Latest Treatment For Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye condition that leads to central vision blurring and is one of the leading causes of blindness among adults over 60 in Western countries.

AMD can be divided into two forms, wet and atrophic. Wet AMD is distinguished by abnormal blood vessel growth under the retina that leads to permanent vision loss. Anti-angiogenic drug treatments such as Avastin or Lucentis as well as light-activated drugs like Visudyne are available for treating this form by blocking proteins responsible for stimulating abnormal vessel formation.

Anti-VEGF Drugs

VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is the substance responsible for stimulating abnormal blood vessel formation that leaks fluid and causes eye swelling. By blocking this growth factor, new drugs have emerged which can effectively reduce swelling and prevent further vision loss; examples include bevacizumab (Avastin), aflibercept (Eylea) and ranibizumab (Lucentis), administered through intravitreal injection directly into the back of your eye.

These drugs are effective at slowing and even reversing wet age-related macular degeneration in some patients; however, not in all. Some individuals experiencing wet macular degeneration experience no further vision loss when treated with anti-VEGF therapies; to enhance their effectiveness retina specialists have created Visudyne drug treatment (Photodynamic Therapy or PDT).

Step one of treatment involves shining a non-thermal laser into your eye to activate chemical compounds within abnormal blood vessels and cause their destruction, ultimately decreasing fluid accumulation and vision loss from wet macular degeneration and wet macula degeneration in most treated eyes.

Genentech’s Susvimo implant recently received FDA approval as an exciting breakthrough, offering wet AMD patients an alternative to frequent injections of ranibizumab. A third new treatment ABBV-RGX-314 from RegenXBio is also currently under early development; this one-time treatment features a monoclonal antibody fragment designed to neutralize VEGF and modify blood vessel formation pathways.

If you have been diagnosed with wet macular degeneration, an ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) will discuss all available treatments with you to find one best suited to your condition. In many instances, patients benefit from using multiple approaches at once–for instance steroid drugs may help treat diabetic retinopathy-induced macular edema or retinal vein occlusions – to find what’s right for them.

If you have a family history of age-related macular degeneration, your risk increases for the more serious “wet” form of the condition. Regular dilated eye exams will allow your ophthalmologist to monitor its progression and the effectiveness of treatments, with self-reporting tools recommended at home to track progress.

Photodynamic Therapy

Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is one of the leading causes of blindness among Americans aged 60 or over in the US. It occurs when damage occurs to the macula – part of the eye responsible for controlling sharp, straight-ahead vision and seeing fine details clearly – leading to loss of central vision and rapid vision loss. For advanced cases of wet macular degeneration characterized by rapid blood vessel growth beneath retina leading to rapid vision loss – treatments include vitamins, anti-angiogenesis drugs and photodynamic therapy to slow its progress or at least slow its progress if possible.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a noninvasive procedure that uses light therapy to treat skin cancer and precancerous lesions. This procedure combines photosensitive drugs with blue light; once an injectable solution has been administered to a treatment site, the doctor uses non-thermal laser light to activate its chemicals so they destroy cancerous cells or precancerous lesions before flushing away dead cells naturally by the body.

Drug injections to inhibit new blood vessel growth (neovascularization) in the retina such as Avastin, Lucentis or Eylea are the primary therapies used to treat wet macular degeneration and may help slow or stop its progress while helping preserve central vision. Photodynamic therapy may further aid this effort.

Researchers are investigating ways to enhance existing therapies for macular degeneration by adding new ingredients or changing how medications work. Research conducted by Nicolas Bazan, Boyd Professor and Ernest C. and Yvette Villere Chair for the Study of Retinal Degeneration at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine suggests that specific fatty acids in eye tissue reduce a protective molecule which prevents against the development of AMD through neovascularization.

Though recent advancements in macular degeneration treatment are promising, it is essential to remember that they do not restore all vision lost due to AMD. If you notice loss of central vision due to AMD, schedule an appointment with an eye care practitioner immediately; additionally it would be prudent to regularly utilize an Amsler grid test in order to monitor any visual acuity changes and determine whether these can be due to wet or dry AMD.

Vitrectomy

Vitrectomy is the standard of care for many patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. It involves extracting vitreous gel from inside the eye in order to treat hemorrhages or fix retinal detachments, or remove an opaque area known as “floaters.” Vitrectomy may be used both wet and dry forms of macular degeneration.

Surgery for vitreous gel removal typically involves local anesthesia and the use of small instruments by the surgeon to sever and extract it from inside of an eye, without needing sutures; patients can typically return home the same day and experience immediate improvement in vision clarity.

Modern small-gauge vitrectomy is an extremely safe procedure with rare instances of serious complications arising. Additionally, vitrectomy has proven highly effective against macular edema and neovascularization in wet AMD, significantly slowing visual decline for many of those living with wet macular degeneration with this form.

AREDS study results also demonstrated the efficacy of nutritional supplements containing beta-carotene, vitamins C and E to slow macular degeneration progression and improve vision in some patients.

Dietary supplements should not be seen as a way to cure macular degeneration; therefore, it’s crucial that you discuss their possible uses with your eye doctor. Some patients at high risk for neovascular age-related macular disease can reduce the rate of progression to advanced AMD by taking certain nutrients such as antioxidant vitamins and zinc supplements. The National Eye Institute’s AREDS study found that supplementing with high doses of vitamins and minerals could protect macula from abnormal blood vessel growth – one cause of wet macular degeneration. AREDS studies also suggest that diets low in fat, salt and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of age-related degeneration neovascularization – something especially relevant to individuals who have a family history of macular degeneration.

Surgery

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye condition that causes central vision loss due to age-related damage to the macula – part of your retina’s light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eyes – being damaged due to age. AMD is the leading cause of blindness among people over 55 and early detection can help slow its progress; although macular degeneration cannot be cured completely there are various treatment options that can improve or stabilize vision loss.

The National Eye Institute has demonstrated that diets rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals such as zinc and copper may lower your risk of macular degeneration, while eating plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, fish oil, and healthy fats such as nuts can provide additional protection. Other studies indicate taking specific combinations of vitamins and mineral supplements (like those recommended by AREDS study) may slow the progression of AMD and even restore vision in some instances.

Macular degeneration comes in two forms, dry (non-neovascular) and wet (neovascular). In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak fluid and blood, damaging photoreceptor cells in the retina and leading to rapid and severe loss of vision if left untreated. Before recently, no effective treatments existed to halt this progression; today however, anti-VEGF drugs such as Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea can effectively block further growth of new blood vessels under retina; these medications have dramatically changed lives of patients who would otherwise have developed legal blindness without them.

Emory Eye Center in Georgia is pioneering a revolutionary new technology that can restore some lost vision for end-stage macular degeneration patients using CentraSight implants – an implantable miniature telescope implant that restores some vision by means of implantable mini telescope. Although the procedure itself can be dauntingly complex and requires rigorous screening to qualify candidates, CentraSight implants can greatly increase quality of life and independence for recipients who qualify.