Advances in Gene Therapy for Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD): A Promising Frontier | Chapter 10 | Medical Science: Recent Advances and Applications Vol. 11

 

A serious demographic and public health concern, age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) continues to be the leading cause of permanent loss of vision in the elderly globally. Conventional therapeutic approaches, including anti-VEGF injections and laser-based strategies, offer only temporary disease control and are limited in their ability to modify the underlying pathophysiology. It involves creating techniques to ensure sustained delivery of a range of antiangiogenic proteins. These are repetitive intravitreal injections, which put the patient at high risk of infection, costly drugs, low compliance, disparities in access, healthcare burden, increase the doctor-patient conflict, and are hectic for the elderly population. It is a degenerative disease that results in central vision loss by affecting the choriocapillaris, photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium, and macula. In recent years, gene therapy has developed as a transformational approach, integrating molecular genetics, vector engineering, and precision medicine principles to target the fundamental causes of ARMD. Gene therapy has emerged as a promising substitute, an innovative approach to treating ARMD by replacing faulty genes with healthy ones. Viral non-integrating vectors, such as Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV), act as envelopes that carry encoded genetic messages without impacting native cellular DNA. This chapter addresses the evolving importance of precision gene therapy in ARMD management, emphasising developments in gene replacement techniques. The high potential and efficiency of this therapy could make it an effective method, providing hope for patients and future healthcare.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Asra Warees
Optometry Section, Paramedical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

Aleena Saeed
Optometry Section, Paramedical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

Wasil Hasan
Biochemistry Section, Paramedical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

Saima Ahsan
Optometry Section, Paramedical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

Mohd Faraz
Department of Radiodiagnosis, J.N. Medical College, Paramedical College, Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/msraa/v11/6257

The Role of Rehabilitation Medicine in the Psychological Etiology of Blindness or Visual Impairment: A Critical Synthesis | Chapter 6 | Disease and Health Research: New Insights Vol. 6

 Background: Most research and subsequent treatment interventions operate dichotomously in the conceptualization of causality regarding mental health among people with BVI, advancing the conclusion that such problems are either related to physical impairment or social structure. Roughly 3 million adult Americans have a visual impairment or blindness, and over 4 million adults aged 40 and older. Despite data demonstrating an elevated prevalence of mental health symptoms in people with BVI, this population remains largely untreated. The relatively low rates of mental health care service initiation are particularly concerning because individuals with BVI frequently interact with many systems of rehabilitative treatment intended to enhance quality of life.

 

Aim: The present study highlights the Role of Rehabilitation Medicine in the Psychological Etiology of Blindness or Visual Impairment.

 

Patients and Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted. The literature review utilized a critical systems typology, whereby relevant literature was selected, reviewed, and analyzed intra and extra-organizationally. In addition, a thorough discussion of disability-related factors was provided, lending a socio-political lens to the problem.

 

Results: Considerable data indicates that short-term mental health care services for people with BVI are ineffective treatment methods, albeit primarily employed in health-rehabilitative processes. Multiple studies offered data indicating the presence of diverse and entangled mental health issues relative to vocational rehabilitation services, mobility tool utility, and emotional reactions to vision loss. Many studies suggested that disability identity work be integrated into health-rehabilitative processes for people with BVI. A critical forum or podcast can provide a means of educative introspection that aids people with BVI to recognize the power that is given, not necessarily power held. Reality therapy, then, can be an organized effort to incorporate into clinical settings which people with BVI are cognizant of, and may specifically request, during assessment or evaluative procedures.

 

Conclusion: To improve the utility of mental health care services for people with BVI, a reenergization of the mental health care needs of this population must occur. Future mental health policy and practice for individuals with BVI can be improved with the help of a podcast or forum that critically examines and educates listeners about the health-rehabilitation issues that impact the provision of mental health care services. In order to improve understanding of this demographic and their particular mental health needs, disability researchers must expedite qualitative, community-based techniques and develop research on integrating critical perspectives in treatment with persons with BVI.

 

Author (s) Details

Clairissa G. Richardson
School of Social Work, Simmons University, Boston, MA, USA.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/dhrni/v6/859