PREVENT BLINDNESS — Please DONATE
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy and other eye diseases
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a progressive eye condition affecting approximately 15 million Americans plus millions more around the world. The disease attacks the macula of the eye, where our sharpest central vision occurs. Although it rarely results in complete blindness, it causes a gradual loss of central vision but leaving the outermost, peripheral vision, leaving you seeing only dim images or black holes at the center of vision. (AMD) occurs when cells in the macula degenerate which occurs with partial breakdown of the RPE and the cells become damaged and die.
The two types of age-related macular degeneration are “Wet & Dry” the Wet form count for 1 in 10 and Dry form 9 in 10 cases., (AMD) is the number one cause of severe vision loss and legal blindness in adults above 60 in the U.S.A. As the population ages, and the “baby boomers” advance into their 60’s and 70’s, we will see a virtual epidemic of (AMD) . Perhaps 15%-25% or more of the U.S. population aged 65-74 years and 38% or more of people aged 75 years or more have the disease.
At present there is no cure for Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the president of World Stem Cell Institute has been involved is Stem Cell Treatments for (AMD) with good success. We believe the Stem Cell approach can prove to be the answer for many people but addition research and clinical trials are needed.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD),
Fuchs’ dystrophy also known as Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy, is a slowly progressing corneal dystrophy that usually affects both eyes and is more common in women than in men. Doctors often see early signs of Fuchs’ dystrophy in people in their 30s and 40s, but the disease rarely affects vision until people reach their 50s and 60s. We feel that the introduction of a stem cell line into the eye by methods under study can reverse the effects of the disease but additional research and clinical trials are needed.
Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy
The funds DONATED to World Stem Cell Institute for (AMD) and Fuchs’ disease will be used to improve the present stem cell treatments, research for new stem cell lines, sources and methods to treat (AMD) and Fuchs’ disease , clinical trials and to help provide funds to those (AMD) and Fuchs’ disease patients that cannot afford the cost of treatments and lodging.