The mountains of data collected on health, patients, treatments and disease create opportunities to mine them for new insights. Now, such an exercise has led to a potential breakthrough in the treatment of macular degeneration – the most common cause of blindness among older Americans.

Share on Pinterest The researchers found that taking L-DOPA, a medication often prescribed for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, also appears to protect against AMD.

Researchers have found it may be possible to delay or prevent macular degeneration using L-DOPA, a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

As many as 1.8 million Americans are affected by macular degeneration – often referred to as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – an eye disorder associated with aging that impairs sharp and central vision.

AMD affects the macula – the middle part of the retina that allows the eye to see fine detail. As it progresses, the center of the field of vision becomes increasingly blurred, making it difficult to recognize faces, read and drive.

Part-funded by the BrightFocus Foundation – a non-profit research organization based in Clarkson, MD – the new study is the work of investigators from several research centers around the US, and is published in The American Journal of Medicine.

The study takes a novel approach to finding a new treatment for AMD, as senior author Brian McKay, a research associate professor in ophthalmology and vision science at the University of Arizona, explains:

“Rather than looking at what might cause AMD, we instead wondered why certain people are protected from AMD. This approach had never been done before.”

The team started with the discovery that more highly pigmented or darker-colored eyes – which are known to be less prone to AMD – are more likely to have higher levels of a chemical called L-DOPA.

L-DOPA is often prescribed as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease because it is a precursor of dopamine – the brain chemical that depletes in the brains of people with the disease.