New Treatment for Blindness Begins in Dubai- Middle East

MD Stem Cells announces expansion of bone marrow fraction treatment for eye disease in Dubai,UAE

DUBAI, UAE, February 4, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- DUBAI, UAE – Losing vision or going blind is a constant fear for many patients with eye disease. Visual loss from retinal or optic nerve problems is often progressive and can have major impact on a person’s ability to live a full life. MD Stem Cells is now providing bone marrow fraction (BMF) treatments for both children and adults at the Al Zahra Hospital in Dubai - part of the United Arab Emirates.

“We are extremely pleased that MD Stem Cells is now able to provide the same quality of eye treatments in Dubai as are being performed in the United States under the SCOTS stem cell ophthalmology treatment study. Our retinal surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, is providing the same BMF for eye diseases in Dubai as he does in the United States. This allows treatment of a number of hereditary and degenerative retina and optic nerve diseases. Because we are working at a hospital with full pediatric resources, we can treat both children and adults”, explained Dr. Levy, President and CEO of MD Stem Cells.

Dubai is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city that is a hub of healthcare and economic activity for much of the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia. Dubai is famous for having the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa. “We recognize that Dubai provides world class medical services– equivalent to the best care provided in the United States or Europe”, indicated Dr. Weiss, retinal surgeon and provider of the BMF treatments. “We are proud and grateful to expand the SCOTS approach to eye disease to Dubai, providing greater availability to many millions of patients.”

According to MD Stem Cells, one purpose of the expansion is to allow better access to this advanced treatment for patients in different countries. Dr. Levy notes, “We have had patients delay care waiting for visas to travel to the United States. This can be stressful and confusing. We know that for patients from a number of countries it is much easier to travel to Dubai.”

Another reason for expanding to Dubai is the presence of eye disease in the Middle East. “There are many retinal and optic nerve diseases for which BMF can provide vision improvement”, explained Dr. Weiss. “We have seen meaningful improvements in patients with otherwise intractable vision loss following treatment. Just recently I did a major television interview regarding a young woman who improved from just barely seeing her fingers to 20/40 - which is legal to drive. It was heartwarming to be in position to treat and help her.”

MD Stem Cells wants to make this treatment readily available to patients from across the region including those from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan , Kuwait, Egypt, India, Pakistan and others, as well as patients from Europe, Asia and Africa who find travel to Dubai convenient.

Conditions eligible for treatment include retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), myopic macular degeneration, hereditary retinopathies such as Retinitis Pigmentosa, Cone Dystrophy, Stargardts, as well as selected inflammatory, vascular and traumatic conditions. Optic nerve diseases considered eligible include glaucoma, ischemic optic neuropathy, optic atrophy, optic neuritis, Lebers , NMO or Devic’s syndrome and some trauma.

SCOTS is registered with the National Institutes of Health and the approach is listed on the website

www.clinicaltrials.gov with identifier NCT01920867. Treatment in Dubai is similar in approach.


MD Stem Cells is a trusted and valued source of the latest information regarding clinically available adult stem cell treatments for patients. MD Stem Cells is Collaborator and Dr. Levy is Study Director for the SCOTS Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study. Patients interested in treatment in Dubai may contact MD Stem Cells by email, by phone (001) 203-423-9494 or by visiting the website www.mdstemcells.com and using the Contact Us page. Please follow us on Twitter @mdstemcells.com for updates about stem cell treatments.

Steven Levy MD
MD Stem Cells
203-423-9494
email us here