Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an irreversible cause of vision loss in the elderly, but lacks treatments to arrest progression.

In AMD models and in the eye of AMD patients, changes in autophagy occur suggesting slowed intracellular waste processing may contribute to AMD progression.

Pharmacological treatments that enhance autophagy including rapamycin, metformin, 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribonucleoside and trehalose show promise in slowing AMD in preclinical models.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of irreversible vision loss in the elderly. Although new therapies have recently emerged, there are currently no ways of preventing the development of the disease. Changes in intracellular recycling processes. Changes in intracellular recycling processes, called autophagy, lead to debris accumulation and cellular dysfunction in AMD models and AMD patients. Drugs that enhance autophagy hold promise as therapies for slowing AMD progression in preclinical models; however, more studies in humans are required. While a definitive cure for AMD will likely hinge on a personalized medicine approach, treatments that enhance autophagy hold promise for slowing vision loss.

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.