Could statins cure blindness in the elderly?

Taking statins may reverse the most common cause of blindness, research suggests.

an estimated 500,000 people in Britain suffer with dry age-related macular degeneration, known as dry AMD, a disease which causes blurred vision and eventually blindness.

it is known as the ‘alzheimer’s of the eye’ because of the way it robs elderly people of their sight. Until now there have been very few treatments for the condition. But experts have discovered that statins – a cheap cholesterol drug already taken by millions – may provide a solution.

Scientists at Harvard Medical School found a high-dose treatment with the statin Lipitor cleared away fatty deposits – known as lipids – behind the retina at the back of the eye, leading to visual improvement in almost half of participants with dry AMD. They hope larger trials will show the drug has the potential to halt the disease’s progression, and even reverse it in some cases.

Study leader Professor Joan Miller said: ‘We found that intensive doses of statins carry the potential for clearing up the lipid debris that can lead to vision impairment in a subset of patients with macular degenera-- tion. We hope that this promising preliminary clinical trial will be the foundation for an effective treatment for millions of patients afflicted with AMD.’

AMD is a progressive disease caused by the accumulation of fatty lipids and protein under the retina. Over time, patients experience increasingly blurred vision or blindness emerging from the centre of the visual field.

There are two forms of AMD: wet and dry. The dry f orm accounts for 85 per cent of cases, but it is more difficult to treat.

The trial looked at 23 patients with dry AMD marked by soft lipid deposits. They were prescribed a high 80 milligram daily dose of atorvastatin, which is marketed under the brand name Lipitor. Several generic versions of the drug were also used. Ten patients experienced an elimination of the deposits and a mild improvement in visual acuity, the journal EBioMedicine reports.

Trial co-leader Dr Demetrios Vavvas, from Massachusetts Eye and Ear infirmary, said: ‘not all cases of dry AMD are exactly the same, and our findings suggest that if statins are going to help, they will be most effective when prescribed at high dosages in patients with an accumulation of soft lipid material.

‘We believe it offers the potential to halt progression of this disease, but possibly even to restore function in some patients.’

Last night Cathy Yelf, of the Uk Macular Society, said: ‘This is an exciting result ... as our population ages [ AMD] is becoming far more common and we urgently need to find a cure.’