On average, eight out of ten people who suffer from AMD have the dry form. It begins as yellow deposits called drusen that develop under the retina. As time progresses, vision becomes clouded and you may even develop a central blind spot.

Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of taking certain antioxidant vitamins and consuming foods rich in lutein, vitamin C and zinc as ways to delay AMD progression. Regular eye examinations with dilation can detect any early changes.

Treatment for dry AMD

Over time, dry AMD causes the central part of your retina (known as macula) to gradually deteriorate, leading to blurred vision and blank spots in your field of view as well as distortion of straight lines that become wavy or crooked. Unfortunately, this form of the disease cannot be reversed, potentially leading to permanent blindness.

At UT Southwestern Eye Institute we believe you can reduce the progression to advanced AMD by taking certain nutritional supplements and eating an eye-healthy diet, including eye vitamins such as A, C, E and zinc formula and fish oil supplements. In fact, the Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study (AREDS) provided evidence that such vitamins and minerals significantly slowed progression.

Wet AMD is much rarer than its dry counterpart, yet can be more serious. In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak fluid into the macula, creating scarring. You may not experience symptoms when first diagnosed; usually wet AMD progresses much more quickly.

New treatments for wet AMD include injecting anti-VEGF therapies directly into the eye to stop abnormal blood vessel growth causing wet AMD. Your eye doctor injects them using a fine needle. They should be given regularly or more often.

Retrotope’s pharmaceutical drug RT011, an isotopically stabilized version of natural docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), provides another approach to wet AMD by blocking complement system activity, which contributes to its progression through neovascularization and oxidative stress, thus stopping further formation of drusen. This solution replaces LPO as the source of inflammation while simultaneously blocking complement activation preventing further oxidative stress and drusen formation.

Treatment for early AMD

At first, AMD progresses slowly. You may notice blurred vision when looking at low-light targets like faces or words on a page in low lighting conditions; this effect usually disappears when looking at something brighter; this happens because fewer light-sensing cells function within your macula – not painful and does not cause complete loss of vision! Eight out of ten people with AMD are considered dry forms.

At this stage, macular degeneration develops when parts of the retina become thinner with age and yellow deposits called drusen form beneath it. While drusen alone do not cause vision loss directly, they increase your risk for more serious forms of AMD such as wet AMD.

If you have this stage of disease, your doctor will check your vision to detect any drusen or changes in the retina of your eye. While you might not notice any noticeable loss of vision yet, they will watch for any sign that could indicate progression into intermediate stage disease.

Early AMD can be treated through diet modification, with increased consumption of leafy green vegetables and foods rich in antioxidants as the cornerstone. Patients should also cease smoking and consider supplementing their regimen with vitamins. Some studies indicate that regular exercise and sun protection could help slow the progression of macular degeneration. As your eyesight deteriorates, it is vital that you visit an ophthalmologist regularly so they can monitor and advise on lifestyle modifications to slow the progression of wet AMD. New treatment options now exist which may even prevent wet AMD in some patients by blocking abnormal new blood vessel growth which contributes to this condition; these treatments can be administered in-office using local anesthetic eye drops for maximum comfort.

Treatment for intermediate AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an increasingly prevalent condition that gradually impairs central vision, making it hard to read, drive or recognize faces. A leading cause of blindness for those over 50, AMD causes damage to the macula–a small area in the center of retina that sends light signals directly to our brain so we can see fine details clearly–which sends light signals directly. Macular degeneration is a painless condition that gradually worsens over time – symptoms may include blurred vision or dark spot (blind spot).

Dry AMD, also known as non-exudative or atrophic macular degeneration, is the most prevalent form of AMD. This occurs when yellow deposits (drusen) accumulate beneath the retina, leading to its thinning. To slow its progress and delay progression of dry AMD further, effective nutrition, quitting smoking and taking an AREDS regimen (American Retinal and Eye Degeneration Society regimen).

Some patients with dry AMD may progress to neovascular AMD, in which new blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak fluid and pigment into the macula, disrupting central vision and leading to permanent loss of sight. Numerous treatments exist such as laser surgery and photodynamic therapy to combat this condition.

Photodynamic therapy uses verteporfin, an injectable drug administered through injection in the arm that travels throughout the body to the new blood vessels under the retina, where it attaches itself and is activated by short and bright light exposure. This therapy may slow vision loss over time but cannot reverse vision loss altogether. Anti-VEGF agents (short for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), however, could offer potential relief against wet AMD as well.

Treatment for late AMD

AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration) is a progressive eye condition that gradually destroys central vision, eventually leading to blindness. Affecting the macula (the light-sensitive membrane located behind each eye), AMD causes difficulty reading, driving and recognising faces while distorting vision and colour loss are other symptoms. Common in older people and known by its two forms: dry form and wet form – one of these often being present simultaneously.

Wet form AMD tends to progress more rapidly, characterized by abnormal blood vessels forming and leaking fluid under the retina (photographic film of the eye). Damage to macula causes blurry vision; early symptoms are often unnoticeable unless tested using an Amsler chart, or when straight edges of door frames or windows begin appearing wavy or upward and downward.

Treatments for wet AMD include taking vitamins, giving up smoking, increasing green leafy vegetable consumption and receiving regular eye checks-ups – these measures aim at slowing the progression of disease progression. Some individuals who suffer from wet AMD may benefit from anti-VEGF injections. These medications aim to stop new blood vessel growth in the eye by blocking an important protein known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). NG82 recommends these medications as an option for treating wet AMD when best-corrected visual acuity falls between 6/12 and 6/96 with no permanent structural damage to the central fovea or lesion sizes of less than or equal to 12 disc areas in greatest linear dimension. At present there are three approved injection options such as ranibizumab, aflibercept solution for injection, or brolucizumab available as treatments.

Treatment for neovascular AMD (wet AMD)

Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and leak fluid into the retina, damaging macula cells and leading to rapid vision loss if left untreated. Representing only 10-15 percent of advanced macular degeneration cases, risk for wet AMD increases with age and previous experiences with dry AMD.

symptoms of wet AMD include sudden central vision loss and distortion or distorting straight lines. An Amsler grid test can be used to detect these symptoms: patients focus their gaze from one foot away on a dot in the center of an Amsler grid grid and look for any straight lines which appear crooked or wavy; such distortion indicates macula damage. A fluid and blood analysis (fluorescein angiography) test can also detect fluid or bleeding beneath retina and assist with treatment decisions.

New data from the AREDS2 clinical trial demonstrates that anti-VEGF medications significantly slow progression of macular atrophy by at least six months when compared to taking placebo pills. The research was carried out in the US with numerous patients receiving different dosages of medication allowing a within subject comparison between treated and untreated eyes.

Nathan Steinle, MD; Adrienne Scott, MD; Carl Regillo and Prethy Rao are expert retina specialists who examine recent developments in treating macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema (DME). Additionally, they discuss biosimilars as potential step therapies without jeopardizing vision outcomes.