The Place

Actions

The time is now to get genetic testing for inherited eye diseases

Posted at 3:06 PM, Apr 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-24 17:06:51-04

Tomorrow is Wednesday, April 25th which means that it's National DNA Day. With intensifying interest in pursuing potentially novel approaches to treating inherited eye diseases, patients should speak with their healthcare professionals about genetic testing.

After decades of research, the treatment of rare diseases is entering an era of great hope. To access clinical trials for the investigational treatments being explored and eventually to the treatments that this research may yield, patients will need to undergo genetic testing to identify the specific gene mutations causing their disease.

Dr. Julia Haller, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief of Wills Eye Hospital, and Laura Manfre, Founder of Sofia Sees Hope, joined us to discuss the current research that's exploring potential treatments for inherited eye diseases and the crucial role genetic testing plays in identifying clinical trial participants and to talk about the non-profit organization, Sofia Sees Hope and how genetic testing is bringing hope to people living with inherited retinal disease.

For more, visit www.sofiasees.org and www.willseye.org.