Macular Degeneration – 3

Treatment of Maculur Degeration
Dry AMD – There is very little probability of finding a permanent cure for this type of macular degeneration. This is considered to be a slow process of central vision impairment, though the peripheral vision generally does not get affected. Therefore, it is not considered to cause a complete vision loss. One can improve the quality of life and carry out routine activities by using available practical aids like magnifying lenses, bright reading lights and books with large print.
Wet AMD – Prompt treatment is quite helpful in dealing with the progression of this condition. As we all know loss of vision is most often irreversible. However, there are a lot of treatments that are available to tackle this condition so as to prevent the condition which leads to the vision loss:
Photodynamic therapy – this treatment involves injecting a photo-sensitive medicine, called verteporfin into a vein in the arm. The drug identifies the abnormal blood vessels of the macula and gets attached to the proteins of these vessels. This is followed by a laser beam which is being shone into the eye for about 60 seconds or one minute. This laser beam in turn reacts with verteporfin and thereby destroys the abnormal blood vessels of macula, which then stop leaking blood or fluid and arrest further damage to macula. The best part about this procedure is that all the other sensitive parts of the eye remain unaffected during this entire process. The suitability of this treatment depends on the extent of damage done on the macula and one may need repetitive sessions of this treatment to control the abnormal growth of blood vessels.
Anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) treatment – VEGF is a chemical which aids in the formation of new blood vessels in the eye. The Anti-VEGF medicine is injected into the eye with a fine needle and it blocks the chemical to curb the formation of new vessels. The treatment proves its effectiveness only when it is repeated every few weeks. Anti-VEGF drugs help by preventing worsening of wet-AMD and in some cases, even in restoring the loss of vision that might have occurred due to this disease. Some side effects that show up with this treatment are – blurred vision, redness, pain and swelling. Other serious complications that can crop up include eye infection, damage to the retina or to the eye lens.
There are three anti-VEGF treatments that are in use currently:
Ranibizumab (Lucentis ), Pegaptanib (Macugen) and Bevacizumab (Avastin) – some of these are approved by NHS but need to qualify certain criteria on the basis of the extent of condition in individual cases.
Minerals and vitamins – certain vitamins like A, C & E and beta – carotene and minerals like copper and zinc, when taken in high doses reduces progression of macular degeneration. However, one really needs to take these under medical supervision to prevent any kind of side effects.