AMD is the primary cause of central vision loss among Americans over 50 and can even result in blindness.

UW eye researchers are conducting trials of new treatments for AMD, including photodynamic therapy and drug therapy.

Photodynamic therapy begins with injecting an injectable dye that targets abnormal blood vessels beneath your retina, then shining a laser light directly into your eye to activate and destroy any vessels leaking fluid.

What is Macular Degeneration?

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye condition that gradually destroys central vision, essential for reading, driving, recognising faces and colors as well as seeing fine details. AMD occurs due to thinning and degeneration of the retina – the cell layer at the back of your eye that converts light into electrical signals sent directly to the brain – at its center.

Dry AMD, the most prevalent form of macular degeneration, occurs when deposits called drusen form under the retina and over time damage it, eventually leading to central vision becoming blurry or hazy and eventually faded altogether. Most people can still utilize peripheral vision.

Around 10% of people develop wet macular degeneration, which involves abnormal blood vessels leaking blood and fluid into the macula and distorting central vision, leading to blurry or distorted central vision. It generally progresses more rapidly than its dry form counterpart and accounts for 90% of vision loss caused by macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration cannot be avoided entirely, but regular exams can detect early warning signs and offer treatments to slow its progress. At Legacy Eye Care’s offices in South Hill and Chester, their doctors specialize in macular degeneration screening, monitoring and treatment services of the highest quality.

Photocoagulation, a laser procedure where high energy beams of light are directed into the macular area to dismantle new blood vessels that have appeared, is one effective treatment option for wet macular degeneration, as it prevents further loss of vision; although repeat treatments may be necessary. Anti-VEGF agents may also be injected directly into the eye to decrease formation of new vessels and slow leakage from existing blood vessels; your doctor can advise which therapy would be most suitable.

What is Laser Treatment?

Lasers are powerful devices that focus vast amounts of energy into a narrow beam of monochromatic electromagnetic radiation, used by ophthalmologists to reduce intraocular pressure, remove lesions of the eye, perform refractive surgery and treat choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which underlies many visually debilitating eye conditions like age-related macular degeneration, histoplasmosis syndrome or pathologic myopia. They’re often relied upon as treatment options.

CNV in the macula can cause severe vision loss. Laser photocoagulation offers one potential treatment option to destroy abnormal leaking blood vessels under the retina by using painless laser light to destroy them and thus reduce fluid leakage from these leaking vessels, slowing further macula damage. Laser photocoagulation works best when abnormal vessels are located at least 200 microns from their center foveal avascular zone (FAZ).

People living with wet macular degeneration may benefit from laser photocoagulation in combination with medication that is injected directly into the eye to stop new blood vessel growth. Your healthcare provider will determine whether this combination therapy is right for you.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study-Krypton Laser (AMDS-KL) trial participants found that argon laser photocoagulation helped lower rates of severe visual loss after five years for those diagnosed with AMD and ocular histoplasmosis with extrafoveal lesions; however, subfoveal and juxtafoveal lesions were more likely to persist or recur than extrafoveal lesions.

Photodynamic therapy, another non-painful approach to treating wet macular degeneration, employs low-level laser light to activate a harmless dye which is taken up by abnormal blood vessels under the retina and then blocked with low-level laser light without harming nearby retinal structures. Photodynamic therapy should only be recommended to people who meet specific criteria and does not expect to restore vision lost – photodynamic therapy was approved for wet macular degeneration by FDA in 2000.

How Does Laser Treatment Work?

Laser treatments typically take place in your doctor’s office and only last a short while. Your doctor may ask you to wear goggles during this procedure in order to protect your eyes from the laser light, while the technician begins by shaving down the area being treated and applying cooling gel in order to soothe and minimise potential side effects of treatment. Finally, they set their laser to a specific wavelength and pulse it over the treated area.

Laser technology operates under the principle that certain tissues absorb light more readily than others. Laser light is monochromatic, meaning all its wavelengths travel in one direction – this allows lasers to target tissues without impacting nearby areas; targeted tissue absorbs laser heat which causes its cells to change; this method can be used to treat conditions including blood vessels, scars and pigmentation.

Doctors frequently utilize photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an effective treatment option for wet macular degeneration. PDT involves administering a small injection of verteporfin into your eye via photosensitive drug and then waiting 83 seconds until reaching its target site – abnormal new blood vessel formation in the macula – whereupon a laser light beam reacts with it to destroy it and seal off leakage.

Age related macular degeneration can be treated using laser treatment. Your doctor will use a specific laser beam directed towards the back of your retina in order to destroy any new blood vessels that cause macular degeneration and prevent vision loss due to wet macular degeneration. Receiving early treatment is key as soon as possible in order to minimize irreversible damage due to neovascularization.

What are the Side Effects of Laser Treatment?

Photocoagulation was once used by doctors to destroy leaky blood vessels associated with wet macular degeneration. Unfortunately, this procedure damaged retinal cells and prevented some patients from recovering their eyesight; additionally, only a fraction of patients benefited from treatment.

Anti-VEGF agents offer another alternative for combating neovascularization by blocking VEGF protein stimulation of abnormal blood vessel formation. While laser treatment cannot restore some lost vision for those suffering from wet macular degeneration, anti-VEGF drugs may restore some vision for those affected by it.

At a 2005 meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, ophthalmologists reported on a recent study which demonstrated that low-level laser therapy does not lower risk of severe vision loss among those suffering from wet exudative macular degeneration. This randomized clinical trial, known as Prophylactic Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study Group, included 348 participants across various stages of AMD from dry to wet forms over six years – covering dry as well as wet AMD forms.

After one year, researchers observed that both treated and untreated eyes experienced visual loss of at least three lines; at five years, those in the treated group saw a substantial reduction in severe vision loss primarily due to their retinal cells being destroyed through laser treatment, decreasing chances for abnormal blood vessels to form.

Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome and Idiopathic Neovascularization Study-Krypton Laser (OHS-K) trials evaluated argon laser photocoagulation treatment of wet macular degeneration due to either Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome or other causes, in eyes with wet macular degeneration due to OHS or IdNV respectively. When compared with observation, these trials demonstrated the efficacy of laser photocoagulation at preventing severe vision loss; however recurrence was quite frequent both contiguous to or independent of original lesions.

PASCAL treatment involves using an advanced system that employs laser energy delivered in multiple spots across an eye in a pattern selected by the doctor, to minimize laser burns while targeting only leaky blood vessels without harming surrounding healthy tissue. After being seated for treatment and administering special eye drops to numb the eye and dilate pupil size, special laser grid patterns across retina will then be applied by physician.