http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8376433/Stem-cell-injection-reverses-glaucoma.html
The link above takes you to an article on how stem therapy might be able to help people with glaucoma in the future.
Rea and I are not experts on this, but we are assuming that if stem cell therapy can grow retinal cells for people with glaucoma, the same could be true for people with Birdshot.
It’s a “brave new world” development and we need to monitor and watch this development closely. It could give hope to people with sight loss who, until now, thought there was nothing that could be done.
The Cambridge scientist and ophthalmologist involved in the research, Professor Keith Martin said:-
“We are doing it in animal models and results are so encouraging that we hope to move forward to testing on humans soon.
Stem cell treatment is moving forward very fast in many branches of the medicine and we are seeing some of the best results in eyes.”
He added: “We have concentrated on glaucoma because it is so common, but there are quite a few diseases that affect the optic nerve, such as inflammatory diseases, so it could be used here too.”
As we all know Birdshot Chorioretinopathy is an inflammatory disease of the eye. We don’t know how long these developments will take to progress, but we live in a fast moving world and it gives us hope.
This research has received funding from Fight for the Sight, a charity that raises money for research into sight threatening conditions. We have a runner running for us in the London Marathon in aid of Uveitis Research that Fight for Sight is also supporting and if you want to make a donation towards this project you can do so at Ken’s Just Giving page. http://www.justgiving.com/Kenneth-Fitzmaurice
Annie and Rea
I am a uveitis patient for the last 20 years and I wish to know more
about this group and the treatment / restoring vision using the stem cell
therapy. Please call me or reply my e-mail.
Hi my boyfriend had had uveitis for over a year in his left eye, it was caused by crohns disease and spondylitis. Can you advise me if he will be able to have the stem therapy and how would he get it? Thanks
It is very early days for stem cell therapy and we are still waiting and hoping and praying that it will be the magic bullet, but it is probably too early to be sure. It has been established that it is safe, and some sight seems to being restored but there have been very few case so far where it has been used. Google the London Project and Professor Pete Coffrey and watch out for news on this. Also Macular Disease Society may keep up-to date – they provided funding for the project. Hopefully there should be some positive news soon, but it is quite a few years away before it is going to be offered as a treatment, I would think. If your boyfriend’s uveitis is troubling him, he should make sure he is being seen by someone who specialises in uveitis. It is possible that the treatment for his Crohns and spondylitis might also help his uveitis.
Hi there I also suffer from Birdshot Chorioretinopathy and this ground breaking research is music to my ears as my body can no longer take the wear and tear of these horrid steroid drugs. I have recently read some of the amazing results in other areas of the body with stem cell therapy. Thank you Lynne Amor Australia.