Severe age-related macular degeneration

A new study has shown a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease may offer protection against neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Research published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation showed that Parkinson’s patients treated with levodopa (l-DOPA), which increases dopamine signalling by targeting receptor DRD2, “delayed the age of onset by about four years”, said Dr Thibaud Mathis, an ophthalmologist at Croix-Rousse Hospital in Lyon, France.

By analysing data from over 200,000 patients with nAMD, researchers discovered that those receiving treatment targeting DRD2 developed the disease at an average age of 83 years, compared to 79 years for untreated patients. “The activation blocks the formation of new blood vessels in the eye, which causes the development of neovascular AMD,” said Dr Mathis.

Although the exact mechanism is unclear, authors suggested drugs targeting DRD2 may be used alongside existing treatments to slow nAMD progression and reduce the frequency of interventions.