Q: I am 80 years old and my eyesight is starting to fail due to macular degeneration. My doctor tells me it is the dry type caused by age. I am still able to drive my car but I am concerned I may not be able to for much longer unless something can be done to cure my vision. I have heard there is a new treatment called rheopheresis that may help. Can you tell me about this?
A: Dr. David Wong, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and a practising ophthalmologist, presented clinical trial results of rheoperesis therapy at a recent meeting of the Canadian Ophthalmologic Society in Edmonton.
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He presented data collected from patients with age-related dry macular degeneration who had been treated by rheopheresis in Canada and in Germany. The average age of patients was 74, and they all took at least eight out of the 12 recommended outpatient procedures. Following treatment, the average patient was able to read one more line on the vision tests.
Rheopheresis is a method of filtering the blood through a special membrane. The filtration process removes certain large fatty particles in the blood stream that are felt to be responsible for blocking the fine capillaries at the back of the eye. The cells of the central part of the retina eventually die when they are starved of oxygen normally supplied by the tiny blood vessels.
Rheopheresis has been used in the past as a treatment for other medical disorders such as hyperlipidemia, where there is too much fat in the blood stream.
According to Wong, the treatment is safe, even for people older than 80. The most common side effect, which only occurred in 2.3 percent of patients, was low blood pressure. Age did not appear to make any difference in side effects reported.
There are rheopheresis centres located throughout Canada or check the website www.rheovision.com.
A new study by Dr. Suzanne Craft of the University of Washington indicates that high insulin levels, even in people who do not have diabetes, may lead to an increased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
As a person’s weight increases, their body becomes more resistant to the sugar-lowering effects of insulin. To counteract this, the body makes even more insulin and this process can escalate to the point of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Craft found that excess insulin may cause brain inflammation, which in turn results in increased amounts of beta-amyloid in the brain tissue. This substance is what has been found in the plaques of brain tissue in people who have died from Alzheimer’s.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
