Stargardt's Disease Case Study

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Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in macula, part of retina responsible for central vision in the eye and which also enables us to see objects in finer details. Stargardt’s disease is a type of macular degeneration that develops in young people due to recessive gene ABCA4 which is involved in maintaining integrity and functionality of RPE; dry age related macular degeneration (AMD) is more prevalent in people over age of 50. Certain genetic factors make AMD patients more susceptible to oxidative stress which can cause damage to RPE. The retinal pigment epithelium maintains health of photoreceptors and its degeneration leads to loss of photoreceptors in sight-threatening conditions including AMD and Stargardt’s disease. Macular degeneration is the one of the major causes of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans, and at present is considered as an incurable eye disease with no treatment option available [1].…show more content…
Nutrition and protection of eyes especially from UV A, B and blue light might help in delaying the progression of Stargardt’s disease in younger patients [1]. Recently, embryonic stem cell based therapy has been tested for safety and efficacy in pre-clinical models of macular degeneration and based on encouraging results obtained, first in man trial was conducted in patients with AMD and Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy using human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium cells

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