Disease Focus

What is Retinal Disease?

Retinal diseases are the number one cause of blindness
in developed countries.

The aging population is expected to result in increasing numbers of patients at risk for blinding retinal disease. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Retinopathy represent the largest unmet medical needs in ophthalmology.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration is a chronic, progressive disease of the macular characterized by vascular proliferation and permeability. Degenerative changes to the macular make straight lines appear blurry, and a “black out” may appear in the center of vision. As photoreceptor cells in macula are progressively destroyed, central vision is lost. Contributing factors may include genetics, race, age, nutrition, smoking and exposure to sunlight.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a progressive disease of the retina caused by damage to microcapillaries and blood vessels in the retina due to high blood glucose levels. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new vision loss in patients between the ages of 20 and 74. As the incidence of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate, it is expected that vision loss due to this disease will also increase dramatically over the next 20 years.