Macular degeneration is an eye disease that affects people aged 50 or above and can cause significant vision loss. Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration is the most frequently found form of macular degeneration.

Wet AMD can cause rapid and permanent vision loss as blood vessels proliferate under the retina and leak fluids into it. It is generally diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam with dilation.

Anti-VEGF Medications

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an essential molecule responsible for blood vessel formation and leakage in the retina, causes abnormal new blood vessels to form that leak fluid into the macula, scarring its macula and leading to wet macular degeneration. Ophthalmic VEGF inhibitors such as bevacizumab (Avastin), however, block this abnormal vessel formation while stopping fluid buildup within the eye thereby improving vision and improving overall vision quality.

Notoriously costly and time consuming to take, anti-VEGF medications require monthly injections into the eye – increasing risks such as glaucoma surgery or higher intraocular pressure (IOP). While their research may not prove causality between anti-VEGF treatments and wet macular degeneration, its authors note that restricting anti-VEGF treatments could be beneficial to many patients with wet macular degeneration.

Sodhi and her colleagues monitored over 300 patients with wet AMD, carefully monitoring their visual acuity, blood vessel density, retinal thickness and appearance of new leaks or pigment epithelial cells on OCT imaging. From these data they were able to see when monthly VEGF injections could no longer be needed and whether discontinuing treatment would result in improved vision.

People living with wet macular degeneration who temporarily stopped treatment experienced lower intraocular pressure (IOP), better visual acuity and less fluid accumulation under their retinas. Furthermore, they showed less signs of progress toward generalized arcuate haemorrhage (GA), which poses a severe threat to vision for those suffering wet AMD.

While more studies must be completed, the results of this trial demonstrate that bevacizumab-type ophthalmic VEGF inhibitors could potentially reduce the frequency and risk of injections needed, improving quality of life for those living with glaucoma while also decreasing chances of surgery or elevated IOP, according to Murray Fingeret, O.D. – founding member and director of The Glaucoma Foundation.

Optometrists must monitor these patients closely, monitoring IOP regularly and considering new anti-VEGF agents with lower rates of IOP elevation such as Aflibercept 8 mg (Eylea HD) or the recently approved Susvimo implant which continuously delivers ranibizumab for six months. They should also develop strategies which reduce intravitreal injection needs such as customized OCT-guided dosing regimens or novel delivery systems.

Photodynamic Therapy

At this treatment, a photosensitizing liquid is applied topically and left for about 60 minutes to penetrate into the retina, after which time 17 minutes of blue light therapy are applied to destroy abnormal blood vessels causing macular degeneration. Studies have revealed this procedure can slow the progression of macular degeneration as well as sometimes improve vision.

Eighty-five to ninety percent of cases of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) fall under the category known as dry macular degeneration, where deposits called drusen build up behind the macula (the area responsible for providing sharp central vision). About 10% of cases develop the wet form, characterized by the formation of abnormal blood vessels under the retina that leak fluid and scar tissue into the macula, leading to severe vision loss if untreated. Anti-VEGF medications have revolutionized treatment of wet macular degeneration and saved thousands from becoming blind without them. By blocking the protein VEGF which stimulates formation of blood vessels and scar tissue beneath the retina, these anti-VEGF injections have transformed its treatment – even saving sight in those who would have gone blind without these lifesaving injections.

Photodynamic therapy may provide an alternative for patients unable to take anti-VEGF injections on a regular basis, providing another means of treating wet macular degeneration with less vision loss and possibly improving quality of life. A photosensitizing compound is applied directly onto the eye surface before being absorbed by retina, then destroyed using laser therapy by doctor using laser technology. Photodynamic therapy has proven highly successful at reducing vision loss for wet AMD patients as well as increasing overall quality of life.

Research continues on treatments for wet macular degeneration, such as injectable medications that target the cellular mechanisms behind abnormal blood vessel growth in this disease. Another promising advance is Roche/Genentech’s Port Delivery System with ranibizumab (Susvimo; Roche/Genentech) implant which delivers continuous dosing of ranibizumab into eyes over six months – having outperformed traditional monthly injections by clinical trial results.

Laser Vision Treatment

Up until recently, laser photocoagulation was the only available treatment for wet macular degeneration. This procedure uses lasers to destroy blood vessels that leak fluids into the macula of eyeball. Unfortunately, its primary drawback is damaging retina and may thwart any improvement in vision. Recently however, doctors introduced medications which significantly decrease risk of severe vision loss caused by wet macular degeneration while potentially restoring vision in some patients.

Anti-VEGF agents are medications injected intravitreously that work by stopping the formation of new blood vessels beneath the retina, making an enormous impactful statement against wet AMD and saving many eyesights from legal blindness. Popular examples are Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea – each administered through intravitreous injections.

VISUDYNE(r) therapy combined with laser light can be used to stop leaky blood vessels in the eye that contribute to wet age-related macular degeneration (WAMD), which is a serious condition that can lead to serious vision loss. By maintaining existing vision, slowing progression of WAMD and delaying further treatments. This treatment could potentially help preserve existing vision while postponing future needs for further therapies.

After administering drops to numb your eye, the procedure continues with you lying down while your doctor shines a laser light into your eye. The laser targets areas around new retinal blood vessel growth where Visudyne reacts with oxygen molecules in these abnormal vessels to close them off – in about 15% of cases this process restores vision and slows wet macular degeneration progression.

Your eyes are an invaluable asset and it would be a shame for them to waste away because you can’t see clearly. Life should be enjoyed without constantly squinting or having difficulty viewing things clearly; laser eye surgery centers offer safe, simple, permanent solutions for achieving clear vision by discussing options for eliminating glasses.

Injection Therapy

Injection therapy entails injecting medication directly into the eye to slow the progression of wet macular degeneration (WMD). It works by restricting new abnormal blood vessels that leak damaging fluid into light-sensitive retinal tissues. Each type of injection works in its own unique way to halt neovascularization; all, however, work by blocking an inhibitor called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which promotes development of abnormal blood vessels seen with wet AMD.

VEGF is produced when abnormally high fluid and protein levels lead to wet AMD. Lucentis and Avastin injection therapies block this protein by attaching directly to it, inhibiting new blood vessel formation, and thus stopping macular degeneration. This approach may restore vision in some patients with wet AMD while improving results of other treatments like photodynamic therapy.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration, more commonly referred to as AMD, affects 10 percent of all those with the condition and accounts for 90 percent of legal blindness as a result of it. Its symptoms include abnormal blood vessel formation below the retina and yellow deposits known as retinal drusen; abnormal vessels create leaky areas under the macula that lead to rapid vision loss.

Signs of wet macular degeneration include sudden vision distortions and blind spots appearing suddenly, often both eyes. This should prompt immediate evaluation to assess the extent of damage and provide treatment options available to address it.

Wet age-related macular degeneration can be treated, though not cured. Most patients suffering from wet AMD can stabilize or improve their vision with monthly or bimonthly injections of an anti-VEGF drug into the vitreous humor (the clear gel-like substance that fills up inside an eyeball), which works by inhibiting activity of vascular endothelial growth factor protein which stimulates abnormal blood vessel development in wet AMD patients. It can also be combined with photosensitizing agent which acts in tandem with laser light treatment to destroy new blood vessels and stop vision loss altogether.