Macular Degeneration

Research

Mayo Clinic eye doctors routinely combine patient care with research to expand the understanding of retinal conditions such as macular degeneration, and increase the number of therapies to treat them.

Mayo clinicians are collaborating with researchers across the country to convert adult stem cells into retinal cells. If they succeed, doctors may one day be able to help patients regain lost sight by replenishing cells damaged by macular degeneration with healthy ones. Realizing such a goal is likely decades away, but researchers have already shown that neural stem cells can express some of the proteins found in retinal cells, at least in experimental models. The next step is to determine if stem cells can be converted into the retinal pigment epithelial cells important in macular degeneration.

Mayo researchers also continue research into anti-angiogenic medications — injectable compounds that inhibit the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the eye. They are actively researching different methods to identify the most efficient and effective way to administer the drugs with minimal burden to the patient.

Publications

See a list of publications by Mayo doctors on macular degeneration on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.