Drug shows promise against vision-robbing disease in seniors

An experimental drug from Genentech is showing promise against an untreatable eye disease that blinds older adults — and, intriguingly, it seems to work in patients who carry a particular gene flaw that fuels the damage to their vision.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss among seniors, gradually eroding crucial central vision.

First patients may notice blurriness when they look straight ahead.

The experimental drug, lampalizumab, tries to slow the destruction of light-sensing cells in the retina, creeping lesions that characterize the stage of dry degeneration called “geographic atrophy.”

Wednesday’s study detected no safety concerns, clearing the way for Genentech and its parent company Roche to open two large-scale studies that aim to prove if the drug works.

According to the National Eye Institute, it’s less common in people who exercise regularly, avoid smoking, and eat a diet high in green leafy vegetables and fish.

[...] several eye tests can detect signs of macular degeneration, including a dilated eye exam and a tool called an Amsler grid with straight lines that may look wavy if the macula, the center of the retina, is harmed.

Macular degeneration patients often are advised to take certain vitamin combinations that may help stave off advanced disease.

[...] it’s important for patients to know what type they have.

While there’s no treatment for the advanced dry form, the “wet” form occurs when leaky blood vessels grow under the retina — and there are several therapies that can help those patients preserve vision.