Here’s some news you may not want to hear about Celtic Curse, already known for its negative impact on the heart, liver, and other organs:
“The most common–and under-diagnosed–genetic disease in humans just may be a cause of the worst form of macular degeneration.”
That’s according to Medical College of Georgia researchers. You can read the full story at the Medical College of Georgia website. However there could be a silver lining as a result of these new findings.
But first, more of the bad news: “[researchers] are pursuing a link between hemochromatosis, which results in iron overload, and the wet form of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people 60 and older. They suspect that too much iron, known to wreak cumulative havoc on the body’s organs, hastens normal aging of the eyes.”
The silver lining? This could bring a whole new branch of medicine–eye care–into the movement backing more, better hemochromatosis screening. The full article is well worth reading and you can find it here.
* Note added 7/8/2010: “Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that affects older people. It damages the center of the retina, or macula, and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field. There are two forms of AMD, a wet form and a dry form. About 8 million people in the U.S. suffer from this condition, and nearly 2 million of them already have significant loss of vision.” [From WebMD]