FINDING A TREATMENT FOR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

GeoffBosworth195661

	Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting over 600,000 people in the UK.  The project investigated whether diseased cells at the back of the eye could be replenished using a specially engineered patch of retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from stem cells. The patients were monitored for 12 months following the operation and reported improvements to their vision.

	"I FEEL SO LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN MY SIGHT BACK"

	86 year old Douglas Waters was one of two people to take part in the medical trial. He developed severe AMD in July 2015 and received the treatment three months later in his right eye.  “In the months before the operation my sight was really poor and I couldn't see anything out of my right eye. I was struggling to see things clearly, even when up-close. After the surgery, my eyesight improved to the point where I can now read the newspaper and help my wife out with the gardening. It’s brilliant what the team have done and I feel so lucky to have been given my sight back.”