Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), is the best treatment for wet AMD. Regular injections with this drug prevent new abnormal blood vessels from growing beneath the retina and leaking.

This has helped some individuals avoid legal blindness and improve their quality of life, as well as slow the rate of further visual loss.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Age-related macular degeneration has taken an ever more rapidly progressive form with wet forms gaining in prevalence and severity. In these instances, abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina that leak fluid or even bleed, potentially causing rapid loss of central vision.

Contrast this with dry forms of AMD, which typically cause gradual central vision loss due to tissue degradation of the macula, eventually leading to yellow deposits known as drusen deposits forming on it.

Once wet AMD is identified, its treatment must begin quickly in order to stop progression and prevent more severe vision loss. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers one such effective solution for wet macular degeneration.

PDT involves administering a drug called a photosensitizer combined with certain types of light to treat diseased tissue. When activated by light, photosensitizer releases chemicals which destroy nearby cells and stop their proliferation – producing chemical substances which kill unwanted cells while stopping cell division (1, 2). Finally, laser therapy may be employed to kill any remaining unwanted cells or seal leaky blood vessels (1, 2).

Visudyne was the initial medication used in this procedure, designed specifically to treat wet age-related maculardegeneration. Clinical trials demonstrated its ability to preserve and even improve vision for those living with wet maculardegeneration. Visudyne injection therapy works by blocking an enzyme responsible for stimulating new blood vessel formation (2, 3).

Another new treatment for wet macular degeneration is verteporfin, an anti-angiogenic medication similar to one already FDA-approved for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy that slows vision loss through leaky blood vessels (1, 4). This therapy also is administered through injection and has shown promise at slowing its rate (1, 4).

Owing to its promising results for wet macular degeneration, photodynamic therapy may become standard treatment of Neovascular AMD in future. At present, however, patients experiencing wet macular degeneration should speak with their healthcare provider regarding a personalized plan of care for wet macular degeneration.

Anti-VEGF Injections

Current treatment for wet macular degeneration involves administering monthly or bimonthly injections of anti-VEGF agents into the eye to reduce fluid and block abnormal blood vessels, slowing or stopping their formation and staving off vision loss. Unfortunately, though, monthly clinic visits and medication refills may become a burdensome requirement that inhibits treatment for patients and their families alike – missing even one injection could set back treatment by two steps on the DRSS scale and could result in significant visual loss.

At present, bevacizumab (Avastin), ranibizumab (Lucentis), and aflibercept (Eylea) are available as treatments for neovascular AMD. All three drugs must be given intravitreally through injections.

Bevacizumab and ranibizumab, two cancer drugs approved as anti-VEGF agents, were tested in the PANORAMA trial as anti-VEGF agents to help preserve vision in neovascular AMD. All three treatments demonstrated at least some benefit for maintaining vision; especially when combined together at higher intensities for more intensive dosing regimens used during PANORAMA which led to two-step or greater improvements in DRSS scores as compared with sham treatments.

Susvimo Ocular Implant: FDA Approved Solution The Susvimo implant delivers continuous ranibizumab for six months after only one insertion and refill, replacing monthly intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF therapy. It has been FDA approved as an alternative treatment option for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration patients who have responded well to at least two anti-VEGF injections.

Retinal specialists also use other therapies to treat Neovascular AMD, such as photodynamic Therapy and laser photocoagulation, which aim to decrease abnormal blood vessel sizes and reduce macular edema. Photodynamic Therapy uses light-activated drugs to seal off leaky blood vessels; however this practice is rarely employed due to risk of scarring; laser photocoagulation uses high energy laser beams to destroy abnormal vessels while simultaneously shrinking their size; often combined with PDT for optimal results; while vitrectomy involves surgically extracting vitreous gel from eye in order to clear away blood or scar tissue that may exist within its boundaries – often combined with PDT for best results.

Studies of various treatments continue to explore their efficacy; it is widely accepted that for wet AMD patients the most effective strategy is establishing and following through with an effective treatment plan. Regular visits with an eye specialist help ensure optimal outcomes in each individual case.

Laser Photocoagulation

Focal Argon Laser Photocoagulation is an effective solitary or adjunct treatment for diabetic macular edema (diabetic macular edema). High blood sugar levels cause capillaries in the eye to become permeable, and fluid can leak out of damaged tissues into the eye through damaged capillaries causing macular degeneration (blurry central vision in the macula region of retina). Reducing fluid build-up while shrinking retinal thickening should improve short and long term visual acuity.

Laser photocoagulation involves using a light beam to seal leaking blood vessels that occur due to wet macular degeneration, slowing or stopping further vision loss. However, this procedure may cause permanent blind spots where the laser has burned retinal tissue.

Surgery may only be recommended in select patients with wet AMD. Your healthcare provider may suggest this therapy if a large number of abnormal blood vessels near each other in your macula have formed quickly, or if wet macular degeneration has progressed more rapidly than expected. Fluorescein angiography will be used by your provider to assess if you’re an ideal candidate for this treatment option.

This procedure begins by placing contact lenses over your eyes, followed by an application of a small amount of numbing medication. Your eye care professional will then place an argon laser onto the surface of your retina; all done quickly without any discomfort felt during this quick procedure.

Once laser photocoagulation has successfully sealed off leaking blood vessels, your retina should stop producing new blood vessels and begin draining of fluid under your retina. According to one study involving 11 eyes with extrafoveal and 13 eyes with juxtafoveal neovascular membrane, laser photocoagulation was shown to either improve or stabilize vision in some instances.

Though macular degeneration cannot be prevented completely, you can lower your risk by maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, scheduling regular eye exams, and using an Amsler grid to monitor central vision. If any changes appear in this area of vision, please reach out to Signature Retina Consultants immediately!

Other Treatments

AMD is one of the primary causes of legal blindness among those aged 65 or over in the US, leading to gradual or sudden central vision loss in people over 65. Macular degeneration affects the macula, the part of our retina that allows us to detect fine detail and color, with wet AMD being associated with faster vision loss than dry AMD.

Wet AMD is caused by new blood vessels sprouting beneath the retina and leaking fluids that damage light-sensitive photoreceptor cells and result in macular degeneration. Vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF, stimulates this abnormal blood vessel growth; anti-VEGF drugs like Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea provide much-needed protection from vision loss by targeting this growth factor – intravitreal injections have saved thousands from blindness due to wet AMD.

BEOVU (brolucizumab), from Novartis, was recently approved by the FDA as an anti-VEGF medication to treat wet macular degeneration. Like its predecessors, BEOVU can be injected directly into the eye but boasts additional advantages, including being refillable through an implanted reservoir that releases its dosage on a continuous basis instead of needing to be repeated monthly.

Recent clinical research demonstrated that supplementing with vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper significantly lowered the risk of progression to wet AMD. Although this represents an advance in treatment for AMD, central vision loss may never fully recover with even the best available treatments.

Researchers continue their efforts in developing technologies for treating wet macular degeneration. One promising development is a portable laser device which can be used in a doctor’s office to destroy leaky blood vessels under the retina using photodynamic therapy or PDT; this drug must first be injected into one arm before activation by shining non-thermal laser light onto eyes to trigger chemical reactions within blood vessels and destroy them.