Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. Currently, there is no safe way to obtain cells from the eye to study. But researchers now can turn other types of cells, like skin or blood, into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. These can be grown in a lab and turned into other types of cells, like cells from the eye. This will allow researchers to understand and treat diseases of the eye such as AMD.