Researchers in Melbourne have devised an early form of macular degeneration treatment using laser light: injecting an antibody that adheres to new blood vessels and then shining an invisible laser beam directly into the eye.

Pan-retinal photocoagulation reduces abnormal blood vessel growth and fluid leakage in the retina, helping slow vision loss without actually restoring lost vision.

It’s safer

Utilizing lasers to treat eye disease has long been used, yet a new nanosecond laser may prove more effective and safer. A trial at University of Melbourne conducted with 50 people suffering early macular degeneration revealed it reduced vision loss significantly.

Macular degeneration is a progressive deterioration of retina, the clear membrane lining the back interior wall of your eye. Over time, cells in your retina begin to break down, producing waste products known as drusen that deposits over the macula and obscure vision. A new laser treatment known as 2RT works by stimulating cells underneath drusen deposits to regenerate more efficiently so as to decrease both their number and size – as well as decrease progression towards wet macular degeneration.

Wet macular degeneration, an advanced form of macular degeneration that can cause vision loss, is typically the result of leaky blood vessels growing beneath the retina and causing fluid build up within the eye. Laser surgery may help combat wet macular degeneration by dismantling leaky vessels and stopping fluid build-up within it; this procedure could help stop further vision loss for people already diagnosed with advanced macular degeneration.

Previous treatments for wet macular degeneration were often unsuccessful; some patients developed scarring in their retina known as proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), which can lead to blindness. PVR often results after repeated laser surgery for macular edema treatment. With its new laser, risk can be decreased by decreasing new blood vessel growth underneath the retina.

Your eye care provider will use drops to dilate (enlarge) your pupils before using a tool called a slit lamp to direct a beam of light onto your retina, using laser technology to seal off abnormal blood vessels that have formed beneath it. Although it should work quickly and painlessly, you may experience blurry or distorted vision or see floating spots for some days afterward as the scar tissue forms and seals off blood vessels in which abnormal blood has collected.

It’s faster

One of the best-known treatments for wet AMD is laser surgery, which involves targeting leaky blood vessels with an intense beam of light to destroy new ones and stop further vision loss – but unfortunately this method also causes collateral damage, so only a limited percentage of people suffering from wet AMD can benefit from laser therapy treatment.

Ranibizumab (Avastin) may provide another effective form of wet AMD treatment, blocking the vascular growth factor responsible for inducing new blood vessel formation in wet AMD patients. Unfortunately, however, it only proves effective early in its onset; and its use may not suit every patient suffering from wet AMD due to significant side effect risks.

Researchers in Melbourne have developed a revolutionary laser treatment for macular degeneration that works more quickly than existing solutions and doesn’t damage the retina, the light-detecting tissue at the back of the eye. After conducting a two-year study using nanosecond laser technology on 50 people suffering early AMD, researchers saw improvement in vision with no retinal damage whatsoever.

Laser eye treatments such as this non-painful one use pulses of light to restore the back of the eye to its youthful state, by stimulating release of enzymes to break down waste materials that cloud vision in ageing eyes and result in improved clarity as well as reduced symptoms associated with macular degeneration such as central vision loss.

Participants were divided into groups depending on whether their eyes showed early signs of macular degeneration. This included small fatty deposits known as drusen and thickening in a membrane at the back of their eye. Once separated into these two categories, participants received either nanosecond laser treatment or an altered version of it.

The study also evaluated results of previous research into juxtafoveal lesions, located near the centre of the macula. Previous research on these lesions demonstrated that approximately 85% of wet AMD patients exhibit signs of CNV in their retina resulting in severe vision loss.

It’s more effective

When retinal blood vessels leak fluid under the eye, wet macular degeneration results. This condition is more serious than dry AMD and can result in permanent vision loss; however, new treatments exist that can slow its rate of progression or even improve vision in some cases.

One treatment using laser technology to address wet macular degeneration involves using pan-retinal photocoagulation (photo-FRAP). This procedure delivers a painless laser beam into the eye that targets abnormal blood vessels causing it. It’s most effective when new vessels have grown far enough away from macula to avoid damage from laser light; however, this won’t restore vision or heal early stages of wet macular degeneration.

Another treatment involves injecting medication that prevents abnormal blood vessels from growing, typically given through small injections into one arm. It has also been used in wet macular degeneration but proved less successful than laser photocoagulation.

An alternative treatment option involves using both medication and laser photocoagulation together as part of an integrated approach to wet macular degeneration, specifically those who have lost central vision due to large numbers of leaky blood vessels in their retinas. Such combination therapies may help preserve vision longer than either therapy alone.

Scientists in Melbourne are developing an advanced laser treatment for macular degeneration that could reverse its early symptoms, including drusen and thickening of membrane at the back of eye. Their researchers are testing this new technique on people who already exhibit early signs such as drusen formation or thickening membrane at back of eye; Ellex of Adelaide manufactures their nanosecond laser used by Melbourne researchers.

Laser treatment is conducted at either a doctor’s office or hospital, where healthcare professionals administer drops to dilate your eye before placing a special type of contact lens over it to focus the laser light onto the retina. After treatment, however, your eyes may feel irritated for several days or weeks followingward and vision may remain slightly unclear for several months or more; consider asking someone you trust to drive you home afterwards with sunglasses in tow.

It’s less expensive

Laser treatment for wet macular degeneration involves painless laser light to destroy abnormal and leaking blood vessels that form under the retina in the macula area, slowing down vision loss but not expected to restore lost central vision. The procedure usually uses local anesthetic (bupivacaine or lidocaine) injected directly into the eye to “put it to sleep.” No harm comes to normal retina during this 15 minute procedure which may include flashes of light as well as any blind spots caused by laser burning away some sections of macula.

Importantly, laser treatment for wet AMD is much less costly than previous methods – in fact, almost half as costly – due to reduced costs associated with injections as a result of less injections needed per treatment session and frequent administration with reduced infection risks.

Laser treatment should be provided by an eye care provider who is proficient in its administration. You will need to sit comfortably with your chin rest while the doctor places a lens made specifically with mirrors on its surface over your eye, then directs a laser beam into both eyes for macular edema treatment in order to seal off abnormal blood vessels that cause macular edema. Repeating the process requires several appointments with different doctors.

Early treatment of AMD is critical; therefore if you notice any of its early signs – blurred vision and an increasing blind spot in the center of your field of vision – make an appointment immediately with your eye doctor for examination and treatment. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits and leafy greens may also help slow macular degeneration progression.