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Researchers at the University of Arizona say they have found a way to prevent macular degeneration, an eye disease that causes nearly 30 percent of older Americans to lose their vision.
White people with light eyes and light skin are about six times more likely to develop macular degeneration than blacks or Hispanics, said UA researcher Brian McKay.
McKay wanted to know what it was that protects people with darker complexions from the disease.
He identified a receptor in the eye that is largely responsible for preventing macular degeneration. And that receptor works a lot better in dark eyes than light eyes – it’s related to pigmentation.
"Next I figured out that I could control that receptor," he said. "I found a molecule that I could add and up-regulate that receptor. And that molecule is L-Dopa."
L-Dopa is a common treatment for Parkinson's Disease. McKay and his collaborators analyzed 87 million medical records. "Nearly a quarter of the population of the United States," he said.
The research showed that people who take L-Dopa are far less likely to develop macular degeneration, or if they do develop it, that happens significantly later in life.
"So we’re both preventing it and delaying it, so this is pretty big."
McKay said clinical trials with L-Dopa prescribed specifically for the disease will start soon and if they go as planned, the macular degeneration epidemic may be a blur in the past.
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