is different now.
The Maculaser startup was created by Aalto team to bring this technology outside the lab and into the clinic. Their article in Nature Communications is the outcome of years of research into how laser therapy can be safe and effective for treatment of eye structures which are susceptible.
The emotion of ophthalmologists for this new therapy is something to be seen. Scientists hope that this laser heat therapy can delay the exacerbation of the disease and might turn fear into hope of a better future with last independent vision of one’s own. We are reminded how combining physics, biology, and engineering can be very constructive in medicine with this leap in technology.
Anybody noticing a change in the central vision should see an eye doctor without delay. Early detection cannot be overemphasized and this new gentle laser therapy could change the future for those who are at risk of losing their sight. The whole world is watching with bated breath as trials are underway and results that may change the eye care for the elderly generation are eagerly awaited.
