Bacterium, Gene Play Roles In Elderly Vision Loss

The diseased eye tissue of some patients with "wet" age-related macular degeneration (AMD) contains a bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniae, which can cause chronic inflammation and has been linked to heart disease, researchers report. The finding may confirm links between AMD and an immune-system gene long suspected of playing a role in the sight-robbing disease. Researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary found C. pneumoniae in the diseased eye tissue of five of nine people with wet AMD but not in the eyes of 20 people without AMD. The findings offer more evidence that AMD may be caused by inflammation, the researchers said. The study appears in the November issue of the journal Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.