Common Reason for Blindness May Be Prevented by a Med for Another Condition

Parkinson’s meds may help prevent blindness — isn’t science great? (iStock)

Promising new research just published in the American Journal of Medicine states that a drug already used to treat Parkinson’s disease may be effective in delaying — or even preventing — age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that affects nearly 11 million Americans.

AMD is the most common form of blindness among older adults. Even when this disease doesn’t lead to severe loss of eyesight, it limits vision and can greatly reduce someone’s ability to read, drive, and recognize faces.

In what is being considered a major scientific breakthrough, researchers discovered a biological connection between darker pigmented eyes (which are known to be resistant to AMD) and increased levels of the chemical L-DOPA in those same pairs of eyes. Being that L-DOPA is already prescribed for patients with Parkinson’s, the scientists investigated whether those taking this med were protected from AMD.

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The study authors then examined the medical records of 37,000 patients, followed by reviewing a data set of 87 million patients. The conclusion: The patients taking L-DOPA were significantly less likely to get AMD. And when they did, the med prevented AMD from progressing to its “wet” form, meaning severe vision loss.

“This exciting breakthrough shows the power of scientific discovery to give hope to millions of people across the nation and the world,” said BrightFocus president and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller, in a press release. “Their methodology is a reminder that 'big data’ is not a buzzword — it is a bold and innovative new approach to science.”

The scientists are looking forward to launching a clinical trial in order to further test this drug’s abilities. “We want to do a small group of those at risk of losing sight from AMD in the near future (those who are already diagnosed AMD) and follow two groups, specifically those taking L-DOPA verses those not taking L-DOPA,” senior author Brian McKay, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science at University of Arizona, tells Yahoo Health.

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McKay explains that they’ll also be testing for proper dosage. “L-DOPA has been given safely to patients for 50 years, so safety will not be a concern for FDA approval,” he states. “Merely efficacy — which is a really big question, even with the ‘merely.’ While the effects in this study are clear, we do not know how much L-DOPA those being protected from AMD were taking or when. In the morning? Before bedtime? Or all day long?”

Assuming an upcoming clinical trial continues to prove this theory, McKay is hopeful that this medication may be prescribed for those diagnosed with AMD and those likely to progress to vision loss sooner rather than later. “If it’s a standard dose — perhaps given before bed and morning — and we see the effect, this (process) may well go fast,” he concludes. “If we need to work on increasing doses or dosing regimes, this will take longer. Three to five years seems to be a legitimate guesstimate.”

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