Newswise — An estimated 8,000 Baby boomers are turning sixty every day, hearing a lot about their risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease and the consequences of obesity and diabetes. But they're hearing little or nothing about a health problem that will affect millions of them over the next twenty years. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye disorder, is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, currently affecting an estimated 1.75 million Americans, with 200,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Although there is no cure for AMD, early diagnosis and treatment can preserve vision and slow its progression.
We invite you to participate in an interactive on-line Virtual Writers' Workshop about AMD:>Monday, June 26th >1:00 " 2:00 p.m. EDT. This instructive on-line briefing, sponsored by Novartis Ophthalmics, will feature: > Dr. Lorraine Marchi, founder and CEO of the National Association for Visually Handicapped (NAVH) discussing AMD in daily life.
> Dr. Carl Regillo, Director of Clinical Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia providing a clinical perspective and overview of AMD treatment options. AMD is caused by hardening and related leakage of the blood vessels that nourish the retina. This deprives the sensitive retinal tissue of oxygen and nutrients that it needs to function and thrive. As a result, the central vision deteriorates. For the most serious cases, therapy must ensure maximum and durable suppression of blood vessel leakage in addition to preventing the growth of new blood vessels.
Without treatment, 80 percent of people with AMD experience a severe decline in vision in just three months. Four out of ten patients with AMD in one eye develop it in the other within five years, and nearly half of those will be legally blind. For information on how to log into the Virtual Writers' Workshop on AMD, please contact Meredith Modzelewski at 212-884-0646 or [email protected]
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