By Mike Rothman
Forum Publishing Group

Boynton Beach resident Ellie Yano, 67, was an avid reader for most of her life, finishing almost two novels per week.

That was until two years ago, when she lost her sight to diabetic retinopathy, a complication of the diabetes which went undetected for more than 10 years.

"I couldn't read, couldn't do the crosswords, play cards or even go to the supermarket," she said.

Diabetic retinopathy is the second leading cause of blindness in seniors 60 years and older and Yano said she felt like another statistic.

Nine months ago, Yano began a new treatment through Dr. Mark Michels of Retina Care Specialists in West Palm Beach; Lucentis.

Lucentis was originally approved for use in macular degeneration, and Michels is currently trying to get the drug approved by the FDA for use in diabetic retinopathy.

He has used the drug off-label, or for another purpose other than macular degeneration, on 37 diabetic patients with positive results.

"If the patients qualify, these clinical trials are free," Michels said.

After two months Yano said she started to see again.

"Me and my husband moved into a new house a couple years ago," she said. "Now I can finally see that he did a nice job decorating; before all I saw were shadows."

Lucentis is administered once a month by injection into the eye.

"Ellie is just an exciting example of the possibilities of this drug," Michels said. "She came to me completely blind, and it's great to see positive results."

Michels said he is currently looking for more candidates to participate in the trials to get FDA approval for Lucentis use in diabetic retinopathy.