CINCINNATI, Ohio — Donuts have a way of pleasing the senses. Chocolate, blueberry, glazed – you can almost taste them just by looking at them. What if you couldn't see the wide selection?

Cheri McDaniel, who started Ms. Cheri's Donuts in 2009, has been losing her eyesight more and more every year.

"People's faces from across the room, if I don't know who you are, I can't see your face," McDaniel said.

She’s one of 11 million Americans slowly losing her eyesight due to macular degeneration.

“Macular degeneration is the leading cause of visual loss among American senior citizens. It affects one out of every three American senior citizens so it’s a pretty big deal,” said Dr. Chris Riemann, a retinal surgeon at Cincinnati Eye Institute.

Dr. Riemann says macular degeneration withers away at the back of the eye. McDaniel has been seeing him since she was diagnosed with the disease in her 40s.

“The UV rays can destroy your eyes and smoking," McDaniel said. "I did smoke I quit like 20 years ago because I still remember Dr. Riemann saying the very first time I went to him that ’if you don’t quit smoking while you’re dying of your lung cancer, you will be blind’. And I was like ‘oh, thank you!’”

McDaniel says her vision loss has gotten far worse in the last five years.

“I can’t tell you the last time I read a book, because I can’t see it, even with my glasses and a magnifying glass.”

McDaniel says she thought she would eventually lose vision completely, especially because her form of the disease – the most common form in the U.S. – has no approved treatment options. Then Dr. Riemann told her about a clinical trial for a cell transplant therapy called OpRegen.

“It is a cell line that we actually inject under the retina of patients with the geographic atrophy to try to replace the cells that are atrophying away,” Dr. Riemann said. “They are ethically sourced human embryonic stem cells that come from discarded in vitro fertilization embryos.”

McDaniel says she was told she would be the 26^th person in the world to be a part of the early-phase FDA trial.

She found it nerve-wracking, but says she mostly felt honored to be a part of the new therapy.

“If it’s a chance to see or be blind, you’re kind of up against a wall," McDaniel said. "You jump at that chance – yes, I will do this.”

Three months ago, Dr. Riemann performed the surgery on McDaniel. Now, she says she can pay her bills again without a magnifying glass.

“I was so excited; I mean I was so excited. Just for that little thing – 'Oh my gosh, I can see these numbers.'”

Not only did the cell transplant therapy stop the deterioration of her vision. Her eyesight has actually improved.

Dr. Riemann says there are still many steps left before the therapy gets FDA approval. However, he and McDaniel are holding onto hope.

“There are exciting things that don’t always pan out," Dr. Riemann said. "But I’m hoping this one will.”

“It’s just an amazing opportunity for anyone who can’t see well to get fixed,” McDaniel said.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — As COVID-19 vaccination efforts ramp up, so do ways of treating the virus.

The FDA recently authorized the emergency use of new antibody treatment in high-risk patients who have mild to moderate symptoms.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company performed a clinical trial on the experimental treatment.

Dr. Janell Sabo, the COVID-19 therapeutics platform leader for Eli Lilly, said the therapy combines both bamlanivimab and etesevimab drugs to help treat the disease.

“This is another important tool in the tool kit for the healthcare professionals in your area to use to treat patients who have an active infection,” she said.

Data from the pharmaceutical company showed the treatment, when given within 10 days of experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 87%.

Sabo said the need for the therapies is critical even as cases continue to decrease.

“It’s an important option that people need to be talking about,” she said. “Today, still only one in six are actually getting treated in this high-risk population, which means five out of six are still at that risk of hospitalization, emergency room visits, needing to go to their doctor’s office, and potentially also death as an outcome.”

The antibodies, according to Sabo, are lab-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off the virus.

“Monoclonal antibodies that are called neutralizing antibodies are infused over 16 to 21 minutes,” Sabo said. “Typically, this is done in a healthcare facility known as an infusion center.”

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters are two of several locations that administer the therapy. Other infusion centers can be found at combatcovid.hhs.gov.

Sabo said the treatment is free but might not be for everyone.

“I think this is a really important treatment option, but it’s also a personal decision; it’s one between you and your healthcare professional,” she said. “What I really encourage people is to have a conversation with their physician because they’re best positioned to know your medical condition to know if it makes sense for you.”

This story was first published by Antoinette DelBel at WTKR.