The first medicine approved by the US Food and Drug Federation is already on the market to improve the visual prognosis of people with Retinitis pigmentosa and retinal dystrophy, which, as it has been until now, were destined to blindness.
This is “GENE THERAPY”, acting as follows: the retinal photoreceptors of these people have the genetic mutation RPE65, causing the loss of visual function. The medicament is applied by subretinal injection, transmitting the normal copy of this mutated gene, allowing the receptor’s retinal cells to produce a new protein that repairs the damage of these dystrophic
It looks like science fiction, but it is a reality. In previous studies it has been proven that a percentage of people who would otherwise be blind have improved their visual prognosis considerably.
In addition to “LUXTURNA”, name of this medication. In Spain and in real patients, retinal electrostimulators have been implanted attached to an image processor and a high-resolution external camera, in such a way that the visual stimulus passes to electrical stimulation and is able to be perceived by the patient.
These are compassionate technologies used in blind or near blind people, getting the extension of their visual field ; and even some of them were able to read some word. some of these systems are currently approved by the FDA and these are: ARGUS ll, ALPHA IMS IRIS PIXIUM ll, all of them implantable by epiretinal or subretinal surgery.
Regenerative treatments are still in experimental research as cell lines or pluripotent stem cells that could regenerate any cell in the body.
Neurostimulators are also implantable in the brain in people who have already seen.The brain recognizes the electrical impulse of the images that the patient keeps in his memory, regardless of his ocular condition.
There are multiple studies on this subject, in a future technology applied to Ophthalmology
will make us witnesses of advances that currently can not understand
That will make us improve the quality of life even more, let’s not forget … it’s the goal of medicine
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