A "cure" for Optic Atrophy?

May 7th, 2009

I was born with Optic Atrophy. It is the reason that I’m considered legally blind. My naked-eye vision is 20/400. Glasses/contacts can’t really do anything to help, and I’ve been told my whole life that there is no way to treat my condition. I decided to do a Google search on Optic Atrophy today. It’s the first time Ive done so in a few years. (The last search I did turned up very little. But, it’s no surprise. Optic Atrophy isn’t an incredibly common condition.) Not surprisingly, some sponsored links on Google’s sidebar claim to have cures for Optic Atrophy. I clicked through to a few of these sites. Each one offered a different homeopathic concoction that could be taken to treat the condition. The least-expensive option costs $48.00. Kinda pricey for something that carries no real guarantees. I mean, how can a bunch of Chinese herbs cause new optic nerve tissues to grow? Well, they do use radiation to treat cancer, after all. But still, I haven’t ordered this stuff. Not yet, anyway.

Another one of the sponsored-site links lead me here. Apparently, this Chinese hospital has had some success treating blind people with stem cells. But these patients are much worse off than I am. And this kind of procedure costs A LOT more than a bottle of herbal eyeball juice (upwards of $30,000). It’s intriguing, though. Maybe one day there’ll be a definitive cure for Optic Atrophy. Or, maybe it does already exist. I’ll let you know if I ever decide to try out one of those magical remedies.

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3 Responses to “A "cure" for Optic Atrophy?”

  1. Wesley Says:

    With something like that, I like to Google around a bit and see if others have had any success with it. I think you should definitely consider trying something to improve your eyesight, assessing the risks first, of course.

    Good luck Shawn!

  2. Jeff Tan Says:

    I am in the exact situation. I have optic atrophy but am totally blind, I can only ssee light shadows . This became about because ciral menangitis over a year ago. I wish ssomeone would have a testimonial or tell me their results from a first hand basis. Please comment if anyone knows anybody knows anything

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