Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that can lead to significant vision loss. AMD occurs when your macula, the part of your retina responsible for providing central vision, becomes damaged. This breakdown may cause blurry or blind spots in central vision as symptoms.

AMD cannot be cured, but treatment options may slow or stop vision loss and even improve it in certain people.

Vitamins

Some individuals living with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can slow the pace of vision loss by taking vitamin supplements in high doses, however this will not restore any vision already lost; nor will it provide a cure. Instead, taking these vitamins reduces risk by slowing progression from moderate to late stage disease; in addition they may protect against an eye condition called Neovascular or Wet AMD which has yet to strike many people living with AMD.

Age-Related Eye Disease Study or AREDS was an extensive clinical trial that demonstrated how specific combinations of vitamin supplements could help slow or stop dry AMD worsening. The formula includes 500 mg of Vitamin C, 400 International Units (IUs) of Vitamin E, 15 micrograms (mcgs) zinc and 2 milligrams (2 mgs) copper; while in its second iteration called AREDS2 these were enhanced further with Lutein and Zeaxanthin being added.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants that may reduce your risk of wet AMD. Both substances can be found naturally in egg yolks, spinach, kale and corn as well as added to multivitamins; their combined action with other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E may improve vision by decreasing deposits under the retina known as “drusen.”

Zinc is an important mineral for eye health. When combined with vitamins A and omega-3 fatty acids, its combination can have profound results for eye health. Teens and adults should consume 15 micrograms daily of zinc; sources include beef or turkey liver; oysters; Dungeness crab; pasta, brown rice and milk products enriched with zinc.

Anti-VEGF therapy (vascular endothelial growth factor) injections are the primary form of treatment for wet AMD, and most often recommended by eye doctors. These injections reduce abnormal blood vessel growth underneath the retina while slowing any leakage or bleeding from those vessels – helping minimize and even reverse visual loss for those living with this form. Your ophthalmologist will advise whether anti-VEGF treatments are appropriate for you; additionally they will inform you about other treatment options, such as laser surgery.

Anti-angiogenesis drugs

Age-related macular degeneration, commonly referred to as AMD, is a progressive condition causing damage to the macula located on the retina, responsible for central vision that allows us to read, drive and recognize faces and colors. If left untreated this could eventually lead to blindness; however there are ways to slow its progress or even restore vision in those already suffering from AMD.

Anti-angiogenesis drugs have been developed to stop the formation of new blood vessels in the eye. While these anti-angiogenesis medicines have proven their worth in cancer therapy for years, they also show promise in treating other conditions such as age-related macular degeneration. Anti-angiogenesis medications serve as powerful additions to other therapies like vitamin supplements and laser surgery in treating AMD.

These medications work by targeting a protein known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF encourages abnormal blood vessel formation within the eye, leading to leakage of fluid and scarring associated with Neovascular AMD. By inhibiting their formation, these inhibitors can slow down its progression while potentially decreasing blindness risks.

Most people with ARMD suffer from its dry form, in which parts of the retina thin with age and tiny clumps of protein known as drusen form on it. Drusen are less severe than wet form ARMD which occurs when new, abnormal blood vessels sprout underneath retina and leak blood or other fluids onto it causing macula swelling and scarring to progress more quickly and cause greater central vision loss than dry ARMD.

Studies have revealed that certain vitamins and minerals may help slow advanced macular degeneration’s progression, however. Talk to your doctor about taking high-dose supplements of antioxidants and zinc which have been found effective. Furthermore, an Amsler grid test can be used to detect early changes to central vision using an attractive grid pattern similar to a checkerboard that helps identify distortions within central vision. An OCT angiography test is another useful way of detecting signs of new blood vessels leaking onto retinal layers–an indicator of wet ARMD.

Laser surgery

The retina is the thin layer of cells lining the back of your eye that converts light into electrical signals that travel to the brain to form visual images. When people with AMD develop, their retina becomes thinner. Fluid may leak underneath, damaging central vision macula, leading to eyesight loss. Furthermore, ruptured blood vessels can result in bleeding within the retina leading to blindness or further vision loss.

Around 80% of those diagnosed with AMD suffer from dry AMD. At this stage, small protein deposits called drusen form underneath your retina and your vision gradually deteriorates. Unfortunately, no treatment exists for dry AMD, though certain vitamins and minerals may help slow its progression.

Wet AMD occurs when abnormal new blood vessels form under the retina and leak blood or other fluids into it. This fluid can then cause scarring to your retina, rapidly worsening your vision over time. A laser photocoagulation procedure uses high energy light beams to destroy these new vessels and stop any further leakage; it can help preserve some vision if wet AMD has not reached the center of macula (fovea).

There are also other treatments for wet AMD, such as medicine that is injected directly into the eye to decrease abnormal blood vessel growth and thus delay vision loss progression; such medications are known as anti-angiogenesis drugs.

Krypton laser photocoagulation was performed for patients with wet AMD who also had juxtafoveal CNV that extended within the foveal avascular zone (FAZ). The study involved both AMD-related and histoplasmosis-related lesions with larger sample sizes than previous trials; results demonstrated that photocoagulation did not significantly decrease vision loss rates for either condition; however it did reduce lesion recurrence/persistence rates significantly for histoplasmosis-related lesions while improving lesion recurrence/persistence/persistency rates significantly for histoplasmosis-related lesions; results also demonstrated this improved their recurrence/persistence rates significantly, even without significantly impacting vision loss rates for these lesions that included vision loss rates comparable to that seen with normal patients with the condition present.

Implantable miniature telescope

UC Irvine Ophthalmologists are among the first in Orange County and one of only a select few nationwide to perform a groundbreaking high-tech surgery that restores some lost vision to those suffering from severe age-related macular degeneration. An FDA-approved miniature telescope implanted into each eye helps improve central vision by decreasing blind spots caused by this condition.

The device, roughly the size of a pea, is implanted in one eye through an outpatient procedure similar to cataract surgery and provides magnified central images over the retina to improve visual acuity, making daily tasks such as reading easier. TV viewing becomes simpler while face recognition becomes simpler as well. Meanwhile, peripheral (side) vision and mobility remain provided by unimplanted eye.

Scientists have identified genetic factors that accelerate some forms of macular degeneration more rapidly than others, meaning early intervention could prevent or delay further vision loss. Studies suggest taking certain vitamins may delay or prevent progression to wet macular degeneration – though further study is required for that possibility. A potential treatment option would involve using laser therapy on retina to stimulate small areas of macular degeneration to create new blood vessels to transport nutrients to macula, providing long-term functional vision protection.

At present, there is no treatment that can reverse the loss of central vision associated with advanced wet AMD and it is impossible to recover lost visual acuity due to dry macular degeneration. Nonetheless, other treatments exist which may help slow progression of vision loss from these diseases and enhance quality of life for those experiencing significant visual acuity loss.

Studies of an implantable miniature telescope were recently performed that demonstrated its safety and effectiveness at increasing visual abilities enough for everyday activities like reading, driving, going shopping, watching television shows/movies, recognising faces or walking. Now available through CentraSight patient care program available exclusively to Medicare eligible patients, the cost associated with having this implant covered as part of this care package.