Dry AMD occurs when your macula becomes thinner as you age and protein clumps called drusen begin to form, leading to gradual vision loss. Unfortunately, there is no treatment available; however, certain vitamins and minerals may help slow its progress.

Wet macular degeneration occurs when new, abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and begin leaking blood or fluid beneath it, leading to rapid central vision loss.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Macular degeneration is an increasingly prevalent condition affecting the central portion of retina called macula. Macular degeneration typically leads to gradual or sudden painless loss of central vision; fortunately, most people living with macular degeneration still possess functional peripheral (side) vision that allows them to read, drive a car and see faces without difficulty. People suffering with more serious forms may develop abnormal blood vessels which leak fluid, distorting central vision.

Wet macular degeneration may be treated using anti-VEGF injections or laser light treatment; however, these are only effective if the abnormal blood vessels close enough for destruction without compromising surrounding healthy tissues. Laser treatment involves directing painless laser light beams at abnormal blood vessels to destroy and stop them regrowing.

PDT uses verteporfin, a photosensitizer drug, to sensitize eye cells and blood vessels. Once it has been taken up by these tissues, a low-intensity laser light activates it while simultaneously closing abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina – all without anesthesia being required! Generally considered to be safe procedures.

Multiple studies, including the Fellow Eye Study and Bilateral Drusen Study, have demonstrated that PDT can reduce or halt progression from dry macular degeneration to wet macular degeneration in dry patients, while in wet cases it can often help stabilize vision or even improve it in some instances.

While vitamins and supplements may help slow the progression of dry macular degeneration, it will not stop vision from worsening. If you have wet AMD, however, treatment must begin immediately with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections or photodynamic therapy to stop further vision deterioration.

If you have been diagnosed with wet macular degeneration, it is vitally important that you attend regular examinations and follow the advice of your healthcare provider. If any blurriness or dark areas appear in your central vision, call your doctor immediately as early treatment can significantly decrease the risk of serious vision loss.

Laser Surgery

Surgery that previously required scalpels has increasingly turned to lasers due to their convenience and safety. A carbon dioxide gas laser’s finely focused beam can cut through tissue without harming surrounding tissues and can be directed from nearly any direction using a mirror mounted on a movable arm mirror. Laser surgery also reduces postoperative discomfort as its energy seals off small blood vessels that might otherwise bleed during surgery and lead to postoperative bleeding, helping eliminate discomfort after the procedure has concluded.

Laser technology can also be utilized in cosmetic surgery for birthmark removal and tattoo removal. One such birthmark, known as a port wine stain, consists of thousands of tiny malformed blood vessels that exhibit reddish purple hues when illuminated by green wavelengths, creating an unattractive reddish purple stain in its wake. A laser beam can effectively target this port wine stain while protecting healthy tissues around it.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a serious condition, leading to loss of central vision – the sharp, straight ahead view required for driving, reading, recognizing faces, and seeing details. The dry form of AMD affects 90-95% of cases by directly impacting the macula which transforms light into nerve signals which travel back to your brain; wet form AMD can occur when abnormal blood vessels form beneath your retina leaking fluid beneath and damaging central vision.

Treatment options for wet AMD include medications that restrict the growth of abnormal new blood vessels while slowing leakage from existing ones. Your eye doctor may also suggest laser photocoagulation surgery; in which a laser light is used to reduce the number of vessels on your retina while sealing any leaks that form in it – this may help protect against further vision loss but won’t restore lost eyesight.

Reduce your risk of wet macular degeneration by visiting your eye doctor regularly for exams, reporting any vision changes promptly, and testing central vision using an Amsler grid – a pattern similar to checkerboard that looks for any distortion – as early signs of AMD. Furthermore, taking various supplements like vitamins C & E, zinc, lutein and zeaxanthin is believed to lower the risk.

Medications

Medication can help slow the progression of dry macular degeneration, but they cannot restore lost vision. While vitamins and anti-angiogenesis drugs may slow further vision loss by slowing abnormal blood vessel growth in wet macular degeneration, regular visits to an eye doctor as well as multiple injections may be required in order to use these medicines effectively.

About 10% of patients with dry AMD will eventually progress to “wet” AMD, where new blood vessels form beneath areas weakened by drusen and atrophy, leaking fluid and leading to blurry or distorted vision, eventually leading to scar tissue formation destroying central vision and scarring the retinal area.

Wet macular degeneration cannot be reversed, but its progression can be managed or delayed with medication and laser therapy. Intravitreal injections that target the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which stimulates abnormal blood vessel formation associated with wet macular degeneration. FDA-approved LUCENTIS injection works by binding to VEGF and blocking it from stimulating abnormal blood vessels – regular injections combined with other recommended treatments have helped stabilize vision in approximately 95% of cases, and even improved it in approximately 40% of them.

Photocoagulation may provide relief for patients who do not respond to medications alone, as its high-energy beam of light destroys fragile and leaky blood vessels which threaten the macula. Although this treatment usually leaves behind permanent blind spots, photocoagulation has shown more promise than simply medicating against macular degeneration alone.

Fluorescein angiography is an easy, noninvasive test to help diagnose early-stage wet AMD. A small amount of yellow dye is injected into an arm vein and then taken through all of the eye’s blood vessels before being photographed by a special camera to capture images of how far its traveled within retina. If this shows that abnormal blood vessels have expanded underneath your retina, this test can show whether they have filled your retina and help determine the appropriate course of treatment.

Supplements

The retina is a thin sheet of paper-thin tissue lining the back of your eye that transmits visual information to your brain. Your central vision comes from an area in the middle of your retina called the macula which houses millions of light-sensing cells to provide this central vision. Dry macular degeneration occurs when one area of your retina breaks down and causes loss of central vision due to tissue thinning around its macular tissues.

Aging and other factors, including smoking, obesity and genetics are the primary contributors. The disease presents itself in symptoms such as blurry vision in dim lighting conditions or blind spots in your peripheral vision; left untreated it could progress into its wet form which causes permanent visual loss.

About 10% of people living with macular degeneration have the wet type, caused by abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the retina and leaking fluid onto the optic nerve, ultimately damaging vision loss. If caught early and treated immediately, vision loss can be minimized or even reversed.

Medication may help treat wet AMD by decreasing the formation of new abnormal blood vessels and slowing their leakage of fluid from existing ones. These medications, known as anti-angiogenic agents, may be taken orally or administered directly into the eye. When combined with laser treatment for leaky vessels preservation of vision may also be achieved.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may also provide relief from wet macular degeneration. PDT involves your doctor injecting a drug directly into an arm or hand vein, where it travels directly to the eye where it absorbs abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina and then being activated using laser energy to destroy any leaky vessels under your retina. This quick, painless process is performed in-office.

Vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, E, Lutein and Zeaxanthin along with Zin can reduce your risk for macular degeneration. It is best to take these dietary supplements on a daily basis for best results; additionally it’s important to have regular medical eye examinations as well as obtain an Amsler Grid at home in order to monitor central vision at home.