It seems age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may have finally met its match, according to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have discovered that eye drops used to reduce cholesterol levels in macrophages are also found effective in treating AMD conditions.
Patients with hardened arteries – which are also caused by harmful blood fats – are often prescribed medication to lower cholesterol and keep arteries clear. High cholesterol levels could affect the immune system and lead to macular degeneration.
Research leader, Dr. Rajendra Apte, an ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine, said the results of their study have shown “significant therapeutic implications.” Dr. Apte and his team took cells from patients with AMD and then assessed these cells in the laboratory. Later, they found out the existing anti-cholesterol drugs also contain certain components that can be useful for human eyes.
Dr. Apte said his team later discovered these eye drops drugs are also capable of stopping the growth of harmful blood vessels in the eyes, which causes AMD development. The initial result was based on the test conducted on an ageing mouse with AMD.
Dr. Apte further expounded that these drugs can possibly be modified to make them even more useful eye treatments in the future. He noted a more improved treatment result can be obtained by combining several available drugs.
Macular degeneration is more common in older people. It starts in a “dry” form in which the light-sensing cells in the eye become damaged, but can progress into the far more threatening “wet” version, when newly formed blood vessels can rapidly cause blindness.
Clara Eaglen, from the charity RNIB for the visually impaired, said: “This new research is very interesting as it shows that cholesterol-lowering drugs could be used to prevent thousands of people losing their sight unnecessarily from conditions such as AMD – the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK. The more aggressive of the two forms, wet AMD, can take your central vision in as little as three months if left untreated. Clearly this research is still at an early age but it will be exciting to watch how it progresses and at some point cholesterol-lowering eye drops may become part of a growing army of treatments for sight-threatening eye conditions.”
Macular degeneration is the primary cause of blindness in U.S. adults aged 60 and over. There is no treatment to restore vision at this time, according to the institute, but treatment can slow vision loss.
“Our increased understanding of cholesterol’s role in the growth of ocular blood vessels helped us identify therapeutically modifiable pathways, opening up avenues for new treatments that may help us prevent blindness caused by macular degeneration,” Dr. Apte said in a statement. For those whose families seem to have a propensity for this condition, like mine, it is hoped those avenues become superhighways to new treatments.
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