A one-time injection may improve vision more quickly and cost-effectively than existing therapies for wet macular degeneration.

Once, the best available treatment for wet macular degeneration was monthly or bimonthly injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist drugs; known as anti-VEGF therapy, these injections would slow progression of disease while helping preserve or enhance vision.

Gene therapy

Genetic therapy employs a special technique for adding healthy DNA sequences to cells. By adding DNA that could reduce risk or even cure diseases, gene therapy corrects their source. As opposed to traditional medicines which work on body chemistry alone, gene therapy corrects its cause instead. Clinical trials for gene therapies to treat conditions like wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema are currently under way; with one such gene therapy test called ABBV-RGX-314 being trialed first.

The new treatment involves injecting harmless, genetically modified viruses into the space between retina and vascular layer of eye. Once inside, these harmless virus spread throughout retinal cells that require therapy with therapeutic genes being delivered directly. At UC Davis Health researchers are exploring this treatment approach for use against wet macular degeneration as well as other eye diseases.

Up until recently, treatments for severe medical retinal conditions were limited to laser surgery or complex surgical interventions. But now Macugen is ushering in an entirely new pharmacological and biological era of vision care by suppressing new blood vessel formation in the eye thereby stopping wet macular degeneration’s progression.

Gene therapy has recently made strides forward by replacing defective genes to reverse heritable eye diseases. A remarkable clinical trial saw a 16-year-old girl recover her sight after suffering from Leber congenital amaurosis due to genetic mutation. With replacement by a functional copy of this gene mutation that caused blindness.

Gene therapy may also be utilized for treating retinal conditions like ocular hypertension, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and other degenerative conditions. Multiple companies are currently creating drug delivery systems for subretinal injections of gene therapy treatments.

Scientists are exploring methods of using CRISPR gene editing technology to modify cells and tissues with altered DNA in order to prevent certain diseases, like wet macular degeneration and other retinal disorders. Their goal is to alter genes responsible for producing proteins associated with disease progression by altering these genes’ protein production pathways.

Photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy, commonly referred to as PDT, can halt or even reverse wet age-related macular degeneration and even improve vision. Unlike traditional laser treatments which damage retinas in wet AMD patients, PDT is noninvasive; instead delivering both drugs and light into the eye for treatment. Patients first receive a photosensitizing liquid then spend seventeen minutes in darkness with blue light shining onto their eyes which activates PDT drugs that kill abnormal cells that cause leakage or bleeding of retina cells while damaged cells die away, and vision will improve or stabilize.

Macular degeneration occurs when the macula, located in the central region of the retina, begins to degenerate. The macula is responsible for providing straight ahead vision as well as detailed perception, including facial recognition. Macular degeneration is an insidious disease marked by painless distortion of central vision field which may eventually lead to blindness; symptoms include blurred distance vision, difficulty reading and development of black spots within or near its visual field.

Over 85% to 90% of all cases of ARMD can be classified as dry macular degeneration; only about 10% progress to wet ARMD due to abnormal blood vessel growth beneath the retina that leak blood and fluid into the macula, leading to swelling and distortion of it.

Current treatments for wet macular degeneration involve medication that blocks vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein which encourages abnormal blood vessel growth. These injections into the eye are administered monthly. While these drugs can help stabilize vision in those suffering from wet macular degeneration, they cannot restore normal vision and should not be seen as a cure.

Researchers recently reported that some individuals with wet macular degeneration can safely stop receiving anti-VEGF injections. Their findings, published in Molecular Retinal Surgery journal, indicate that more may be able to reduce or discontinue medication without suffering significant vision loss; however, larger scale clinical trials must first take place to establish definitive guidelines on when it’s safe to discontinue these injections.

Intravitreal injections

Wet macular degeneration occurs when blood vessels grow between two layers of cells in the retina at the back of the eye, constituting roughly 10% of age-related macular degeneration cases and representing its primary source. Also referred to as neovascular age-related macular degeneration, wet macular degeneration leads to rapid vision loss; its best treatment involves injections of drugs known as VEGF inhibitors which block abnormal blood vessel growth – these injections must be made via small needle and block the chemical called vascular endothelial growth factor to work properly.

These injections are administered in the doctor’s office using a special technique. After applying drops to numb the site of injection, an ophthalmologist uses a thin 30 gauge needle to inject medication painlessly into one eye at a time using povidone-iodine solution in order to disinfect its surface prior to each injection and reduce risks of endophthalmitis infection.

Injections should be administered every four weeks and repeated as often as necessary in order to sustain an improvement in visual acuity. Patients should be monitored closely for any changes in vision or signs of macular hemorrhage via slit lamp examination or fundus photography.

If a patient’s vision worsens, they should contact their eye doctor immediately and receive advice on whether laser treatment may be suitable. If it is, this treatment must only be given if abnormal blood vessels are far enough away from macula to avoid leakage into it.

Anti-VEGF therapy is an extremely successful form of treatment for wet macular degeneration. It can delay disease progression and improve quality of life for those living with wet macular degeneration; however, it cannot restore lost vision. If you notice any changes to your central vision or changes to colors intensity within two weeks of an eye exam being scheduled with an eye specialist it is imperative that this be addressed as quickly as possible before it progresses further.

Laser treatment

Macular degeneration is a condition affecting the macula, the central area of light-sensitive tissue in your retina at the back of your eye that allows you to see fine details clearly. Over time, natural eye aging causes its breakdown. Without treatment, this condition may lead to blurry or distorted vision but does not lead to total blindness; typically macular degeneration progresses slowly while remaining peripheral (side) vision remains clear.

Laser treatment was until recently the only effective means of treating wet macular degeneration, or photocoagulation. This procedure uses laser light to destroy abnormal blood vessels that leak blood and fluid during wet AMD, however laser damage to healthy tissue may prevent some from experiencing an improvement in their vision; also, it must be remembered that macular degeneration cannot restore lost vision.

Ranibizumab or lucentis injectable medications offer the latest treatment option for wet macular degeneration, working by inhibiting an eye protein which stimulates new blood vessel formation. Many studies have confirmed their efficacy at stabilizing or improving vision in wet macular degeneration patients.

Subthreshold diode micropulse laser treatment can help treat wet macular degeneration through an innovative laser surgery called subthreshold diode micropulse laser surgery, performed in your doctor’s office. Your eye care professional will use eye drops to dilate the pupils for several hours post procedure before targeting low intensity laser light beams on your retina, sealing off abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid causing Neovascular Macular Degeneration.

If you have wet macular degeneration, speak to your eye care professional about which treatments would be most beneficial to you. Although no cure exists for wet macular degeneration, treatments can slow the progression and save any remaining vision that remains. Furthermore, follow your physician’s advice regarding antioxidant vitamins and zinc supplements which may significantly lower your risk for wet macular degeneration.