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What Are My Options in Wet Macular Degeneration Treatment?

What Are My Options in Wet Macular Degeneration Treatment?

Wet AMD

Wet AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) damages the macula, which is the most light-sensitive part of the eye's retina. A person whose macula has been damaged by AMD might have vision similar to the blurry picture shown here.

If your eye doctor has diagnosed you with "wet" age-related macular degeneration (AMD), also known as "exudative" or "neovascular" AMD, he or she has several options for your treatment. What is recommended for you depends on your individual case.

Most likely your doctor will try the newest kind of wet AMD treatment, which is called anti-VEGF therapy, first. VEGF stands for "vascular endothelial growth factor," which is a group of proteins in the body that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. In wet AMD, the new vessels are harmful because they grow where they do not belong, under the retina and its most light-sensitive part, the macula. The new vessels disrupt normal retinal functioning. Also, because they are abnormal and fragile, they tend to leak blood and fluid into the retina and macula, further damaging sensitive tissue and cells.

The anti-VEGF therapies are administered by injection into the back of your eye. They interact with VEGF, impairing its ability to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. Two such therapies, Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Macugen (pegaptanib sodium), have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Are Lasers Used in Wet Macular Degeneration Treatment?

While anti-VEGF treatments aim to stop more errant blood vessels from forming in wet AMD, previously developed treatments that involve lasers aim to destroy the errant vessels that have already formed. For example, a therapy called Visudyne is used in the treatment of wet macular degeneration. Visudyne combines drug and laser therapy. It is virtually painless and your eye doctor can perform it in his or her office on an outpatient basis. The Visudyne drug (verteporfin) is injected into your bloodstream through a vein in your arm. The errant, abnormal blood vessels in the retina and macula absorb the drug. The eye doctor then shines a cold laser through your pupil for 83 seconds. This activates the drug and produces a reaction that destroys the abnormal vessels.

A different kind of laser, a hot or thermal laser, can also be used as wet macular degeneration treatment. Your eye doctor chooses this option based on how close to the center of your macula your errant blood vessels have grown. He or she will avoid thermal laser for vessels close to the macular center because of the risk of permanent heat-related damage to the delicate tissue that is so important for sight. In addition, it is very common for errant vessels destroyed in this manner to grow back quickly.

What Else Might Be Done as Part of My AMD Treatment?

Your eye doctor may use the therapies discussed here in one of several combinations in order to achieve the best possible results. For example, he or she may use PDT and a steroid, or even a triple therapy of anti-VEGF, PDT and steroid.

While today's treatment of wet macular degeneration is quite advanced, even more progress will be made in the future. Many new treatments are currently under investigation. Some are new drugs based on anti-VEGF or anti-inflammatory concepts. Some involve gene silencing. Still others are different approaches, such as Lucentis combined with radiation delivered to the inside of the eye. If you are interested, you can ask your eye doctor whether you qualify to participate in any of the research studies surrounding these potential new treatments. As part of a study, you might receive the treatment being investigated, a different treatment it is being compared to, or no treatment.

Hope for the future? New clinical trials.

NeoVista, Inc. is a company that is developing an intraocular epiretinal radiation device intended for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. If you, or someone you know, are interested in participating in the CABERNET Trial, please follow the link below:

Learn more about the CABERNET Trial

 

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