Preserving photoreceptor cells following retinal injury: Inhibition of alternate complement pathway revealed

Retinal detachment can occur as a result of either blunt trauma or as a side effect of a variety of ophthalmic diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, ocular tumors, and age-related macular degeneration.  There is a significant increase in the immune system’s ‘alternative complement pathway’ following retinal detachment, researchers report, adding that this pathway facilitated early photoreceptor…

Retinitis Pigmentosa: FDA approves first retinal implant for advanced adult RP

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited disorders characterized by progressive peripheral vision loss and night vision difficulties (nyctalopia) that can lead to central vision loss. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first retinal implant, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, for adults aged 25 years or older with advanced RP. The…

Quinolones Tied to Detached Retina

Among patients who visited an ophthalmologist over an 8-year period, those with a current prescription for a fluoroquinolone were 4.5 times more likely to have a retinal detachment…The mechanism underlying the association is unknown but is presumed to be related to the destructive effects of fluoroquinolones on collagen and connective tissue. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Ophthalmology/GeneralOphthalmology/32011