Parkinson's Drug May Delay The Onset Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Patients who take the drug L-DOPA for Parkinson's disease, restless legs or other movement disorders are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), otherwise known as the most common cause of blindness among the elderly, according to a recent study.

Researchers examined the health records of about 37,000 patients at the Marshfield Clinic for individuals with AMD. Some from the sample were taking L-DOPA or had AMD, while others with AMD were also on L-DOPA. For those who were given L-DOPA before they were diagnosed with the health issues, they were typically diagnosed 8 years later than those not taking the drug.

Researchers later confirmed the results in a much larger study of 87 million patients, with this study also including prevention and delay of "wet" AMD--the most devastating form of the disease.

"Developing a new drug costs more than $2 billion and takes 13.5 years from discovery to market. Drug repositioning does not require anywhere near those costs," said lead author Murray Brilliant, PhD, Director at the Center for Human Genetics at the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, in a news release. "Our methods illustrate the power of precision medicine research -- using the electronic medical records of large numbers of patients -- to test unexpected drug interactions and find new uses for old drugs."

"The results suggest a new path forward in our fight against AMD that may even include a strategy to prevent those at risk of the disease from ever developing it," McKay said. "In the end, L-DOPA may not be the drug that ends the disease, but the pathway identified here is likely to be a key observation as the search for a cure continues."

People older than 45 should have a complete eye exam and follow-up exams every two to four years in order to catch any eye issues. For those who may be experiencing symptoms related to AMD, straight lines may start to appear disorder, dark, blurry areas or white areas may also appear in the center of vision, while there may also be diminished or changed color perception, according to the WebMD.

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